Compare Barbados (2005) - Maldives (2008)

Compare Barbados (2005) z Maldives (2008)

	Barbados (2005)	Maldives (2008)

Administrative divisions	11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may be given parish status	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: 20.6% (male 28,813/female 28,634) 15-64 years: 70.6% (male 96,590/female 100,622) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,432/female 15,163) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 42.9% (male 81,383/female 76,984) 15-64 years: 54% (male 101,699/female 97,518) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,619/female 5,828) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	sugarcane, vegetables, cotton	coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish
Airports	1 (2004 est.)	5 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
Area	total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 300 sq km land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC	about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.	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 pledged to embark upon democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress has been slow, however, and many promised reforms have been slow to come to fruition. Nonetheless, political parties were legalized in 2005. A constituent assembly - termed the "special majlis" - has pledged to complete the drafting of a new constitution by the end of 2007 and first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system are slated for November 2008. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago.
Birth rate	12.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	34.2 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.)	revenues: $508 million (including foreign grants) expenditures: $671 million (2006 est.)
Capital	Bridgetown	name: Male geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 30 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; rainy season (June to October)	tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
Coastline	97 km	644 km
Constitution	30 November 1966	adopted 1 January 1998
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados	conventional long form: Republic of Maldives conventional short form: Maldives local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
Death rate	9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$668 million (2003)	$482 million (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950 FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379	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	chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York consulate(s): Los Angeles	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6194 FAX: [1] (212) 599-6195
Disputes - international	in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration that will result in a binding award challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters and the southern limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea	none
Economic aid - recipient	$9.1 million (1995)	$66.83 million (2005)
Economy - overview	Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly due to a decline in tourism. Growth probably was positive in 2004, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved.	Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 28% 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 the second leading sector. 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 7% of GDP. 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. Real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year for more than a decade. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 3.6% in 2005. A rebound in tourism, post-tsunami reconstruction, and development of new resorts helped the economy recover quickly. The trade deficit has expanded sharply as a result of high oil prices and imports of construction material. Diversifying beyond tourism and fishing and increasing employment are the major challenges facing the government. Over the longer term 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.
Electricity - consumption	744 million kWh (2002)	157.1 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	800 million kWh (2002)	169 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m
Environment - current issues	pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers	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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%	South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs
Exchange rates	Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000)	rufiyaa per US dollar - NA (2007), 12.8 (2006), 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 7 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May 2003) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister	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) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president nominated by the Majlis; 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 in 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	1,517 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components	fish
Exports - partners	US 20.6%, UK 14.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.9%, Saint Lucia 6.9%, Jamaica 6.6%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.1% (2004)	Thailand 33.1%, UK 14.3%, Sri Lanka 11.9%, Japan 10.3%, France 6.9%, Algeria 6.1% (2006)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)	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: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 16% industry: 7% services: 77% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $16,400 (2004 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	2.3% (2004 est.)	5.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates	13 10 N, 59 32 W	3 15 N, 73 00 E
Geography - note	easternmost Caribbean island	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
Highways	total: 1,600 km paved: 1,578 km unpaved: 22 km (2002)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center	-
Imports	NA	6,390 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components	petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, clothing, intermediate and capital goods
Imports - partners	US 35.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 20%, UK 5.6%, Japan 4.3% (2004)	Singapore 23.2%, UAE 15.8%, India 11.1%, Malaysia 7.9%, Thailand 6.9%, Sri Lanka 5.6% (2006)
Independence	30 November 1966 (from UK)	26 July 1965 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-3.2% (2000 est.)	-0.9% (2004 est.)
Industries	tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export	tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining
Infant mortality rate	total: 12.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 53.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-0.5% (2003 est.)	6% (2005 est.)
International organization participation	ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO	ADB, 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, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	10 sq km (1998 est.)	NA
Judicial branch	Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services)	High Court
Labor force	128,500 (2001 est.)	101,300 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 10%, industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.)	agriculture: 22% industry: 18% services: 60% (1995)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2001)	arable land: 13.33% permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005)
Languages	English	Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
Legal system	English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts	based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2008) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7	unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 members elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 72.59 years male: 70.6 years female: 74.6 years (2005 est.)	total population: 64.76 years male: 63.41 years female: 66.19 years (2007 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.3% male: 96.2% female: 96.4% (2000 census)
Location	Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela	Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic 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: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 427,465 GRT/668,195 DWT by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 31, chemical tanker 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 53 (Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Canada 12, Greece 11, Lebanon 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 17, UAE 1, United Kingdom 7) registered in other countries: 1 (2005)	total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 85,935 GRT/114,054 DWT by type: cargo 17, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Greece 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 1, Tuvalu 1) (2007)
Military - note	the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005)	Maldives has no regular armed forces; the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) includes ground forces, the Coast Guard, and a small, undermanned air element; with its small size and with little servable equipment, the MNDF is inadequate to prevent external aggression and is primarily tasked to reinforce the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and ensure security in the exclusive economic zone (2007)
Military branches	Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command and Coast Guard (2005)	Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Quick Reaction Force, Security Protection Group, Coast Guard (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	NA	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	5.5% (2005 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 30 November (1966)	Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
Nationality	noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)	noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian
Natural hazards	infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides	low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise
Natural resources	petroleum, fish, natural gas	fish
Net migration rate	-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Clyde Mascoll]	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]; note - political parties were allowed to register in June 2005
Political pressure groups and leaders	Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE]	various unregistered political parties
Population	279,254 (July 2005 est.)	369,031 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	21% (2004)
Population growth rate	0.33% (2005 est.)	2.732% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Bridgetown	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Religions	Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12%	Sunni Muslim
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.057 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.043 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.964 male(s)/female total population: 1.046 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	21 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia	general assessment: telephone services have improved; each island now has at least 1 public telephone, and there are mobile cellular networks with rapidly expanding subscribership domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands and resorts are connected with telephone and fax service international: country code - 960; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	134,000 (2003)	32,500 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular	140,000 (2003)	262,600 (2006)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus two cable channels) (2004)	1 (2006)
Terrain	relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region	flat, with white sandy beaches
Total fertility rate	1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.)	4.78 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	10.7% (2003 est.)	NEGL% (2003 est.)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.