Maldives country profile

The Republic of Maldives is located southwest of the Indian subcontinent and consists of nearly 1,200 islands, most of which are uninhabited. The altitude of these coral islands does not exceed 1.8 meters, making the country extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise caused by global warming.

The economic pillar of the Maldives is tourism, and many islands have been developed into high-end tourism markets. The political situation in the Maldives has been unstable since Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who served as president for a long time since 2008, lost the election.

Here are some basic facts about the Republic of Maldives: The capital is Malé, the area is 300 square kilometers, and the population is approximately 392,000. The official languages are Dhivehi and English. The life expectancy is 77 years for men and 81 years for women.

Mohamed Muizzu was elected as the President of the Maldives, defeating incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the presidential election in September 2023. Muizzu, the candidate of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), won more than 54% of the vote in the second and final round of voting. Many observers view this election as a test of the country's relationship with China and India.

The Maldives has long been within India's sphere of influence. India's presence in the region allows it to monitor key parts of the Indian Ocean. Muizzu is considered to be supportive of China's interests in the country. Both India and China are striving to strengthen their presence on this strategically important island, which straddles busy east-west shipping lanes. China hopes to gain such a strategically important location, while India hopes to prevent this from happening. Beijing is also eager to protect its energy supplies from the Gulf region that pass through this route. Both India and China have provided hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and grants to the Maldives for infrastructure and development projects.

President Solih had led the Maldives back into the Commonwealth, and his party won a landslide victory in the 2019 parliamentary elections. However, unofficial media reports indicate that they faced increasing pressure, and "Reporters Without Borders" stated that journalists work in an atmosphere of violence and impunity. A 2016 law criminalized defamation, allowing authorities to punish media outlets for publishing content deemed defamatory.

Here are some important milestones in the history of the Maldives: Islam was introduced in the 12th century; it was occupied by Portugal from 1558-1573; in the 17th century, it became a protectorate of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) under Dutch rule, and later Britain controlled Ceylon; in 1887, it was formally established as a British protectorate with internal autonomy; in 1965, it gained full independence and became a sultanate outside the Commonwealth; in 1968, the sultan was deposed after a referendum, and Ibrahim Nasir became president; in 1978, Nasir retired, and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom took over; in the 1980s, the development of tourism promoted economic growth; in 2008, opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed defeated President Gayoom in the election; in 2012, President Mohamed Nasheed was overthrown in a coup; in 2018, opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih defeated President Abdulla Yameen in a surprise result; in 2020, the Maldives rejoined the Commonwealth; in 2023, Mohamed Muizzu defeated President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The Maldives is one of the countries most threatened by sea-level rise caused by global warming.