Maldives

A sultanate since the 12th century, the Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887 and a republic in 1968, three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated Maldives' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. After political demonstrations in the capital Male in 2003, GAYOOM and his government pledged to embark upon a process of liberalization and democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Political parties were legalized in 2005.

In 2008, a constituent assembly -- termed the "Special Majlis" -- finalized a new constitution ratified by GAYOOM. The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system were held later that year. GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff by Mohamed NASHEED, a political activist whom the regime had jailed several years earlier. In 2012, after several weeks of street protests in response to a top judge's arrest, NASHEED resigned the presidency and handed over power to Vice President Mohammed WAHEED Hassan Maniku. A government-appointed Commission of National Inquiry concluded that there was no evidence of a coup, but NASHEED contended that police and military personnel forced him to resign. NASHEED, WAHEED, and Abdulla YAMEEN Abdul Gayoom ran in the 2013 elections with YAMEEN ultimately winning the presidency after three rounds of voting. In 2018, YAMEEN lost his reelection bid to parliamentarian Ibrahim Mohamed SOLIH. YAMEEN was arrested and jailed in 2022 on corruption charges. Maldives' fourth democratic election was held in September 2023. The winner, Male City Mayor Dr. Mohamed MUIZZU, campaigned on a platform of Maldivian sovereignty, vowing to remove Indian military personnel from the country. MUIZZU represents a joint Progressive Pary of Maldives and People's National Congress (PPM/PNC) coalition.  

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

3 15 N, 73 00 E

Asia

about 1.7 times the size of Washington, D.C.

644 km

tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

flat coral atolls, with white sandy beaches; sits atop the submarine volcanic Chagos-Laccadive Ridge

fish

0 sq km (2012)

about a third of the population lives in the centrally located capital city of Male and almost a tenth in southern Addu City; the remainder of the populace is spread over the 200 or so populated islands of the archipelago

tsunamis; low elevation of islands makes them sensitive to sea level rise

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

homogeneous mixture of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, Australasian, and African resulting from historical changes in regional hegemony over marine trade routes

Dhivehi (official, closely related to Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English (spoken by most government officials)

Sunni Muslim (official)

-0.24% (2025 est.)

14.77 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.3 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-12.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

about a third of the population lives in the centrally located capital city of Male and almost a tenth in southern Addu City; the remainder of the populace is spread over the 200 or so populated islands of the archipelago

177,000 MALE (capital) (2018)

23.2 years (2016/17 est.)

32 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.7 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.83 (2025 est.)

2.24 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

5 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

8.6% (2016)

14.8% (2017 est.)

68.4% (2022 est.)

rising sea levels; depletion of freshwater aquifers; inadequate sewage treatment; coral reef bleaching

tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

12.3 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

30 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic

21 administrative atolls (atholhuthah, singular - atholhu); Addu (Addu City), Ariatholhu Dhekunuburi (South Ari Atoll), Ariatholhu Uthuruburi (North Ari Atoll), Faadhippolhu, Felidhuatholhu (Felidhu Atoll), Fuvammulah, Hahdhunmathi, Huvadhuatholhu Dhekunuburi (South Huvadhu Atoll), Huvadhuatholhu Uthuruburi (North Huvadhu Atoll), Kolhumadulu, Maale (Male), Maaleatholhu (Male Atoll), Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi (South Maalhosmadulu), Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi (North Maalhosmadulu), Miladhunmadulu Dhekunuburi (South Miladhunmadulu), Miladhunmadulu Uthuruburi (North Miladhunmadulu), Mulakatholhu (Mulaku Atoll), Nilandheatholhu Dhekunuburi (South Nilandhe Atoll), Nilandheatholhu Uthuruburi (North Nilandhe Atoll), Thiladhunmathee Dhekunuburi (South Thiladhunmathi), Thiladhunmathee Uthuruburi (North Thiladhunmathi)

Islamic (sharia) legal system with English common law influences, primarily in commercial matters

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party or DRP
Maldives Development Alliance or MDA
Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP
Maldives Third Way Democrats or MTD
People's National Congress or PNC
People's National Front
Republican (Jumhooree) Party or JP

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

26 July 1965 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

description: red with a large green rectangle in the center and a vertical white crescent moon centered on the rectangle

meaning: red stands for those who have sacrificed their lives to defend the country, green for peace and prosperity, and the white crescent is a symbol of Islam

coconut palm, yellowfin tuna

red, green, white

upper middle-income Indian Ocean island economy; major tourism, fishing, and shipping industries; high public debt; systemic corruption; crippled by COVID-19; ongoing deflation; poverty has tripled since pandemic began

$6.975 billion (2024 est.)

fruits, vegetables, nuts, other meats, papayas, bananas, tomatoes, maize, pulses, chillies/peppers (2023)

tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining

-2.7% (2024 est.)

270,300 (2024 est.)

5.4% (2019 est.)

19.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.)

Thailand 32%, India 21%, Singapore 9%, UK 7%, Germany 5% (2023)

fish, aircraft, refined petroleum, scrap iron, natural gas (2023)

India 15%, UAE 15%, Oman 14%, China 12%, Singapore 8% (2023)

refined petroleum, plastic products, aircraft, granite, ships (2023)

formerly a state-owned radio and TV monopoly; now 4 state-operated and 7 privately owned TV stations; 4 state-operated and 7 privately owned radio stations (2019)

.mv

8Q

20 (2025)

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Air Corps, Fire and Rescue Service

Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology (MOHST): Maldives Police Service (2025)

not available

approximately 3-4,000 active Defense Forces (2025)

the Defense Force has a limited inventory consisting of mostly secondhand or donated equipment from suppliers such as Germany, India, Japan, Türkiye, and the UK (2025)

18-25 years of age for voluntary service; no conscription (2025)

the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) is responsible for defending and safeguarding the Maldives' territorial integrity, economic exclusion zone, and people; it is also responsible for disaster relief, and if requested, assisting the Maldives Police Service in maintaining internal security and law and order; maritime security is its largest focus; the Indian Armed Forces have long been the MNDF's most important partner (2025)

Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)