New Edition - Map of the Maldives and the Maldives

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[Name] The Republic of Maldives.

[Area] The total area is 90,000 square kilometers (including the territorial sea area) and the land area is 298 square kilometers.

[population] 28.7 thousand (2002). All are Maldivian. The ethnic and official language is Dhivehi, and English is widely used in education and foreign relations. Islam is a state religion and is Sunni.

[Capital] Male, population 75,000 (2002). The maximum daily temperature is 31°C and the minimum temperature is 25°C.

[Head of State] President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (Maumoon Abdul Gayoom), inaugurated on November 11, 1978 and reelected in 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, and 2003.

[Important Festival] Independence Day: July 26.

[Overview] The archipelago on the Indian Ocean is 820 kilometers north to south and 130 kilometers east to west. It is located about 600 kilometers south of India and about 750 kilometers southwest of Sri Lanka. It consists of 26 groups of natural atolls and 1190 coral islands, divided into 19 administrative groups and distributed in 90,000 square kilometers of sea area. Among them, 199 islands are inhabited and 991 islands are scattered. The average island area is 1-2 square kilometers. The terrain is low and averages 1.2 meters above sea level. Located near the equator, it has a distinct tropical climate and no seasons. The annual precipitation is 2143 mm, and the average annual temperature is 28°C.

The Sultanate was established in 1116 AD. In the past 400 years, it has suffered from the colonial aggression and domination of Portugal and the Netherlands. In 1887, it became a British protectorate. 1932 Converted to a constitutional monarchy. In 1952 became the Republic of the Commonwealth. In 1954, the constitutional monarchy was restored. Independence was declared on July 26, 1965. On November 11, 1968, the Republic was established and the presidential system was implemented.

[Politics] There are no political parties or groups in the country and the Shariah is implemented. President Gayoom was elected sixth time in October 2003 and was sworn in November. Domestic and foreign policies: Internal emphasis on safeguarding national independence and sovereignty, while safeguarding Islamic traditions, reforming, implementing democracy, attaching importance to economic development and cultural, educational, and health undertakings; pursuing independent and non-aligned foreign policy and advocating non-interference in each other's internal affairs. In 2003, the domestic situation in Malaysia was stable and the economy developed steadily. The Ma government continued to adhere to the protection of the environment and, through the use of its own resources, actively absorbed foreign capital and assistance to accelerate economic development.

[Constitution] The new constitution came into effect on January 1, 1998. The Constitution stipulates that the horse is a completely independent sovereign state. In order to change the old constitution, there is only one presidential candidate. Members have the right to participate in the presidential election. The presidential candidate is nominated by the National Assembly and the majority of voters are elected for a term of five years. The president has the power to approve the law, convene a special session of the National Assembly, promulgate an interim decree and amnesty, and appoint ministers. The new Constitution protects Muslims.

[Parliament] The People's Majlis is the highest legislative body. Term of 5 years. It consists of 48 people, of whom 8 are presidential candidates, 2 are from Male Capital, and 2 are from 19 administrative groups. The parliament passed the bill by a simple majority. The current speaker Abdulla Hameed has served in 1993 since then.

[Government] The implementation of the presidential cabinet system, this cabinet was established in November 2003. The main members are: President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, National Defense, National Security, Finance, Finance Minister and Director of the Monetary Authority Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Special Advisor to the Islamic High Council for Religions Moussa Moosa Fathy, Foreign Minister Fathulla Jameel, Youth and Sports Minister Mohamed Zahir Hussain, Presidential Office Minister Abdul Jamiel Abdulla Jameel), Minister of Construction and Public Works Umar Zahir, Attorney-General Ahmed Zahir, Minister of Interior, Housing and Environment Ismail Shafi (Ismail) Shafeeu), Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources Abdul Rasheed Hussain, Minister of Health Ahmed Abdullah, Minister of Planning and National Development Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, Tourism Minister Hassan Sobir, Minister of Education Mohamed Latheef, Minister of Information, Art and Culture Ibrahim Manny Ibrahim Maniku, Minister of Trade and Industry Abdulla Yameen, Ms. Rasida Yoosuf, Minister of Women’s Affairs and Social Security, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Ibrahim (Ilyas Ibrahim), Minister of Human Resources, Employment and Labour Abdulla Kamaluddeen, Minister of State for National Defense and National Security Mohamed Hussain, State Minister for Presidential Affairs Muhammad Jari Mohamed Jaleel, Ismail Fathy, State Minister of Audit.

【URL】 Maldives President's Office http://

Maldives Plan and National Development Department http://

[Administrative Division] The country is divided into two districts: South and North. Each district has a sub-manager, which governs several groups of atolls.

[Judiciary] Judicial independence. The chief judge is appointed by the president, the capital has a high court, and the outer island has a local court. He is currently the Chief Justice of the High Court, Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim. Attorney General Mohammad Munavvar.

