Maldives Passport

【 Country Name 】 The Republic of Maldives.

The total area is 115300 square kilometers (including territorial sea area), and the land area is 298 square kilometers.

【 Population 】 521000 (including 379000 Maldivian citizens, all of whom are of Maldivian ethnicity). The national language and official language is Dhivehi, and English is commonly used in the upper class society. Islam is the state religion and belongs to the Sunni sect.

Mal é, the capital, has a population of 234000 and an area of 1.96 square kilometers.

President Mohamed Muizzu was elected in September 2023 and inaugurated on November 17, 2023, with a term of 5 years.

[Important Festivals] Independence Day: July 26th (1965), Republic Day: November 11th (1968).

[Overview] Archipelago countries in the Indian Ocean. About 600 kilometers from southern India and about 750 kilometers from southwestern Sri Lanka. It is 820 kilometers long from north to south and 130 kilometers wide from east to west. It consists of 26 natural atolls and 1192 coral islands, distributed in a sea area of 90000 square kilometers, of which about 200 islands are inhabited. The average area of the island is 1-2 square kilometers, with a low-lying terrain and an average elevation of 1.2 meters. Located near the equator, it has distinct tropical climate characteristics and no four seasons. The annual precipitation is 2143 millimeters, and the annual average temperature is 28 ℃. The daily average maximum temperature is 31 ℃ and the minimum temperature is 26 ℃.

The Sultanate was established in 1116. For nearly 400 years, it has been invaded and ruled by Portuguese and Dutch colonialists, and became a British protectorate in 1887. Independence was declared on July 26, 1965. The Republic was established on November 11, 1968.

Maldives is a presidential country. In 1978, Gayoom was elected president and was re elected five times thereafter. With the changing times, the demand for democracy and political reform among the Malaysian people has increased. In June 2004, then President Gayoom proposed a constitutional reform plan. In June 2005, the Malaysian People's Assembly passed a bill to implement a multi-party democratic system, initiating constitutional reform. In March 2006, the Ma Cabinet approved President Gayoom's democratic reform roadmap plan. In August 2007, a national referendum decided to continue implementing the presidential system. In August 2008, the new constitution officially came into effect, stipulating that Malaysia is a sovereign, independent, and territorial integrity Islamic presidential cabinet state. The president is the head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and has the power to appoint cabinet members, but must be approved by parliament. All members of parliament are elected, and the president no longer has the power to appoint them. Establish an independent Supreme Court, where the President is no longer the highest authority in the judicial system. The legislative, executive, and judicial powers belong respectively to the People's Assembly, the President, and the courts. The president is directly elected by all voters and shall serve no more than two terms. The cabinet is composed of the Vice President, ministers, and the Attorney General. Cabinet members are appointed by the President and approved by the Parliament.

In October 2008, Malaysia held its first presidential election under a multi-party system. In the second round of voting, Democratic candidate Mohamed Nasheed defeated incumbent President Gayoom, who had been in power for 30 consecutive years, and was elected as the first president of Malaysia after constitutional reform. In early 2012, the Malaysian government was in turmoil, and Nasheed was forced to resign due to opposition party and public protests. Vice President Wahid took over as president. In September 2013, Ma held his second presidential election since the constitutional reform. In November, the Progressive Party candidate Yameen was elected president.

In March 2015, the leader of the Malaysian Democratic Party and former president Nasheed was sentenced to 13 years in prison for illegally detaining a criminal court judge. In September, President Yameen's speedboat exploded at Male Pier, and then Vice President Adib was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the explosion and impeached by parliament. In October 2016, the ruling Progressive Party of Malaysia openly split into two factions supporting current President Yameen and former President Gayoom. In March 2017, Gayoom announced a coalition with the Democratic Party, Republican Party, and Justice Party to oppose the current government. The opposition coalition has twice initiated a vote of no confidence against Speaker Mashe, but it has not been passed by the parliament.

