Compare Maldives (2008) - Niue (2006)

Compare Maldives (2008) z Niue (2006)

	Maldives (2008)	Niue (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	none; note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 14 villages at the second order
Age structure	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.)	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish	coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle
Airports	5 (2007)	1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)	-
Area	total: 300 sq km land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 260 sq km land: 260 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC	1.5 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 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.	Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered. The population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to about 2,166 in 2006), with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest.
Birth rate	34.2 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA births/1,000 population
Budget	revenues: $508 million (including foreign grants) expenditures: $671 million (2006 est.)	revenues: $15.07 million expenditures: $16.33 million; including capital expenditures of $123,700
Capital	name: Male geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 30 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	name: Alofi geographic coordinates: 19 01 S, 169 55 W time difference: UTC+12 (17 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
Coastline	644 km	64 km
Constitution	adopted 1 January 1998	19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)
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: none conventional short form: Niue former: Savage Island
Death rate	6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA deaths/1,000 population
Debt - external	$482 million (2006 est.)	$418,000 (2002 est.)
Dependency status	-	self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue
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	none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
Diplomatic representation in the US	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	none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$66.83 million (2005)	$2.6 million from New Zealand (2002)
Economy - overview	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.	The economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population. Government expenditures regularly exceed revenues, and the shortfall is made up by critically needed grants from New Zealand that are used to pay wages to public employees. Niue has cut government expenditures by reducing the public service by almost half. The agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence gardening, although some cash crops are grown for export. Industry consists primarily of small factories to process passion fruit, lime oil, honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is an important source of revenue. The island in recent years has suffered a serious loss of population because of emigration to New Zealand. Efforts to increase GDP include the promotion of tourism and a financial services industry, although the International Banking Repeal Act of 2002 resulted in the termination of all offshore banking licenses. Economic aid from New Zealand in 2002 was about US$2 million. Niue suffered a devastating typhoon in January 2004, which decimated nascent economic programs. While in the process of rebuilding, Niue has been dependent on foreign aid.
Electricity - consumption	157.1 million kWh (2005)	2.79 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	169 million kWh (2005)	3 million 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: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m
Environment - current issues	depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching	increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture
Environment - international 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	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs	Niuen 78.2%, Pacific islander 10.2%, European 4.5%, mixed 3.9%, Asian 0.2%, unspecified 3% (2001 census)
Exchange rates	rufiyaa per US dollar - NA (2007), 12.8 (2006), 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003)	New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (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) 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%	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since NA May 2000) head of government: Premier Young VIVIAN (since 1 May 2002) cabinet: Cabinet consists of the premier and three ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; premier elected by the Legislative Assembly for a three-year term; election last held 12 May 2005 (next to be held May 2008) election results: Young VIVIAN reelected premier; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - Young VIVIAN (NPP) 85%, O'Love JACOBSEN (independent) 15%
Exports	1,517 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	fish	canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passion fruit products, pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts
Exports - partners	Thailand 33.1%, UK 14.3%, Sri Lanka 11.9%, Japan 10.3%, France 6.9%, Algeria 6.1% (2006)	New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
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	yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large one on a blue disk in the center and a smaller one on each arm of the bold red cross
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 16% industry: 7% services: 77% (2006 est.)	agriculture: 23.5% industry: 26.9% services: 49.5% (2003)
GDP - real growth rate	5.5% (2007 est.)	6.2%
Geographic coordinates	3 15 N, 73 00 E	19 02 S, 169 52 W
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	one of world's largest coral islands
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	6,390 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, clothing, intermediate and capital goods	food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs
Imports - partners	Singapore 23.2%, UAE 15.8%, India 11.1%, Malaysia 7.9%, Thailand 6.9%, Sri Lanka 5.6% (2006)	New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2004)
Independence	26 July 1965 (from UK)	on 19 October 1974, Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand
Industrial production growth rate	-0.9% (2004 est.)	NA%
Industries	tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining	tourism, handicrafts, food processing
Infant mortality rate	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.)	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	6% (2005 est.)	4% (2005)
International organization participation	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	ACP, FAO, IFAD, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Irrigated land	NA	NA
Judicial branch	High Court	Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue
Labor force	101,300 (2004)	NA 663
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 22% industry: 18% services: 60% (1995)	note: most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 13.33% permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005)	arable land: 11.54% permanent crops: 15.38% other: 73.08% (2005)
Languages	Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials	Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan; English
Legal system	based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	English common law; note - Niue is self-governing, with the power to make its own laws
Legislative branch	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	unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; 6 elected from a common roll and 14 are village representatives) elections: last held 30 April 2005 (next to be held April 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 64.76 years male: 63.41 years female: 66.19 years (2007 est.)	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.3% male: 96.2% female: 96.4% (2000 census)	definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA female: NA
Location	Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India	Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga
Map references	Asia	Oceania
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
Merchant marine	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	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)	defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Military branches	Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Quick Reaction Force, Security Protection Group, Coast Guard (2007)	no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	5.5% (2005 est.)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 26 July (1965)	Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)
Nationality	noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian	noun: Niuean(s) adjective: Niuean
Natural hazards	low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise	typhoons
Natural resources	fish	fish, arable land
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Political parties and leaders	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	Alliance of Independents or AI; Niue People's Action Party or NPP [Young VIVIAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders	various unregistered political parties	NA
Population	369,031 (July 2007 est.)	2,166 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	21% (2004)	NA%
Population growth rate	2.732% (2007 est.)	0.01% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Sunni Muslim	Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society) 61.1%, Latter-Day Saints 8.8%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, other 8.4%, unspecified 8.7%, none 1.9% (2001 census)
Sex ratio	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.)	NA
Suffrage	21 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	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)	domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island international: country code - 683
Telephones - main lines in use	32,500 (2006)	1,100 est (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	262,600 (2006)	400 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	1 (2006)	1 (1997)
Terrain	flat, with white sandy beaches	steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
Total fertility rate	4.78 children born/woman (2007 est.)	NA
Unemployment rate	NEGL% (2003 est.)	12% NA%

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