[Important] Mumun Abdel Gayoom: President. Born on December 29, 1937, he graduated from Cairo's AIDShar University and received a bachelor's degree in Islamic law and philosophy. He once served as Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Deputy Chief Officer, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Minister of Communications. Since 1978, he has assumed his current position. He had an official visit to China in October 1984.

Abdul Hamid: Speaker. Born March 31, 1931, Muslims. Graduated from Male Gedi College. Since 1966, he has served as a special sub-department of the Ministry of Justice, cabinet secretary, deputy minister and minister of the provincial and district affairs department, and atoll management minister. From 1988 to 1990, he was chairperson and later served as Minister of Education. Since November 1993, he has been re-appointed as Speaker of Parliament and concurrently as Minister of Management of the Atoll Islands. August 2001 visited China.

Fatulah Jamil: Foreign Minister. Born in 1942, Muslims. He graduated from the Ein Shams University Department of Education in Cairo, Egypt. He has been engaged in diplomatic work for a long period of time and has served as Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister. He has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 1978. He visited China three times in October 1980, June 1993, and June 2001.

[Economy] Tourism, shipping and fishing are the three pillars of the Malaysian economy. In recent years, the industrial output value has greatly increased. Ma stressed the development of the national economy and the implementation of small-scale open economic policies. The horse economy has maintained a steady growth of around 8%.

Major Economic Data of 2002

GDP: 6.958 billion Rafiah (about 591 million US dollars).

Per capita GDP: 24,803 Rafiah (about 2,107 US dollars).

Economic growth rate: 6%.

Currency name: Rf, Rufiyaa.

Exchange rate (2002 average): 1 USD=12.8 Rafiah.

Inflation rate: 0.9%.

【Resources】 With abundant marine resources, there are a variety of tropical fish and marine products such as turtles, clams and corals, and shells.

[Industry] Industry only has small-scale shipbuilding plants, marine fish and fruit processing, weaving, and garment processing. In 2002, the industrial output value was 1.08 billion Rafiah, accounting for 14.8% of the GDP.

[Agriculture] The country has 6900 hectares of arable land. The land is poor and agriculture is very backward. Coconut production plays an important role in agriculture. There are about 1 million coconut trees. Other crops include millet, corn, bananas and cassava. With the expansion of tourism, vegetable and poultry farming began to develop. In 2002, the agricultural output value was 188 million Rafiah, accounting for 2.7% of the GDP.

[fishery] An important part of the national economy. Horse fisheries are rich in resources, and they are rich in tuna, mackerel, squid, lobster, sea cucumber, grouper, shark, turtle and oyster. Fish is mainly exported to Hong Kong, Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore and China Taiwan. In 2002, the fishery production value was 490 million Rafiah, which accounted for 7.1% of the GDP.

[Tourism] In recent years, tourism has surpassed fisheries and has become the country's largest economic pillar. The contribution rate of tourism revenue to Ma GDP has remained at around 30% for many years. In 2003, the number of tourist islands nationwide has grown to 87, with 18,700 beds. In 2003, the number of horse visitors reached 564,000, and tourism revenue was 2.38 billion Rafiah, which accounted for 31.1% of GDP.

[Transportation] The main means of transport is the ship. Land transportation is limited to the capital, Male, and bicycles are the main land transport. The shipping industry is mainly engaged in the transportation business between Hong Kong and the Persian Gulf and Red Sea areas and domestic islands. It has more than 250 merchant ships. Civil aviation is underdeveloped. There are 7 international routes and 11 charter flights to Malé. Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, UAE, South Africa and some European countries have scheduled flights to Male. In 2002, the output value of the transport and communications industry was about 1 billion Rafiah, which accounted for 14.3% of the GDP.

[Financial Finance] The financial situation in recent years is as follows (Unit: Million Rafiah):

2000 2001 2002

Income 2851.2 2513 2573

Expenditures 2979.9 2913 3316

In 2003, the Ma government budgeted 4 billion Rafiah.

[Foreign trade] The main export commodities are marine products and garments, imported textiles, petroleum products, food and household items. The United States, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, China Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore are the major trading partners. The status of foreign trade is as follows (Unit: 100 million Rafiah):

2000 2001 2002

Export value 8.97 9.37 11.6

Imports 45.73 47.41 50.1

(Source: Maldives Plan and National Development Department Annual Report)

[Foreign Capital] Foreign direct investment in 2000 was 13 million US dollars.

[People's Life] Most residents eat fish, coconut and cassava as their staple foods. In recent years, food and food have increased. Medical care is relatively backward. There are only 6 hospitals in the country. The largest hospital is in Malé. In 2002, there were 259 doctors and 569 nurses nationwide. In 1998, the World Health Organization declared that the horse has become a malaria-free country. In the past 10 years, the infant mortality rate has dropped from 130 to 27.8‰ (2000), and the average life expectancy has increased from 48 years in 1977 to 68 in 2000.

