Country	Maldives
Capital	Malé
Continent	Asia
Currency	Maldivian rufiyaa(MVR)
Languages	Maldivian (Dhivehi)

Locaion

Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India

Geographic Co ordinates

3 15 N, 73 00 E

Land Boundries

0 km

Geography - note

1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

Population

395,650 (July 2010 est.)
Country comparison to the world:174

Nationality

Noun: Maldivian(s)
Adjective:Maldivian

Ethnic groups

South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs

Religions

Sunni Muslim

Languages

Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials

Country Name

Conventional long form:Republic of Maldives
Conventional short form:Maldives
Local long form:Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
Local short form:Dhivehi Raajje

Government Type

republic

Capital

Name: Male
Geographic coordinates:4 10 N, 73 30 E
Time difference:UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions

19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital city*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale (Male)*, Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu

Independence

26 July 1965 (from the UK)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

Constitution

new constitution ratified 7 August 2008

Legal system

based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Chief of state: President Mohamed "Anni" NASHEED (since 11 November 2008); Vice President Mohamed WAHEED Hassan Maniku (since 11 November 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government:President Mohamed "Anni" NASHEED (since 11 November 2008); Vice President Mohamed WAHEED Hassan Maniku (since 11 November 2008)
Cabinet:Cabinet of Ministers is appointed by the president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website)
Elections:under the new constitution, the president elected by direct vote; president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 8 and 28 October 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results:Mohamed NASHEED elected president; percent of vote - NASHEED 54.3%, Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 45.7%

Legislative branch

unicameral People's Council or People's Majlis (77 seats; members elected by direct vote to serve five-year terms); note - the Majlis in February 2009 passed legislation that increased the number of seats to 77 from 50
Elections: last held on 9 May 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
Election results: percent of vote - DRP 36.4%, MDP 33.8 %, PA 9.1%, DQP 2.6% Republican Party 1.2%, independents 16.9%; seats by party - DRP 28, MDP 26, PA 7, DQP 2, Republican Party 1, independents 13

Judicial branch

Supreme Court; Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of voting members of the People's Council; High Court; Trial Courts; all lower court judges are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission

Political Parties and Leaders

Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi Quamee Party or DQP [Hassan SAEED]; Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Umar NASEER]; Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mariya DIDI]; People's Alliance or PA [Abdullah YAMEEN]; Republican (Jumhooree) Party [Gasim IBRAHIM]; Social Liberal Party or SLP [Mazlan RASHEED]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Other:various unregistered political parties

International organization participation

ADB, AOSIS, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

Chief of mission:Ambassador Abdul GHAFOOR Mohamed
Chancery:800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017
Telephone:[1] (212) 599-6195
FAX:[1] (212) 661-6405

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS, is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits

Flag description

red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag

Video

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Government - Government - Maldives President - Maldives Ministry Of Education
Newspapers -  Dhivehi Observer Haveeru Minivan News ReliefWeb Maldives
                              AafathisNET Dhivehi Raajjeyge Adu Kalhala Kavaasaa
Tourism -         Ministry Of Tourism

