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Compare Tuvalu (2003) - Maldives (2008)

Compare Tuvalu (2003) z Maldives (2008)

 Tuvalu (2003)Maldives (2008)
 TuvaluMaldives
Administrative divisions none 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: 31.9% (male 1,838; female 1,772)


15-64 years: 63% (male 3,432; female 3,687)


65 years and over: 5.1% (male 231; female 345) (2003 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 coconuts; fish coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish
Airports 1 (2002) 5 (2007)
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)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
Area total: 26 sq km


land: 26 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 300 sq km


land: 300 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Background In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over the next dozen years. 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 21.58 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 34.2 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $22.5 million


expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)
revenues: $508 million (including foreign grants)


expenditures: $671 million (2006 est.)
Capital Funafuti 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; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
Coastline 24 km 644 km
Constitution 1 October 1978 adopted 1 January 1998
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Tuvalu


former: Ellice Islands


note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands
conventional long form: Republic of Maldives


conventional short form: Maldives


local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa


local short form: Dhivehi Raajje
Currency Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar -
Death rate 7.34 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $NA $482 million (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu 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 Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, New York 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534 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 none none
Economic aid - recipient $13 million ; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.) $66.83 million (2005)
Economy - overview Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker remittances. About 1,000 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry. Nauru has begun repatriating Tuvaluans, however, as phosphate resources decline. Substantial income is received annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals, this Fund has grown from an initial $17 million to over $35 million in 1999. The US government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu, because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts of up to 7%. In 1998, Tuvalu began deriving revenue from use of its area code for "900" lines and in 2000, from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new technology sources could increase substantially over the next decade. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and investment income from overseas assets. 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 - 157.1 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production - 169 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: NA%


hydro: NA%


nuclear: NA%


other: NA%
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location 5 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m
Environment - current issues since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is very concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching
Environment - international agreements party to: Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
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 Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs
Exchange rates Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.8406 (2002), 1.9320 (2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998) 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 Faimalaga LUKA (since 9 September 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister Saufatu SOPOANGA (since 2 August 2002)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister


elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last held 2 August 2002 (next to be held NA)


election results: Saufatu SOPOANGA elected prime minister; Parliamentary vote - Saufatu SOPOANGA 8, Amasone KILEI 7
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 $276,000 f.o.b. (1997) 1,517 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities copra, fish fish
Exports - partners UK 58.3%, Italy 16.7%, Denmark 8.3%, Fiji 8.3% (2002) Thailand 33.1%, UK 14.3%, Sri Lanka 11.9%, Japan 10.3%, France 6.9%, Algeria 6.1% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands 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 purchasing power parity - $12.2 million (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture: 16%


industry: 7%


services: 77% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2000 est.) 5.5% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 00 S, 178 00 E 3 15 N, 73 00 E
Geography - note one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon 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: 8 km


paved: 0 km


unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports $7.2 million c.i.f. (1998) 6,390 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, clothing, intermediate and capital goods
Imports - partners Hungary 68.2%, Japan 12.9%, Fiji 11.9% (2002) Singapore 23.2%, UAE 15.8%, India 11.1%, Malaysia 7.9%, Thailand 6.9%, Sri Lanka 5.6% (2006)
Independence 1 October 1978 (from UK) 26 July 1965 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% -0.9% (2004 est.)
Industries fishing, tourism, copra tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining
Infant mortality rate total: 21.34 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 24.35 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 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) 5% (2000 est.) 6% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IFRCS (associate), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant) 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
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land NA sq km NA
Judicial branch High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction) High Court
Labor force 7,000 (2001 est.) 101,300 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors) agriculture: 22%


industry: 18%


services: 60% (1995)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
arable land: 13.33%


permanent crops: 30%


other: 56.67% (2005)
Languages Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials
Legal system NA based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 25 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
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: 67.32 years


male: 65.15 years


female: 69.59 years (2003 est.)
total population: 64.76 years


male: 63.41 years


female: 66.19 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: NA%


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 96.3%


male: 96.2%


female: 96.4% (2000 census)
Location Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India
Map references Oceania Asia
Maritime claims contiguous zone: 24 NM


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 33,199 GRT/56,187 DWT


ships by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 5 (2002 est.)
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)
Military branches no regular military forces; Police Force (includes Maritime Surveillance Unit for search and rescue missions and surveillance operations) 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, 1 October (1978) Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
Nationality noun: Tuvaluan(s)


adjective: Tuvaluan
noun: Maldivian(s)


adjective: Maldivian
Natural hazards severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level 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 (2003 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Political parties and leaders there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings 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 none various unregistered political parties
Population 11,305 (July 2003 est.) 369,031 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 21% (2004)
Population growth rate 1.42% (2003 est.) 2.732% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Funafuti, Nukufetau -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1999) AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways 0 km -
Religions Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6% Sunni Muslim
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2003 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: serves particular needs for internal communications


domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands


international: NA
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 1,000 (1997) 32,500 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1994) 262,600 (2006)
Television broadcast stations 0 (1997) 1 (2006)
Terrain very low-lying and narrow coral atolls flat, with white sandy beaches
Total fertility rate 3.05 children born/woman (2003 est.) 4.78 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% NEGL% (2003 est.)
Waterways none -
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