Compare Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2004) - Maldives (2006)

Compare Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2004) z Maldives (2006)

	Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2004)	Maldives (2006)

Administrative divisions	-	19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital city; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale (Male), Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 43.4% (male 80,113/female 75,763) 15-64 years: 53.5% (male 98,040/female 94,029) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,477/female 5,586) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish
Airports	-	5 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Area	total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island	total: 300 sq km land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve.	The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Since 1978, President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM - currently in his sixth term in office - has dominated the islands' political scene. Following riots in the capital Male in August 2004, the president and his government have pledged to embark upon democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago.
Birth rate	-	34.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $265 million (excluding foreign grants) expenditures: $362 million; including capital expenditures of $80 million (2004 est.)
Capital	-	name: Male geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 31 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical	tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
Coastline	74.1 km	644 km
Constitution	-	adopted 1 January 1998
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands	conventional long form: Republic of Maldives conventional short form: Maldives local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
Death rate	-	7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	-	$304 million (2004 est.)
Dependency status	territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of Australia)	chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed LATHEEF chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6195 FAX: [1] (212) 661-6405
Disputes - international	Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia has closed the surrounding waters to Indonesian traditional fishing and has created a national park in the region while continuing to prospect for hydrocarbons in the vicinity	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$27.9 million $NA (2004)
Economy - overview	no economic activity	Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 20% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Fishing is a second leading sector. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 18% of GDP. Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. Over the past decade, real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 5.5% in 2005.
Electricity - consumption	-	125.6 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	-	135 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m
Environment - current issues	NA	depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	-	South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs
Exchange rates	-	rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003), 12.8 (2002), 12.24 (2001)
Executive branch	-	chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president nominated by the Majlis and then the nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 17 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2008) election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected in referendum held 17 October 2003; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.3%
Exports	-	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	-	fish, clothing
Exports - partners	-	Japan 22.8%, Thailand 22.7%, Sri Lanka 16.4%, UK 12.6%, Singapore 5.8%, Germany 4.8%, France 4.3% (2005)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	the flag of Australia is used	red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 20% industry: 18% services: 62% (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	-3.6% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	12 14 S, 123 05 E	3 15 N, 73 00 E
Geography - note	Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983	1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	-	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	-	petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods
Imports - partners	-	Singapore 24.1%, UAE 15.7%, India 11.3%, Malaysia 7.2%, Sri Lanka 5.7%, UK 4.5% (2005)
Independence	-	26 July 1965 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	-0.9% (2004 est.)
Industries	-	fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 54.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	6% (2005 est.)
International organization participation	-	AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	NA
Judicial branch	-	High Court
Labor force	-	88,000 (2000)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture: 22% industry: 18% services: 60% (1995)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2001)	arable land: 13.33% permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005)
Languages	-	Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
Legal system	the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply	based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	-	unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held NA 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 64.41 years male: 63.08 years female: 65.8 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.2% male: 97.1% female: 97.3% (2003 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between north-western Australia and Timor island	Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
Map references	Southeast Asia	Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	total: 17 ships (1000 GRT or over) 67,149 GRT/87,220 DWT by type: cargo 13, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force	-
Military branches	-	National Security Service: Security Branch (ground forces), Air Element, Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$45.07 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	5.5% (2005 est.)
National holiday	-	Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
Nationality	-	noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian
Natural hazards	surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards	low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
Natural resources	fish	fish
Net migration rate	-	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
People - note	the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem	-
Political parties and leaders	-	political parties were allowed to register in June 2005; the first entrants are: Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER]; Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	various unregistered political parties
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island (July 2004 est.)	359,008 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	21% NA%
Population growth rate	-	2.78% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors	none; offshore anchorage only	-
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Religions	-	Sunni Muslim
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	-	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	-	general assessment: minimal domestic and international facilities domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands are connected with telephone and fax service international: country code - 960; satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	-	32,300 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	153,400 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (2006)
Terrain	low with sand and coral	flat, with white sandy beaches
Total fertility rate	-	4.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	NEGL% (2003 est.)

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