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Maldives is a small-island developing
nation in the Indian Ocean. It consists of about 1,190 tiny coral islands
scattered across 26 natural atolls stretching from 7006’35” North
to 0042’24’’ South, between 720 and 730
East. Of these 199 are inhabited. The
islands are vastly scattered over an area of 90,000 sq. km. Most islands are
less than one sq. km in size. The islands are also low-lying, with an average
elevation of 1.6 metres above mean sea level.
Vegetation of these islands consists mostly of coconut palms and
mangrove shrubs. There are no rivers, but a few fresh water lakes are found
on some of the islands.
Although the islands are divided into 26 natural atolls,
for administrative purposes they are grouped into 20 atolls. Male’, the capital is located towards the
centre of the archipelago. Each administrative atoll has an atoll capital.
Maldives has a tropical climate, warm and
humid all year round. There are two pronounced monsoon seasons -- the North-East
and South-West Monsoons. Average daily temperatures vary little throughout
the year, ranging from 240 Celsius to 320 Celsius.
Relative humidity ranges from 73% to 89%. The average rainfall ranges from 12
mm in February to 250 mm in May and 178 mm in September.
The capital island of Male’ is the only urban area in the
country. It is less than 2 sq. km in size, and has a population of over
70,000. It is one of the most densely populated capitals in the world, and
has very severe congestion problems.
Maldives is a homogenous country in terms
of its shared history, language (Dhivehi), religion (Islam) and culture. The Maldives remained an independent country
throughout its history. The only period marred by foreign domination was the
15 years and 6 months of Portuguese rule in the mid-sixteenth century and the
3 months and 20 days of Malabarese rule in the mid-eighteenth century. During
the period from 1887 to 1965, Maldives was a British protectorate, with
Britain recognising the sovereignty of
the nation and not interfering in the internal affairs of the country.
Maldives achieved full independence on 26
July 1965.
Within two months of independence, on 21 September
1965, Maldives joined the United Nations as its
117th member.
The Maldives’ national language is Dhivehi, and has affinities with
several languages in India, Sri Lanka and South East Asia. It is spoken only in Maldives and Minicoy. The written
language is Thaana, a unique script
based on Arabic numerals, with its origins in the 16th century.
The nation embraced Islam during the 12th century.
For much of its recorded history, the Maldives has remained a monarchy. During
the reign of Sultan Mohamed Shamsudeen III, the country’s first written
constitution was drafted, and proclaimed on 22
December 1932.
During the 1940s, Maldives began to progress towards a
republican form of government. The FirstRepublic was proclaimed on 1
January 1953,
with Mohamed Amin Didi as its first President. This was a time of severe economic
hardship, and as a result, the first Republic was overthrown in a matter of
months by a coup. A referendum was held regarding the system of governance of
the country, and the people voted to restore the Sultanate. On 6
March 1954,
Mohamed Fareed Didi was elected as the Sultan. During his reign, two Prime
Ministers served him. The first was Ibrahim Ali Didi and the second was
Ibrahim Nasir.
After decades of British Protection, Prime Minister
Ibrahim Nasir negotiated with the British for the territorial integrity and
independence of Maldives. An agreement securing absolute
independence was signed on 26 July 1965.
After gaining independence, in 1968, a public referendum
was held to confirm whether the Maldives wanted to become a Republic. The
public voted in favour of a Republic. The Sultanate was abolished and Maldives became a Republic for the second
time. On 11
November 1968, Ibrahim Nasir was sworn in as President and the SecondRepublic was established.
A President, elected every five years, heads the Republic of Maldives. The legislative chamber, the
Peoples’ Majlis, comprises 50 members – 2 elected from Male’ and each of the
20 atolls, and 8 nominees of the President. Constitutional issues are dealt
with by the Special Majlis, which consists of the members of the Peoples’
Majlis and an equal number of additional members.
The atolls and islands are administered by Atoll and Island Chiefs appointed by the
President. These Chiefs report to the Ministry of Atolls Administration
through their respective regional offices.
