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Maldives

"Maldive Islands" redirects here. For other uses, see Maldives (disambiguation).

Republic of Maldives
  • ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ (Dhivehi)
    Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
Motto: الدولة المحلديبية (Arabic)
Ad-Dawlat Al-Mahaldibiyya
"State of the Mahal Dibiyat"[1]
Anthem: ޤައުމީ ސަލާމް (Dhivehi)
Qaumee Salaam
"National Salute"
Location of Maldives
Capital
and largest city
Malé
4°10′31″N 73°30′32″E / 4.17528°N 73.50889°E / 4.17528; 73.50889
Official language
and national language		Dhivehi
Common languagesEnglish
Religion
[2]
Demonym(s)Maldivian
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
Mohamed Muizzu
Hussain Mohamed Latheef
Abdul Raheem Abdulla
Ahmed Muthasim Adnan[3]
LegislaturePeople's Majlis
Independence 
from the United Kingdom
26 July 1965
21 September 1965
• Republic proclaimed
11 November 1968[a]
7 August 2008
Area
• Total
298 km2 (115 sq mi)[b][5] (187th)
Population
• 2022 census
515,132[6] (167th)
• Density
1,728.63/km2 (4,477.1/sq mi) (7th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $14.740 billion[7] (157th)
• Per capita
Increase $50,093[7] (54th)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $11.977 billion[7] (161st)
• Per capita
Increase $19,558[7] (58th)
Gini (2024)Positive decrease 31.3[8]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.762[9]
high (87th)
CurrencyMaldivian rufiyaa (MVR)[c]
Time zoneUTC+5 (MVT)
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy
Drives onleft
Calling code+960
ISO 3166 codeMV
Internet TLD.mv

The Maldives,[d] officially the Republic of Maldives,[e] and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is a country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres (470 miles; 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.

The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia. Including the sea, the territory spans roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), with a land area of 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi). The Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states, and the smallest Muslim country by land area. With a population of 515,132 in the 2022 census, it is the 2nd least populous country in Asia and the ninth-smallest country in the world by area, but also one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island", where the ancient royal dynasties ruled from its central location.[10] The Maldivian Archipelago is located on the Chagos–Laccadive Ridge, a vast submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean; this also forms a terrestrial ecoregion with the Chagos Archipelago and Lakshadweep.[11] The Maldives has an average ground-level elevation of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level,[12] and a highest natural point of only 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in), making it the world's lowest-lying country. Some sources state the highest point, Mount Villingili, as 5.1 metres or 17 feet.[12]

The Maldives has been inhabited for over 2,500 years. Documented contact with the outside world began around 947 AD when Arab travelers began visiting the islands. In the 12th century, partly due to the importance of the Arabs and Persians as traders in the Indian Ocean, Islam reached the Maldivian Archipelago.[13] The Maldives was soon consolidated as a sultanate, developing strong commercial and cultural ties with Asia and Africa. From the mid-16th century, the region came under the increasing influence of European colonial powers, with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate in 1887. Independence from the United Kingdom came in 1965, and a presidential republic was established in 1968 with an elected People's Majlis. The ensuing decades have seen political instability, efforts at democratic reform,[14] and environmental challenges posed by climate change and rising sea levels.[15] The Maldives became a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

The Maldives is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement. The World Bank classifies the Maldives as having an upper-middle income economy.[16] The Maldives is a Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.[17] Fishing has historically been the dominant economic activity, and remains the largest sector by far, followed by the rapidly growing tourism industry. The Maldives rates "high" on the Human Development Index,[18] with per capita income significantly higher than other SAARC nations.[19] The Maldives was a member of the Commonwealth of Nations from July 1982 until withdrawing from the organisation in October 2016 in protest of allegations by other nations of its human rights abuses and failing democracy.[20] The Maldives rejoined the Commonwealth on 1 February 2020 after showing evidence of functioning democratic processes and popular support.[21]

  1. ^ "National Emblems of the Maldives". Maldives Mission to the United Nations. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  2. ^ "Regional Profiles: Maldives". The Association of Religion Data Archives. World Religion Database. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  3. ^ "President appoints Chief Justice and Supreme Court Justice". The President's Office. 8 December 2019. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Economic Profile". Embassy of the Republic of Maldives. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Maldives". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Census Results Summary". Maldives Population and Housing Census. National Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Maldives)". International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Gini Index coefficient". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Male | Geography, Facts, & Points of Interest". Britannica. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  11. ^ World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  12. ^ a b Henley, Jon (11 November 2008). "The last days of paradise". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2010. [The Maldives] holds the record for the country with the lowest high point on earth: nowhere on any of the islands on Maldives does the natural ground level exceed 5.1m. Most of [the Maldives'] land mass, which totals roughly one-fifth of Greater London, is a great deal lower [...], averaging around 1.5m.
  13. ^ "Home". Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Maldives to the United Nations. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Maldives – Country report – Freedom in the World – 2015". Freedom House. 21 January 2015. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  15. ^ National Adaptation Program of Action: Republic of Maldives (PDF) (Report). Ministry of Environment, Energy and Water. 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Data for Upper middle income, Maldives". World Bank. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Nepal, Maldives To Join Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.As Observer". Spotlight. Xinhua News Agency. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  18. ^ Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 15 December 2020. pp. 343–346. ISBN 978-92-1-126442-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  19. ^ "2016 Human Development Report Statistical Annex" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 2016. p. 13. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  20. ^ Safi, Michael (13 October 2016). "Maldives quits Commonwealth over alleged rights abuses". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Maldives rejoins Commonwealth after evidence of reforms". The Guardian. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.


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