General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
298 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
0 km |
|
Coastline: |
- |
|
Capital: |
Malé |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
- |
|
Official
Language: |
Dhivehi |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Rufiyaa (MVR) |
|
National Day: |
July 26 |
Location and
Geography
Maldives is an
independent chain of
islands in the
Northern Indian
Ocean and South-west
of Sri Lanka, at the
Southernmost tip of
India. The atolls
comprise about 1,190
coral islands, 200
of which are
inhabited. The
tropical vegetation
varies from grass
and scrub to dense
woods of fruit trees
or coconut palms.
The environment is
warm and wet. The
terrain is flat with
some elevations.
There is very little
arable land and few
forests, pastures
and woodlands. The
country has no
permanent crops. The
climate is hot and
humid. Most of the
area is subject to
the South-west and
North-east monsoons.
Demography
|
Population:
|
0.28 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
18 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
4 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
18 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 71 years,
Female: 72 years
(2001) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
27.0 percent
(2001) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
98.90 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Maldives’ economy
depends on fishing,
shipping and
tourism. Garment
production, boat
building, and
handicrafts are the
other main
industries of the
country. One of the
major problems
facing Maldives is a
dwindling supply of
fresh water and an
inadequate sewage
treatment. Despite
physical limitations
such as the lack of
cultivated land
irrigation, and
unfavourable
climatic conditions,
several cash crops
are grown of which
the most important
ones are cotton,
coconut, breadfruit,
mango, papaya, lime,
banana, pumpkin and
taro. Sugar cane,
tobacco and tea are
also grown for
domestic
consumption.
Livestock is raised
for both domestic
and export markets.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
640 million US$
(2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
2284 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
11.0%
Agriculture,
16.0% Industry,
63.0% Services,
(2000) |
|
Total Exports:
|
212 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
387 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Canned fish,
dried fish,
frozen fish,
apparel and
clothing |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
transportation
equipment, basic
manufactures,
food and
animals,
petroleum
products |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
Singapore, Sri
Lanka, Malaysia,
UAE and France |
|