[Military] The armed forces are very weak. There are only a thousand people. They are composed of the National Guard, the Police Guard, and the maritime patrol. They are concentrated in the capital Male.

[Culture and education] Implement free education. The government paid attention to strengthening youth education. In 2001, the national illiteracy rate was only 1.06%. By 2002, there were 106,220 students (including 28,243 males). By 2002, there were 322 schools nationwide, including 74 public schools, 174 community schools, and 74 private schools. The Maldives Higher Education Institute is the only higher education institution in Malaysia. There is an education centre in each atoll, which mainly provides informal education for adults.

[News Publishing] There are two kinds of daily newspapers and a small number of weekly newspapers in the country, which are in Dhivehi language and are mainly distributed in the capital Male. There is also a biweekly English newspaper.

[Radio] The “Voice of the Maldives” was built in 1962 and broadcasts to the nation in English and Divish. The television station was commissioned in March 1978. In the same year, satellite communication stations were built to broadcast programs around the world via satellite.

[Foreign relations] Pursuing a foreign policy of peace, independence and non-alignment is friendly to all countries that respect the independence and sovereignty of Malaysia, and attaches importance to developing relations with India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Arab countries. I hope to receive assistance from international organizations and other countries. Ma actively participates in the activities of the Non-Aligned Movement and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, supports the establishment of a new international economic order, and advocates comprehensive disarmament, including the ban on nuclear tests and thorough nuclear disarmament, the maintenance of world peace, and particularly the promotion of the security of small countries. We are extremely concerned about the threat to the island caused by the deterioration of the global environment and rising sea levels. Signed the Climate Change and Biodiversity Convention, the Kyoto Environmental Protection Protocol, and the Protocol for the Protection of Marine Life. An environmental protection appeal signed by more than half of Malaysian nationals has been submitted to various countries. Actively promote the implementation of the "Environmental Action Plan" passed by the South Asian Environmental Protection Ministers Conference in 1997. Has established diplomatic relations with 128 countries.

【China-Malaysia Relations】 China and the Republic of Maldives are traditional friendly countries. On October 14, 1972, China and Malaysia established diplomatic relations. After the establishment of diplomatic ties, the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Malaysia have continued to develop. Leaders of the two countries have visited each other for many times.

In 2003, the relationship between China and the Maldives continued to develop healthily and smoothly. On July 26, President Hu Jintao and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing respectively called on President Gayoom and President Jamil to congratulate the 38th anniversary of the independence of Malaysia. On October 8-11, at the invitation of Vice Minister Wang Yi, Malaysian Vice Foreign Minister Hussein Hilhab visited China to conduct the second round of negotiations between the Chinese and Malaysian foreign ministries. On October 24, President Hu Jintao called Gayoom to congratulate him on his re-election as president. In November, Sun Guoxiang, our ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, was invited by the Chinese government as a special envoy to attend the inauguration ceremony of President Gayoom. Ambassador Sun also signed on behalf of the Chinese government and Malaysia the agreement on economic and technological cooperation between the two governments. In December, the President of the Maldives, Gayoom, sent a message of condolences to President Hu Jintao on the gas blowout accident in the Northeast Sichuan Gas Mine.

According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, bilateral trade between China and Malaysia totaled 3.35 million U.S. dollars in 2003, an increase of 13% over the previous year. Among them, China exported 3.34 million U.S. dollars, up 12% year-on-year, and imported 10,000 U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 359%.

Chinese Ambassador to Maldives: The ambassador to Sri Lanka, Sun Guoxiang, will serve concurrently.

Venue: 381/A BAUDDHALOKA MAWATHA, COLOMBO 7, SRI LANKA

Tel: 94-11-2694491 (office);

94-11-2684574 (by reference);

94-11-2694494 (Department of Political Affairs);

94-11-2694493 (Cultural Service);

Fax: 94-11-2693799 (office);

94-11-2684578 (by reference).

The Maldives is not permanently stationed in China in foreign affairs agencies.

[Relationship with other countries] In recent years, Maldives has been actively engaged in foreign exchanges. In March 2003, President Gayoom went to Qatar to attend the summit of Islamic countries. In May, President Gayoom visited Sri Lanka and signed a memorandum of cooperation in tourism between the two countries. Foreign Minister Jamal went to Iran to attend the 30th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers. In June, President Gayoom went to London for a private visit. In August, the President and Couple of Seychelles made a private visit to Malaysia. In September, the President’s special envoy, the plan and the Minister for National Development Hussein visited Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka; the Bulgarian President came to Malta for a private visit. In December, Prime Minister of Nepal and SAARC Chairman Thapa visited Malaysia.