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

Google News

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 A change in the Maldives - The Hindu The Hindu A change in the Maldives The Hindu Mr. Solih is a senior politician in the Maldives and was the joint presidential candidate for an opposition alliance of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the Jumhooree Party and the Adhaalath Party. His victory underscores the commitment of the ... China says it is hurt over former Maldives President Mohammad Nasheed's remarksEconomic Times Maldives will look to balance interests of India and China: Ex ...Times of India Outrage at corruption, rights abuses tipped Maldives electionAljazeera.com The Guardian -Voice of America -KVOA Tucson News -Reuters all 861 news articles » Maldives destroyes Jason DeCaires Taylor underwater statue gallery - NEWS.com.au NEWS.com.au Maldives destroyes Jason DeCaires Taylor underwater statue gallery NEWS.com.au Police wielding pickaxes have smashed the British-designed art installation at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi resort. They say they took the drastic action after complaints by religious leaders. Islam is the official religion of the scattering ... Maldives Police Use Pickaxes To Destroy Artwork Deemed Un-IslamicNPR Maldives art installation demolished for being anti-IslamicThe Independent British artist's Maldives gallery destroyed with pickaxes for being 'offensive to Islam'Express.co.uk Times of India -Fox News -Stuff.co.nz -Maldives Independent all 196 news articles » China hopes Maldives will back BRI, trade deal - The Hindu The Hindu China hopes Maldives will back BRI, trade deal The Hindu China on Tuesday signalled its expectation that the newly elected government in the Maldives will continue to back the Beijing-led Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as well as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) reached with the outgoing administration of ... Hopes rise in India of end to Maldives visa row - The Hindu Hopes rise in India of end to Maldives visa row The Hindu The new government in the Maldives will make resolving all recent issues with India a priority, and the problems of Indian job-holders awaiting work-visas will be a “key issue”, says a senior leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party and member of ... and more » Yameen's loss puts India back in the strategic game in Maldives - Times of India Times of India Yameen's loss puts India back in the strategic game in Maldives Times of India According to the final tally put out by the Maldives Election Commission, Ibu Solih got 134616 votes compared to Abdulla Yameen who got 96132 votes, out of a total of 230748 votes cast. Yameen got 41.7 per cent of the vote, well behind Solih on 58.3 ... Bumpy road ahead awaits China as Maldives ousts YameenEconomic Times Maldives: New government must break with repressive pastAmnesty International Maldives Opposition's Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Wins Presidential ElectionNDTV Financial Times -The Indian Express all 4,634 news articles » Paradise lost among Maldives dodgy land deals - Transparency International (press release) (blog) Paradise lost among Maldives dodgy land deals Transparency International (press release) (blog) An ethical cloud has been cast over the blue skies and white sand beaches of the Maldives, as the idyllic tropical holiday destination is ensnared in a scandal that saw more than 50 islands and submerged coral lagoons leased out to tourism developers ... Maldives marine artwork destroyed for being a 'threat to Islamic unity ... - The Guardian The Guardian Maldives marine artwork destroyed for being a 'threat to Islamic unity ... The Guardian Sea sculpture by artist Jason deCaires Taylor demolished by authorities after court rules human forms depicted in the work are anti-Islamic. Authorities destroy sculptures in the MaldivesArt Newspaper Art and the autocrat: the final act of vandalism by the Maldives' former presidentBritish GQ Maldives resort 'very surprised' by sculpture removalMaldives Independent (press release) GCR all 11 news articles » The victory in Maldives - The Tribune The Tribune The victory in Maldives The Tribune And now the biggest cheer for South Block comes from the Maldives that had knocked a hole in India's claims to regional superiority by a series of pointed actions. They had culminated with the Maldives declining to join any India-led regional security ... and more » Here's what the result of Maldives' Presidential election means for India and China - Business Insider India Business Insider India Here's what the result of Maldives' Presidential election means for India and China Business Insider India Apprehension gave way to delight in New Delhi yesterday as the preliminary results of Maldives' hotly contested Presidential election came to light. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the candidate put forth against the incumbent leader Abdulla Yameen, defeated ... Maldives: An island nation threatened by politics - Economic Times Economic Times Maldives: An island nation threatened by politics Economic Times Maldives: An island nation threatened by politics. By. Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury. , ET Bureau|. Sep 24, 2018, 09.52 AM IST. 0Comments. The opposition had accused the elections commission, headed by a Yameen ally, of rigging the vote, by changing ...