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Maldives Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Maldives
Capital Malé
Area 298 sq km
115 sq mi
Maldives: Flag and Anthem
Maldives: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 396,334 (2009 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate -0.17 percent (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 388,681 (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 444,429 (2009 estimate)
Population density 1,321 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)
3,422 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 30 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 70 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Malé 83,000 (2003 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, African
Languages
Divehi (official; dialect of Sinhala), English
Religious affiliations
Muslim (Islam is the official religion; mostly Sunni Muslim) 99 percent
Other (including Buddhist and Hindus) 1 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 74 years (2009 estimate)
Female 76.3 years (2009 estimate)
Male 71.8 years (2009 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 30 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 97 percent (2007 estimate)
Female 97.1 percent (2007 estimate)
Male 97 percent (2007 estimate)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $1,055 million (2007)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $3,456.20 (2007)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 11.2 percent (1998)
Industry Not available
Services Not available
Monetary unit 1 rufiyaa (Rf), consisting of 100 laari
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Sri Lanka, Canada, United Kingdom, and Germany
Major trade partners for imports
Singapore, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and India
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2009 Microsoft