Since its independence in 1965, the Maldives has achieved commendable
economic development. While the country was one of the poorest in South Asia in the early 1970s, it now has
the highest per capita income in the region (US $ 1,961 in 2001). The
country’s economy is dependent on tourism, fishing and foreign imports. Since
the introduction of tourism thirty years ago, the Maldivian economy has
undergone a rapid transformation. In the 1990s, the Maldivian economy grew at
an average growth rate of 7.4%. That growth was due mainly to the rapid
development of tourism and related sectors including construction, transport
and telecommunication.
The Maldives has a very open economy due to
its high dependence on imports and the need to earn foreign exchange from
tourism and export of fish products to finance its imports. The economy is
thus vulnerable to such external factors as economic development in EU
countries that are the major markets for tourism, security situation in South Asia and the Middle East, and international fish prices.
The vulnerability is also a result of the narrow
economic base and the limited natural endowments, scarce land, small
population and domestic markets. The country relies virtually on two sectors
– tourism and fisheries. Tourism is the leading industry and accounts for
one-third of GDP. Its importance becomes more significant if the close link
between it and other sectors are considered. While the contribution of
fisheries has been declining over time, it remains vital to the economy,
because it is the main provider of food items and employment in a number of
atolls.
Until 2000, the Maldives’ economic performance was
favourable, but it showed a downward trend, partially due to adverse global
developments. Concerns over travel safety and the significant decline in
consumer spending and confidence adversely affected tourism. Tourist arrivals
declined by 1.3% in 2001. It was the first time in the 30-year history of Maldives’ tourism that the sector
experienced zero growth. The downturn of the tourism sector had spillover
effects on other sectors, and contributed to weak economic performance as a
whole. The GDP growth rate for 2001 was 3.6%.
The Maldives’ fiscal position has started
deteriorating in recent years due to the relaxed stance on expenditures by
the government. The country’s revenue is derived from four main sources –
import duties, tourism tax, dividends from state-owned enterprises and land
lease rent. These account for three-quarters of the government revenue. These
four major revenue sources are influenced by external factors, particularly
the development of tourism.
Inflation rates in recent years have been kept in check
at low levels ranging from -1.4% to +3.0% in contrast with higher levels in
the mid-1990s. The Rufiyaa, which has been fixed to the US dollar under a de facto fixed exchange rate policy,
was devalued on 25 July 2001 by 8% from Rf 11.77 per $ 1.00
to Rf 12.80 per $ 1.00.
The future performance of the Maldivian economy depends
highly on the development of the tourism sector. The expected recovery of the
world economy, particularly in the US, will have a positive impact on
exports, but uncertainty remains due to the large fluctuation in
international fish prices.
The Maldives’ strong performance of the
economy has been matched by improvements in the well being and welfare of the
nation’s population. Life expectancy increased from 70 years in 1995 to 71
years in 2000, partly due to significant reductions in infant and child
mortality. The under-five mortality rate declined from 39 per 1,000 live
births in 1997 to 30 per 1,000 live births in 2000. The infant mortality
rate, which stood at 27 per 1,000 live births, declined to 21 per 1,000 live
births in 2000; and the maternal mortality rate decreased from 178 per
100,000 to 75 per 100,000 in 2000. The contraceptive prevalence rate for use
of modern methods increased from 17% in 1995 to 32% in 1999. Some
communicable diseases such as malaria, leprosy and filaria have now been
virtually eliminated, and childhood immunisation coverage is universal.
In the education sector, Maldives has succeeded in
forming a unified system of education with a common national curriculum.
Self-sufficiency in training of primary teachers has been achieved. Seven
years of basic schooling has been near universalised, almost eliminating
illiteracy and reducing gender disparity in school enrolment.
In recognition of the critical role of human resource
development for sustainable development, the government has made significant
investments in education. Establishment of atoll schools has steadily
increased access to secondary education. However, the country faces a crucial
need to train secondary teachers. Improving the quality of education and
expanding secondary, post-secondary, vocational and technical education, as
well as special needs education, is an urgent need.