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This RSS feed URL is deprecatedThis RSS feed URL is deprecated, please update. New URLs can be found in the footers at https://news.google.com/news India hopes to restart its projects in Maldives - Economic Times Economic Times India hopes to restart its projects in Maldives Economic Times India will seek to kickstart its projects in the Maldives during PM Modi's daylong visit to Male on November 17 to attend Ibu Solih's swearing-in ceremony. The projects, including in the defence sector, were stalled under the regime of outgoing ... and more » Maldives: how climate change could actually help coral islands rise again - The Conversation UK The Conversation UK Maldives: how climate change could actually help coral islands rise again The Conversation UK At the southern tip of the Maldives, on the tiny island of Villingili, a patch of ground rises to tower a whole 2.4m above the sea. It's the world's lowest high point. With most islands just a metre or so above the sea level, it is often suggested that ... Maldives: climate change could actually help coral islands rise again but they're still at riskMENAFN.COM all 3 news articles » India should build ties and rescue Maldives from China's debt trap, challenge Beijing's might in the Indian Ocean - Firstpost Firstpost India should build ties and rescue Maldives from China's debt trap, challenge Beijing's might in the Indian Ocean Firstpost Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Male to attend the swearing-in ceremony of president-elect of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The smooth transfer of power on 17 November will mark the restoration of democracy in Maldives as well as a major ... Sri Lanka: Rajapaksa to visit Maldives to meet Modi?Sri Lanka Guardian South Asia: Is 'regime-change' an end in itself?Observer Research Foundation As China gains upper hand, India leaves it to “wise people of Sri Lanka” to decideNational Herald all 7 news articles » Matt and Emma Willis go on luxurious 'familymoon' to the Maldives - HELLO! HELLO! Matt and Emma Willis go on luxurious 'familymoon' to the Maldives HELLO! Matt and Emma Willis have found the best way to celebrate their tenth wedding anniversary! The couple, who renewed their vows in a star-studded ceremony in the summer, have jetted off to the Maldives for a second honeymoon with their three children in ... PM Modi to attend swearing-in of Maldives president-elect Mohamed Solih - Economic Times Economic Times PM Modi to attend swearing-in of Maldives president-elect Mohamed Solih Economic Times In his first visit as the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will travel to Male on November 17 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of new Maldivian president, indicating an attempt to mend bilateral ties, which nosedived during the outgoing Abdulla Yameen ... Narendra Modi to visit Maldives for Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's swearing-inLivemint PM Modi to Make Maiden Trip to Maldives for President-elect Solih's Swearing-InNews18 Modi to attend Maldives swearing-inTelegraph India Hindustan Times -Times Now all 152 news articles » First Look: The Muraka at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island - Travel Market Report Travel Market Report First Look: The Muraka at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Travel Market Report The world's first underwater luxury hotel residence, a two-story villa nestled more than 16 feet below the Indian Ocean, has opened in the Maldives. Guests staying at Muraka, which means “coral” in the local Dhivehi language, allows guests to sleep ... Villa tour: Inside the Maldives new $69ka-night underwater villa rentalNine Exclusive review: sleeping with the fishes at The Muraka, the world's first undersea residenceTelegraph.co.uk all 3 news articles » Farrah Abraham Screw Atlantic City I'm Going to the Maldives!!! - TMZ TMZ Farrah Abraham Screw Atlantic City I'm Going to the Maldives!!! TMZ The ex-'Teen Mom' had herself a nice little beach day Saturday at the Ayada Resort on Maguhdhuvaa, one of the islands that make up the Maldives. Interestingly enough, these photos came out the same day of her would-be boxing event in Atlantic City ... Farrah Abraham Gets Wet N' Wild Overseas In The MaldivesOK Magazine Farrah Abraham poses in a bikini in the Maldives after dropping out of boxing match: 'Karma is a beach in my world'Daily Mail Life's A Beach! Farrah Abraham Flaunts Bikini Body In The Maldives – See PhotosRadar Online In Touch Weekly -Hollywood Life all 21 news articles » World's first underwater residence opens in the Maldives - Archinect Archinect World's first underwater residence opens in the Maldives Archinect If the idea of sleeping under the water sounds like your kinda thing and a sweet $50,000 a night isn't too much of an obstacle, then a trip to the Maldives should be at the top of your itinerary. Conrad Hotels & Resorts recently completed a one-of-a ... Hina Khan And Rocky Jaiswal's Romantic Pictures On Yacht From Maldives Are Winning Hearts - BollywoodShaadis.com (blog) BollywoodShaadis.com (blog) Hina Khan And Rocky Jaiswal's Romantic Pictures On Yacht From Maldives Are Winning Hearts BollywoodShaadis.com (blog) After being the talk of the town for playing Komolika, Hina is back with her stunning looks, and this time, it is all the way from Maldives. Well, for the ones who got confused, Hina recently went to Maldives for a short vacay with the love of her life ... Hina Khan Vacationing at Maldives, See Pic & VideoClipper28 (satire) (press release) (blog) Hina Khan aka Komalika shares hot pictures from her holiday on MaldivesNews Track all 5 news articles » Photos leaked of president's 'castle' on island retreat - Maldives Independent (press release) Maldives Independent (press release) Photos leaked of president's 'castle' on island retreat Maldives Independent (press release) Photos of a three-storey house built on the presidential retreat island Aarah have been leaked online by lawmaker Ahmed Mahloof. The opposition coalition spokesman described it as “a palace built by [President Abdulla] Yameen in Aarah thinking for sure ...