On February 1, 2018, the Supreme Court of Malaysia issued a decree revoking the names of 9 political criminals, including former President Nasheed, and restoring the seats of 12 opposition party legislators. The Yameen government classified this as a "judicial coup" and declared a state of emergency in Malaysia, taking various measures to stabilize the situation. In September, the Malaysian presidential election was held, and Democratic candidate Saleh defeated President Yameen and was elected as the seventh president of Malaysia.

In September 2023, Malaysia held a presidential election, and Mohamed Muizzu, the candidate of the Progressive Congress Alliance (composed of the People's National Congress Party and the Progressive Party), was elected as the eighth president of Malaysia. He was sworn in in in November 2023 and formed a new government.

The People's Majlis is the legislative body of Malaysia. Implement a unicameral system and adopt a proportional representation system. The country is divided into 93 electoral districts, each electing one member of parliament, for a total of 93 members with a term of 5 years. The 20th parliament was elected on April 21, 2024, with Abdul Rahim Abdullah as the speaker and Ahmed Nazm as the deputy speaker. Members of parliament were sworn in on May 28.

The current cabinet was established in November 2023, and the main cabinet members currently include: Defense Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, Foreign Minister Dr. Abdulla Khaleel, Homeland Security and Technology Minister Ali Ihusaan, Finance Minister Moosa Zameer Dr. Ismail Shafeeu, Minister of Education; Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Economic Development and Trade Ibrahim Faisal, Minister of Tourism, and Dr. Abdulla Muththalib, Minister of Construction and Infrastructure, among others.

The Constitution stipulates that judicial power belongs to the Supreme Court, High Court, and Trial Courts.

The country is divided into 21 administrative regions, including 18 administrative atolls and three cities: Male, Adu, and Fuamula.

After Malaysia launched constitutional reform in June 2005, the People's Assembly passed a bill to implement a multi-party democratic system. The Ministry of Interior of Maldives has gradually accepted registrations from multiple political parties, including the People's National Congress, the Maldivian Democratic Party, the Progressive Party of Maldives, the Jumhoree Party, and the Maldives Development Alliance.

[Important Person] Mohammad Muzi: President. Born in 1978. Leader of the Ma Progressive Conference Alliance. In 2012, he was appointed as the Minister of Housing and Environment of Malaysia (later reorganized as the Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure). Appointed as the Mayor of Male, the capital city, in 2021. I will be sworn in as the 8th President of Malaysia on November 17, 2023.

Abdul Rahim Abdullah: Speaker. Born in 1967. I was first elected as a member of parliament in 2009. In 2019, with the support of Yameen, I founded the People's National Congress Party and served as its leader from 2019 to 2023. In April 2024, I was elected as a member of the 20th parliament and became the speaker on May 28. I also served as the chairman of the People's National Congress Party and a special advisor to the president.

Main government agency websites

Office of the President: www.presidencymaldives.gov.mv

Ministry of Foreign Affairs: www.foreign.gov.mv

The tourism and shipping industries are the main pillars of the economy. The Maldives has a single economic structure, scarce resources, and heavily relies on imports, with a relatively weak economic foundation. Before 2011, it was listed as the world's least developed country. Through years of hard work, Malaysia has achieved certain achievements in economic development, becoming the country with the highest per capita GDP in South Asia, and its infrastructure and connectivity have also been greatly improved.

The main economic data are as follows:

Gross Domestic Product: 6.899 billion US dollars (2023).

Per capita Gross Domestic Product: 16800 US dollars (2023).

Gross Domestic Product Growth Rate:+8.7% (2023).

Currency name: Rufiyaa (Rf).

Exchange rate: 1 US dollar ≈ 15.4 Lufia.

【 Resources 】 It has abundant marine resources, including various tropical fish, sea turtles, hawksbill turtles, corals, shells and other seafood.

