KEY FACTS

Joined Commonwealth: 1982
Population: 338,000 (2012)
GDP p.c. growth: 5.8% p.a. 1990–2011
UN HDI 2012: world ranking 104
Official language: Dhivehi
Time: GMT plus 5hr
Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa (MRf)

Geography

Area: 298 sq km
Coastline: 644 km
Capital: Malé

The Republic of Maldives lies in the Indian Ocean, some 670 km west-south-west of Sri Lanka. The 1,190 coral islands, 200 of which are inhabited, occur on a double chain of 26 coral atolls. The archipelago is 823 km long and 130 km at its widest. The islands are divided into 20 administrative units, called atolls (although they do not necessarily correspond to geographical atolls). Each is known by a letter in the Maldivian alphabet in addition to its geographical name. Huvadhu Atoll, for example, is divided into two administrative units: Gaaf Alif and Gaaf Dhaal.

Main towns:

Malé (capital, on Malé Atoll, pop. 123,400 in 2010) is the only sizeable town; other settlements are Hithadhu (Siin, 9,500), Foammulah (Ghaviyani, 7,700), Kulhudhuffushi (Haa Dhaal, 7,300), Ugufaaru (Raa, 4,500), Thinadhu (Gaaf Dhaal, 4,200) and Naifaru (Lhaviyani, 3,700), where the administrative units are in the brackets.

Society

KEY FACTS 2012

Population per sq km: 1,136
Life expectancy: 78 years
Net primary enrolment: 94% (2009)

Population:

338,000 (2012); 42 per cent of people live in urban areas, mostly in Malé, which was in the mid-1990s doubled in area by land reclamation; growth 2.0 per cent p.a. 1990–2012; birth rate 22 per 1,000 people (40 in 1970); life expectancy 78 years (50 in 1970).

Language:

The national language is Dhivehi, which has been most strongly influenced by Sinhala and Arabic. English is widely spoken.

Education:

Public spending on education was seven per cent of GDP in 2011. There are seven years of compulsory education starting at the age of six. Primary school comprises seven years and secondary five, with cycles of three and two years. All administrative atolls have government primary schools and an education centre providing education for all age groups. Most of the many private schools receive state subsidies and are run by the community. The school year starts in January. The Maldives National University was established in 1999, with its main campus in Malé (as Maldives College of Higher Education), to provide post-secondary education leading to diplomas and bachelor’s degrees. It was inaugurated as a university in February 2011. The College of Islamic Studies, in Malé, offers continuing education, diploma and degree courses in Islamic studies; the Centre for Higher Secondary Education, in Malé, offers GCE A-Level courses for those aiming to attend universities abroad; and the Centre for Continuing Education, in Malé, is a professional institute with a mandate to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Maldives. Traditionally all students attended higher education institutions overseas but, as numbers of secondary school leavers have risen, the government has expanded the tertiary sector within the country. Vocational training is available in health sciences, teaching, and hotel and catering skills. The female–male ratio for gross enrolment in tertiary education is 1.10:1 (2008). Literacy among people aged 15–24 is 99 per cent (2006).