1988 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1988 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Airfields
126 total, 123 usable; 31 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 19 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Branches
Royal Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Police Force
Civil air
about 28 major transport aircraft
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; dry, northwest monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
Coastline
644 km
Comparative area
about twice the size of Washington D.C.
Environment
1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 atolls
Ethnic divisions
admixtures of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, and black
Exclusive fishing zone
about 100 nm (defined by geographic coordinates)
Extended economic zone
irregular polygon varying in breadth from about 35 nm to more than 300 nm
Infant mortality rate
88/1,000 (1984)
Labor force
about 66,000; fishing industry employs 80% of labor force
Land use
10% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 84% other
Language
Divehi (dialect of Sinhala; script derived from Arabic); English spoken by most government officials
Life expectancy
46.5
Literacy
36%
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1987, $937 million; about 9.9% of central government budget Male Atoll Arabian ?;,' '/— *MALE Sea % ';'. -;.:•. ••* •\ ' '* x< r Laccadive Sea
Military manpower
males 15-49, 4,180,000; 2,552,000 fit for military service; 172,000 reach military age (21) annually External defense dependent on loose Five Power Defense Agreement (FPDA), which replaced Anglo-Malayan Defense Agreement of 1957 as amended in 1963
Nationality
noun — Maldivian(s); adjective— Maldivian
Pipelines
crude oil, 707 km; natural gas, 379km
Population
195,837 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 3.65%
Ports
Peninsular Malaysia — 3 major, 14 minor; Sabah — 2 major, 3 minor; Sarawak— 1 major, 9 minor
Religion
Sunni Muslim
Special notes
strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
Telecommunications
Peninsular Malaysia— good intercity service provided mainly by microwave relay; international service good; good coverage by radio and television broadcasts; 849,129 telephones nationwide in 1984 (5.3 per 100 popl.); 17 AM, 2 FM, 20 TV stations; submarine cables extend to India and Sarawak; connected to SEACOM submarine cable terminal at Singapore by microwave relay; 2 international satellite ground stations; 1 domestic satellite ground station; Sabah — adequate intercity radio-relay network extends to Sarawak via Brunei; 6 AM, 1 FM, 7 TV stations; SEACOM submarine cable links to Hong Kong and Singapore; 1 satellite ground station; Sarawak — adequate intercity radio-relay network extends to Sabah via Brunei; submarine cable to Peninsular Malaysia; 5 AM, no FM, 6 TV stations; 1 satellite ground station Defense Forces
Terrain
flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters
Territorial sea
irregular polygon varying in breadth from less than 3 nm to about 55 nm
Total area
300 km2; land area: 300 km2
Government
Administrative divisions
19 administrative districts corresponding to 19 atolls, plus capital city
Branches
popularly elected unicameral national legislature, People's Council (members elected for five-year terms); elected President, chief executive; appointed Chief Justice responsible for administration of Islamic law
Capital
Male
Communists
negligible
Government leader
Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM, President (since 1978)
Legal system
based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
ADB, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth (special member), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, ITU, NAM, QIC, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
National holidays
Independence Day, 26 July; Republic Day, 11 November
Official name
Republic of Maldives
Suffrage
universal over age 21 Political parties and leaders: no organized political parties; country governed by the Didi clan for the past eight centuries
Type
republic