Compare Maldives (2006) - Mauritius (2006)

Compare Maldives (2006) z Mauritius (2006)

	Maldives (2006)	Mauritius (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	9 districts and 3 dependencies; Agalega Islands, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues, Savanne
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: 23.9% (male 149,486/female 147,621) 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 430,288/female 431,753) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 31,939/female 49,740) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish	sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish
Airports	5 (2006)	6 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)	total: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Area	total: 300 sq km land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 2,040 sq km land: 2,030 sq km water: 10 sq km note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues
Area - comparative	about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC	almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC
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.	Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in 1505; it was subsequently held by the Dutch, French, and British before independence was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather and declining sugar prices have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.
Birth rate	34.81 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	15.43 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	revenues: $265 million (excluding foreign grants) expenditures: $362 million; including capital expenditures of $80 million (2004 est.)	revenues: $1.377 billion expenditures: $1.77 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 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)	name: Port Louis geographic coordinates: 20 10 S, 57 30 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)	tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Coastline	644 km	177 km
Constitution	adopted 1 January 1998	12 March 1968; amended 12 March 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 Mauritius conventional short form: Mauritius local long form: Republic of Mauritius local short form: Mauritius
Death rate	7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	$304 million (2004 est.)	$3.246 billion (2005 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 John PRICE embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [230] 208-9534
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 Usha JEETAH chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983
Disputes - international	none	Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship but no right to patriation in the UK; claims French-administered Tromelin Island
Economic aid - recipient	$27.9 million $NA (2004)	$42 million (1997)
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.	Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 25% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on expanding local financial institutions and building a domestic information telecommunications industry. Mauritius has attracted more than 9,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India and South Africa, and investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
Electricity - consumption	125.6 million kWh (2003)	1.805 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	135 million kWh (2003)	1.941 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Piton 828 m
Environment - current issues	depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching	water pollution, degradation of coral reefs
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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs	Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%
Exchange rates	rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003), 12.8 (2002), 12.24 (2001)	Mauritian rupees per US dollar - 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003), 29.962 (2002), 29.129 (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%	chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October 2003) and Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 5 July 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 25 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly election results: Karl OFFMANN elected president and Raouf BUNDHUN elected vice president; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%; note - Karl OFFMANN stepped down on 30 September 2003
Exports	NA bbl/day	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	fish, clothing	clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses
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)	UK 32.3%, France 20.7%, US 11.7%, Madagascar 6.2%, Italy 5.3% (2005)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 July - 30 June
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	four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 20% industry: 18% services: 62% (2000 est.)	agriculture: 5.9% industry: 29.8% services: 64.3% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-3.6% (2005 est.)	2.5% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	3 15 N, 73 00 E	20 17 S, 57 33 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 main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	minor consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry
Imports	NA bbl/day	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, intermediate and capital goods	manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners	Singapore 24.1%, UAE 15.7%, India 11.3%, Malaysia 7.2%, Sri Lanka 5.7%, UK 4.5% (2005)	France 12.1%, South Africa 11%, India 7.2%, Finland 6.1%, China 6%, Germany 5.3%, Bahrain 5.2%, Singapore 4.1% (2005)
Independence	26 July 1965 (from UK)	12 March 1968 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-0.9% (2004 est.)	8% (2000 est.)
Industries	fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining	food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism
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: 14.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	6% (2005 est.)	5% (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	ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA	220 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	High Court	Supreme Court
Labor force	88,000 (2000)	570,000 (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 22% industry: 18% services: 60% (1995)	agriculture and fishing 14%, construction and industry 36%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 16%, finance 3%, other services 24% (1995)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 13.33% permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005)	arable land: 49.02% permanent crops: 2.94% other: 48.04% (2005)
Languages	Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials	Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (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 French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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 National Assembly (70 seats; 62 elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the election commission to give representation to various ethnic minorities; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AS 38, MSM/MMM 22, OPR 2; appointed seats - AS 4, MSM/MMM 2, OPR 2
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 64.41 years male: 63.08 years female: 65.8 years (2006 est.)	total population: 72.63 years male: 68.66 years female: 76.66 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.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.6% male: 88.6% female: 82.7% (2003 est.)
Location	Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India	Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Map references	Asia	Political Map of the World
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: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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: 6 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,386 GRT/23,214 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 4 (India 2, Switzerland 2) (2006)
Military branches	National Security Service: Security Branch (ground forces), Air Element, Coast Guard	no regular military forces; National Police Force, Special Mobile Force, National Coast Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$45.07 million (2005 est.)	$12.04 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	5.5% (2005 est.)	0.2% (2005 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 26 July (1965)	Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Nationality	noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian	noun: Mauritian(s) adjective: Mauritian
Natural hazards	low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise	cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards
Natural resources	fish	arable land, fish
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
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]	Alliance Sociale or AS; Hizbullah [Cehl Mohamed FAKEEMEEAH]; Mauritian Labor Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul BERENGER] (in coalition with MSM); Mauritian Social Democrat Party or PMSD [Charles Xavier-Luc DUVAL]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Pravind JUGNAUTH] (the governing party); Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR]
Political pressure groups and leaders	various unregistered political parties	various labor unions
Population	359,008 (July 2006 est.)	1,240,827 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	21% NA%	10% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate	2.78% (2006 est.)	0.82% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2002)
Religions	Sunni Muslim	Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, other Christian 8.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (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: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	18 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)	general assessment: small system with good service domestic: primarily microwave radio relay trunk system international: country code - 230; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
Telephones - main lines in use	32,300 (2005)	359,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	153,400 (2005)	713,300 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2006)	2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)
Terrain	flat, with white sandy beaches	small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau
Total fertility rate	4.9 children born/woman (2006 est.)	1.95 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	NEGL% (2003 est.)	9.6% (2005 est.)

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