The tourism industry is the largest economic pillar, and the contribution rate of tourism revenue to GDP has remained at around 25% for many years. There are currently 145 tourist islands with 47300 beds, a occupancy rate of 62.3%, and an average stay time of 6.3 days per person in Malaysia. After the COVID-19, the tourism industry has been greatly impacted and has gradually recovered. In 2022, 1.675 million foreign tourists will visit Malaysia. In 2023, the number of foreign tourists visiting Malaysia exceeded 1.879 million.

The fishing industry is rich in fishery resources. Abundant in tuna, skipjack tuna, mackerel, lobster, sea cucumber, grouper, shark, sea turtle, and hawksbill turtle. Fish is mainly exported to Hong Kong, Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Taiwan, China.

The main mode of transportation is ships. Cars and motorcycles are the main land transportation vehicles. The maritime industry mainly operates transportation services between Hong Kong and the Persian Gulf and Red Sea regions, as well as domestic islands. China, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and some European countries have regular flights to and from Male.

The land is barren and agriculture is relatively backward. Coconut production plays an important role in agriculture, with approximately one million coconut trees. Other crops include millet, corn, bananas, and cassava. With the expansion of tourism, vegetable and poultry farming industries have begun to develop.

The manufacturing industry only includes small-scale shipbuilding, as well as handicrafts such as fish and fruit processing, weaving, and clothing processing.

In 2023, the fiscal revenue was 2.169 billion US dollars, the fiscal expenditure was 3.052 billion US dollars, the deficit ratio was 12.75%, the overall debt was 8.067 billion US dollars, accounting for 117% of GDP, and the foreign exchange reserves were 590 million US dollars.

The main export commodities are seafood, and the main import commodities are food, furniture, petroleum products, electronic products, transportation vehicles, machinery and equipment, building materials, textiles, and daily necessities. The main trading partners include the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, China, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia. In 2023, the export value is 434 million US dollars, the import value is 3.296 billion US dollars, and the trade deficit is 2.862 billion US dollars.

People's livelihood: Residents mainly eat fish, coconuts, and cassava as their staple foods. Medical and health care is relatively backward, with 23 hospitals nationwide, the largest of which is in Male. In 1998, the World Health Organization declared Malaysia a malaria free country. The annual birth rate of infants is 18 ‰, and the average life expectancy for men is 73 years and for women is 74.7 years.

Before April 2006, there was only one comprehensive armed force of over a thousand people, collectively known as the National Security Guard, consisting of the National Guard, Police Guard, and Maritime Patrol. In 2004, the police separated from the National Security Guard and were placed under the leadership of the Ministry of the Interior. In April 2006, the National Security Guard was officially renamed as the Maldives Defense Force, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense and National Security. As of now, the total military strength is about 3000 people, responsible for defending national sovereignty and independence, protecting the government elected according to the constitution from threats and violations, responding quickly to emergencies, and defending the authority of the constitution and laws.

Implement free education from preschool to high school. The adult literacy rate is 98.94%. As of now, there are 2 public universities (Maldives National University and Maldives Islamic University) and 12 private colleges in the Maldives, with approximately 1700 faculty and staff members and 13000 students. Each atoll has education centers that provide primary to high school education.

Traditional print media is gradually withdrawing from the market, and major media outlets are turning to the internet, with Sun Online, Avas, Vnews, Mihaaru, Raajje News, Maldives Independent, and others having a significant impact, most of which are in Dhivehi language. The "Voice of Maldives" radio station was established in 1962 and broadcasts nationwide in English and Dhivehi language. The Maldives Television Station was established and put into use in March 1978, and a satellite communication station was built in the same year, which can broadcast programs from around the world through satellite.

