Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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The Maldives were long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. They became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago.
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Location:
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Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
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Geographic coordinates:
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3 15 N, 73 00 E
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Map references:
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Asia
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Area:
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total: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 300 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC
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Land boundaries:
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0 km
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Coastline:
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644 km
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Maritime claims:
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measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM
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Climate:
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tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
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Terrain:
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flat, with white sandy beaches
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m
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Natural resources:
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fish
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Land use:
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arable land: 3.33%
permanent crops: 6.67%
other: 90% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km
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Natural hazards:
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low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
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Environment - current issues:
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depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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329,684 (July 2003 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 44.9% (male 75,991; female 71,826)
15-64 years: 52.1% (male 87,734; female 84,150)
65 years and over: 3% (male 5,073; female 4,910) (2003 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 17.3 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.4 years (2002)
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Population growth rate:
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2.91% (2003 est.)
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Birth rate:
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36.71 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Death rate:
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7.65 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 60.13 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 61.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 59.23 deaths/1,000 live births
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 63.3 years
male: 62.07 years
female: 64.6 years (2003 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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5.26 children born/woman (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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less than 100 (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Maldivian(s)
adjective: Maldivian
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Ethnic groups:
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South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs
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Religions:
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Sunni Muslim
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Languages:
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Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.2%
male: 97.1%
female: 97.3% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Maldives
conventional short form: Maldives
local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Male
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Administrative divisions:
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19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and 1 other first-order administrative division*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale*, Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu
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Independence:
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26 July 1965 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
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Constitution:
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adopted January 1998
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Legal system:
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based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage:
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21 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
elections: president nominated by the Majlis and then the nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 16 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2003)
election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected in referendum held 17 October 2003; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.3%
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president; note - need not be members of Majlis
head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2004)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 42
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Judicial branch:
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High Court
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Political parties and leaders:
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although political parties are not banned, none exist
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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none
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International organization participation:
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AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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Maldives does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York; permanent representative is Dr. Mohamed LATHEEF
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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Tourism, Maldives largest industry, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Almost 400,000 tourists visited the islands in 1998. Fishing is a second leading sector. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level.
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $1.25 billion (2002 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.3% (2002 est.)
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $3,900 (2002 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 20%
industry: 18%
services: 62% (2000 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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1% (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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88,000 (2000)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 22%, industry 18%, services 60% (1995)
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Unemployment rate:
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NEGL%
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Budget:
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revenues: $224 million (excluding foreign grants)
expenditures: $282 million, including capital expenditures of $80 million (2002 est.)
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Industries:
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fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining
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Industrial production growth rate:
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4.4% (1996 est.)
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Electricity - production:
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117 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
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Electricity - consumption:
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108.8 million kWh (2001)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh (2001)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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3,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001)
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001)
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Agriculture - products:
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coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish
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Exports:
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$110 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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fish, clothing
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Exports - partners:
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US 51.7%, Sri Lanka 16.2%, Thailand 9.3%, Japan 7.6%, UK 4.6% (2002)
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Imports:
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$395 million f.o.b. (2001 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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consumer goods, intermediate and capital goods, petroleum products
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Imports - partners:
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Singapore 25.6%, Sri Lanka 15%, UAE 14.5%, India 6.6%, Malaysia 5.7%, Thailand 4% (2002)
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Debt - external:
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$281 million (2003 est.)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$NA
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Currency:
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rufiyaa (MVR)
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Currency code:
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MVR
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Exchange rates:
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rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2002), 12.24 (2001), 11.77 (2000), 11.77 (1999), 11.77 (1998)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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Railways:
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0 km
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Highways:
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total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
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Waterways:
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none
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Ports and harbors:
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Gan, Male
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Merchant marine:
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total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 42,689 GRT/56,132 DWT
ships by type: cargo 13, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea passenger 1 (2002 est.)
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Airports:
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5 (2002)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2002)
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Disputes - international:
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none
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This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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