Maldivian women enjoy more equal opportunities and face
relatively less discrimination than the majority of their South Asian
neighbours. Existing socio-economic conditions combined with prevailing
traditional and cultural norms and attitudes, results in the woman’s position
still remaining disadvantaged in terms of health and survival, education, and
active participation in the development of the nation. All Maldivians,
according to the Maldivian Constitution, are equal before the law. However,
being a Muslim country, where the legal system is based on the Islamic
Shari’ah, differences in gender rights arise in instances of property rights,
marriage and divorce, and religious and political leadership.
Much progress has been made in guaranteeing child protection and
child rights with the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child in 1991. However, an urgent need exists for support services for
children and families, especially for children who are victims of abuse and
neglect. Counselling services and
institutional capacity for rehabilitation of children with disabilities need
to be strengthened.
The high divorce rates in the Maldives directly and indirectly affects
the psychosocial development of children. It manifests itself in juvenile
delinquency and substance abuse. Measures to comprehensively address marital
disputes and reduce divorces are essential to reduce deprivation and despair
among those affected. The recently implemented Family Law is a progressive
step towards strengthening family relations and gender equity issues.
Children and youth under 25 years of age make up 62% of
the Maldivian population. An increasingly critical need exists to increase
further educational and employment opportunities for this vital segment of
the population.
In terms of social security, people needing medical and
other types of assistance are funded under a government welfare scheme. Under
this scheme a certain amount of funding is available for treatment both
abroad and in the country, purchase of prescription drugs and provision of
assistive devices such as wheel chairs and spectacles. This form of welfare
is extremely costly and unsustainable due to expanding needs. It may be more
cost-effective to introduce some form of an insurance or social security
scheme.
The earliest records of the population of Maldives are from the census
of 1911, conducted by the British colonial administration in Ceylon. At that time there
were 72,237 persons in Maldives, with a sex ratio of
119. Due to various factors such as the absence of modern medical facilities,
prevalence of killer diseases such as malaria and influenza and the effects
of famine, mortality rates were high and the population growth rate continued
to fluctuate between positive and negative growth. This situation continued
until the mid-1960s. Improvements in health enabled the rapid decline of
mortality, and by the time of the first modern census in 1977, the population
had nearly doubled, with a population count of 142,832 and a sex ratio of
111.
Since 1977, 4 censuses have been taken, with the first
one in 1985. Between 1977 and 1985, the annual population growth rate
averaged 3.2%. During the 1985-1990 inter-censal period, the average annual
growth rate increased to 3.4%. This led to policy and programme level
concerns about the impact of rapidly increasing population on education,
health and related
social services, resulting in the promotion of family planning. This, in
turn, led to the fertility decline of the early 1990s. Improved access to
education and health care, as well as increasing child survival, contributed
to a further decline in population growth rate to 2.7% during 1990-1995, and
to 1.9% during 1995-2000.
Despite the declining population growth rate in recent
years, the Maldivian population age profile is very young. In 2000, the
medial age of the Maldivian population was 18.7 years.
The effects of rapid population growth and the resulting
age composition are not the only population and development challenges facing
the country. Population distributional effects are also recognised as major
obstacles to equitable social and economic development.
The 2000 census estimates the total population of the
country at 270,101. 27% of this total live on the capital island of Male’, with an area of less than 2
sq. km. The remaining population is dispersed widely over 198 inhabited
islands, with large distances of ocean separating them. The average
population size of these islands is 900. Only 15 islands have over 2,000
inhabitants, while 11 have less than 200.
Population distribution problems during the 1980s and
early 1990s were interpreted mainly from the perspective of population
congestion in Male’. The focus was on finding solutions to the problem
through the development of regional growth centres and selected islands.
Little success was achieved due to high costs of infrastructure and
logistical difficulties. In the late 1990s, population distribution across
199 islands was recognised as the biggest development challenge. To address
this challenge, the government has begun implementing regional development
and population consolidation programmes. These programmes aim at minimising
the serious diseconomies of scale faced in provision of socio-economic
services to widely scattered populations. The strategy is to encourage the
inhabitants of small and remote islands to voluntarily move to larger islands
by providing incentives. These larger islands are islands where available
socio-economic services and employment opportunities may enable them to enjoy
a better standard of living.
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