【 External Relations 】 As a Commonwealth country, in October 2016, the Malaysian government announced its decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth due to unfair treatment received by the Commonwealth. After taking office in 2018, the Malaysian government became a member of the Commonwealth again on February 1, 2020. As of now, there are 185 countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, India, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and other countries. They adhere to a foreign policy of peace, independence and non alignment, and are friendly with all countries that respect Malaysia's independence and sovereignty. They attach great importance to developing relations with China, India, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and other countries. Vigorously seek assistance from international organizations and other countries. Actively participating in the activities of the Non Aligned Movement and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the 17th South Asian Association Summit was successfully held in 2011. From September 2021 to September 2022, Maldives Foreign Minister Shahid was elected as the President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly.

Maldives is the main representative country of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and served as the rotating chair of the alliance from 2015 to 2018. Emphasizing that climate change is crucial to the right to survival of small island nations, we are highly concerned about the threat posed by rising sea levels due to global warming. Sign multilateral agreements such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Climate Change and Biological Diversity, the Kyoto Protocol, the Protocol for the Protection of Marine Life, and the Paris Agreement. In December 2023, President Muzi attended the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

[Relations with China] See "Bilateral Relations between China and Maldives"

In recent years, Maldives has been active in foreign exchanges and has close relations with countries such as India and Sri Lanka.

The relationship with India is geographically close, with close historical, social, and political ties. In multilateral occasions such as the United Nations, the Non Aligned Movement, and the South Asian League, Malaysia supports India's position. High level visits between Malaysia and India are frequent. In 2008, President Nasheed's first overseas destination after taking office was India. In February 2011, President Nasheed of Malaysia made an official visit to India. In January 2014 and April 2016, President Ma Yameen visited India twice. In November 2015, Foreign Minister Mania visited India. In August 2016, Malaysian Foreign Minister Asim visited India. In November 2018, after the establishment of the new government of Maldives, it reiterated "India first" and highlighted the special friendship between Maldives and India. President Saleh will make India his first foreign country to visit after taking office. In 2019, India assisted Malaysia in building facilities such as the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and the Institute of Engineering and Technology. In 2020, India and Malaysia implemented a $150 million currency swap program and announced a $2 million aid to Malaysia. India also provided the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine to horses. In April 2022, Speaker Nasheed went to India to participate in the 7th Recinna Dialogue. In August 2022, President Saleh and Foreign Minister Shahid visited India successively. In 2023, during his presidential campaign and after being elected president, Muiyz emphasized "Maldives first" and repeatedly publicly demanded that India withdraw its troops from Maldives. In May 2024, after multiple rounds of negotiations, all Indian troops stationed in Malaysia were withdrawn and replaced by civilian personnel. From May 8th to 10th, Malaysian Foreign Minister Zamir visited India and held talks with Indian Foreign Minister Sujaeden to restart exchanges and cooperation between the two countries. India sent a positive signal on improving bilateral relations, stating that it will continue to adhere to the "neighboring country first" policy, regard Malaysia as a strategic partner, and provide development assistance and financial support to Malaysia. In June, President Muzi went to India to attend the inauguration ceremony of Indian Prime Minister Modi. From October 6th to October 10th, at the invitation of Indian President Murmu, President Muiyz paid a state visit to India.

The relationship with Sri Lanka has close historical, social, and political ties. In July 2010, Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa visited Maldives. In August 2011, President Nasheed visited Sri Lanka. After the changes in the Malaysian government in 2012, Vice President Wahiduddin visited Sri Lanka as a presidential envoy. In August, President Wahid of Malaysia paid a state visit to Sri Lanka. In September 2014, President Ma visited Sri Lanka. Since 2016, former Malaysian President Nasheed has visited Sri Lanka multiple times to participate in events. In January 2019, President Saleh made an informal visit to Sri Lanka. In November 2021, President Saleh visited Sri Lanka. In December 2021 and December 2022, President Saleh made informal visits to Sri Lanka. In October 2022, Speaker Nasheed visited Sri Lanka. From June 3rd to 6th, 2024, Malaysian Foreign Minister Zamir visited Sri Lanka.