Compare Maldives (2006) - Estonia (2005)

Compare Maldives (2006) z Estonia (2005)

	Maldives (2006)	Estonia (2005)

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	15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru) note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses
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.)	0-14 years: 15.5% (male 106,300/female 100,446) 15-64 years: 67.7% (male 429,843/female 472,034) 65 years and over: 16.8% (male 74,037/female 150,233) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish	potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish
Airports	5 (2006)	29 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)	total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)	total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 300 sq km land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 45,226 sq km land: 43,211 sq km water: 2,015 sq km note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Area - comparative	about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
Background	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.	After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Birth rate	34.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	9.91 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $265 million (excluding foreign grants) expenditures: $362 million; including capital expenditures of $80 million (2004 est.)	revenues: $4.622 billion expenditures: $4.601 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (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)	Tallinn
Climate	tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)	maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Coastline	644 km	3,794 km
Constitution	adopted 1 January 1998	adopted 28 June 1992
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Maldives conventional short form: Maldives local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa local short form: Dhivehi Raajje	conventional long form: Republic of Estonia conventional short form: Estonia local long form: Eesti Vabariik local short form: Eesti former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Death rate	7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	13.21 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$304 million (2004 est.)	$8.373 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there	chief of mission: Ambassador Aldona Zofia WOS embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] 668-8100 FAX: [372] 668-8134
Diplomatic representation in the US	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	chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108 consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international	none	in 1996, the Estonia-Russia technical border agreement was initialed but both states have been hesitant to sign and ratify it, with Russia asserting that Estonia needs to better assimilate Russian-speakers and Estonian groups pressing for realignment of the boundary based more closely on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules
Economic aid - recipient	$27.9 million $NA (2004)	$108 million (2000)
Economy - overview	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.	Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization and the European Union, has transitioned effectively to a modern market economy with strong ties to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The current account deficit remains high; however, the state budget enjoyed a surplus of $130 million in 2003.
Electricity - consumption	125.6 million kWh (2003)	6.358 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	1.562 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	200 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	135 million kWh (2003)	8.301 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m	lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
Environment - current issues	depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching	air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations
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	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs	Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)
Exchange rates	rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003), 12.8 (2002), 12.24 (2001)	krooni per US dollar - 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003), 16.612 (2002), 17.478 (2001), 16.969 (2000)
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%	chief of state: President Arnold RUUTEL (since 8 October 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 21 September 2001 (next to be held in the fall of 2006); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament election results: Arnold RUUTEL elected president on 21 September 2001 by a 367-member electoral assembly that convened following Parliament's failure in August to elect then-President MERI's successor; on the second ballot of voting, RUUTEL received 186 votes to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155; the remaining 26 ballots were either left blank or invalid
Exports	NA bbl/day	NA
Exports - commodities	fish, clothing	machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)
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)	Finland 23.1%, Sweden 15.3%, Germany 8.4%, Latvia 7.9%, Russia 5.7%, Lithuania 4.4% (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	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	pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 20% industry: 18% services: 62% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 4.1% industry: 28.9% services: 67% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $14,300 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-3.6% (2005 est.)	6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	3 15 N, 73 00 E	59 00 N, 26 00 E
Geography - note	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	the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
Highways	-	total: 55,944 km paved: 13,874 km (including 99 km of expressways) unpaved: 42,070 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 29.8% (1998)
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds
Imports	NA bbl/day	NA
Imports - commodities	petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods	machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)
Imports - partners	Singapore 24.1%, UAE 15.7%, India 11.3%, Malaysia 7.2%, Sri Lanka 5.7%, UK 4.5% (2005)	Finland 22.1%, Germany 12.9%, Sweden 9.7%, Russia 9.2%, Lithuania 5.3%, Latvia 4.7% (2004)
Independence	26 July 1965 (from UK)	20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate	-0.9% (2004 est.)	5% (2000 est.)
Industries	fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining	engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications
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.)	total: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	6% (2005 est.)	3% (2004 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	Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA	40 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	High Court	National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
Labor force	88,000 (2000)	660,000 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 22% industry: 18% services: 60% (1995)	agriculture 11%, industry 20%, services 69% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 633 km border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
Land use	arable land: 13.33% permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005)	arable land: 16.04% permanent crops: 0.45% other: 83.51% (2001)
Languages	Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials	Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
Legal system	based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
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	unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%; seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica 28, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party Moodukad 6
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 64.41 years male: 63.08 years female: 65.8 years (2006 est.)	total population: 71.77 years male: 66.28 years female: 77.6 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.2% male: 97.1% female: 97.3% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India	Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Map references	Asia	Europe
Maritime claims	measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states
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)	total: 43 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 212,998 GRT/177,488 DWT by type: cargo 17, passenger/cargo 20, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 6 (Norway 6) registered in other countries: 51 (2005)
Military branches	National Security Service: Security Branch (ground forces), Air Element, Coast Guard	Estonian Defense Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense Staff, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), Maritime Border Guard, Coast Guard note: Border Guards and Ministry of Internal Affairs become part of the Estonian Defense Forces in wartime; the Coast Guard is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense in peacetime and the Estonian Navy in wartime
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$45.07 million (2005 est.)	$155 million (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	5.5% (2005 est.)	2% (2002 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 26 July (1965)	Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 is the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Nationality	noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian	noun: Estonian(s) adjective: Estonian
Natural hazards	low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise	sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
Natural resources	fish	oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-3.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 859 km (2004)
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]	Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN, chairman]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG, chairman]; Pro Patria Union (Isamaaliit) [Tunne KELAM, chairman]; Res Publica [Juhan PARTS, chairman]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR, chairman]; Social Liberals (group of 8 parliamentarians, former Center Party members) [Peeter Kreitzberg]
Political pressure groups and leaders	various unregistered political parties	NA
Population	359,008 (July 2006 est.)	1,332,893 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	21% NA%	NA (2000)
Population growth rate	2.78% (2006 est.)	-0.65% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Kopli, Kuivastu, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)
Railways	-	total: 958 km broad gauge: 958 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified) (2004)
Religions	Sunni Muslim	Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census)
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.)	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
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)	general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are available throughout most of the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by September 2000 domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services is available throughout the country international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)
Telephones - main lines in use	32,300 (2005)	475,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	153,400 (2005)	881,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2006)	3 (2001)
Terrain	flat, with white sandy beaches	marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Total fertility rate	4.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)	1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	NEGL% (2003 est.)	9.6% (2004 est.)
Waterways	-	500 km (2003)

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