Maldives country report

Transcription

1 Maldives country report Geographic features The Republic of Maldives consists of a chain of coral atolls in the Indian Ocean, km wide stretching for around 820 km from latitude 76 6' 30" North ' 48" South, and lying between 72 32' 30" E and 73 45' 54" E. There are altogether 26 natural atolls, which for purposes of administration are grouped into 21 units, with Male the capital island forming a separate administrative unit. The 1190 islands of Maldives make up less than 2 percent of the total area of the country that is 90,000 sq km (Figure 1). The atolls of Maldives vary in shape from circular, oval and elliptical to pear-shaped, and lagoon waters vary in depth from 40 to 60 m. Lagoons contain micro-atolls, faros, patch reefs and knolls. Most are open to the Indian Ocean although a few are almost closed, and channels through the atoll margin are in some cases as deep as the lagoon itself. The main channel separating the eastern and western chain of islands is generally between 250 and 300 m deep. The islands are built of bioclastic sediments and the islands vary in shape and size from small sand banks to elongated strip islands. Many have storm ridges at the seaward edges with swampy depressions in the center. Islands vary in size from 0.5 to several square kilometres. Maximum height above sea level within the Maldives is around 3 m and in excess of 80 percent of the land area is less than 1 m above the mean high tide level. The entire country receives an adequate rainfall and there is very slight variation in the amount of rainfall in different parts of the country. The average annual rainfall of approximately 1980 mm is evenly distributed throughout the year, however monthly variation in rainfall are significant ranging from 12.3 mm in February to 250 mm in May. The Maldives has a tropical climate, which is warm and humid. The weather is dominated by two monsoon periods: the South-West monsoon from April to November and the North -East monsoon from December to March when winds blow predominantly from either of these two directions. Strong winds and gales are rare and cyclones are unknown. Daily temperatures vary little throughout the year. The annual mean temperature is 28 C, with a maximum average of 32 C and a minimum of 25 C. Relative humidity ranges from 73% to 85%. Land is scarce in the Maldives and only around ten per cent of land is suitable for agriculture. Soils are generally young and thin, being no more than 20 cm deep, and containing substantial quantities of parent material, coral rock and sand. In wetter depressions a thick clay layer is present at around 10 to 15 cm depth. Soils are highly alkaline with a ph of between 8.0 and 8.8, an average of those tested being around 8.5. Soil fertility is generally poor and quantitative chemical analyses, although few in number have indicated that soils are deficient in nitrogen both in the form of ammonia and nitrate; low in potash, but fairly rich in phosphorus, magnesium and calcium; manganese and aluminium are lacking but there is no deficiency of iron.

2 Social environment Throughout its recorded history, the Maldives has remained an independent state except for brief periods of invasion and control, first by the Portuguese in 1558, then by Indian Malabars in The Maldives in 1887 agreed to be a protectorate of the British, but with very little interference by the British in internal affairs. Because of this limited exposure to external influence, the Maldives retained a unique cultural identity, a unique script and language. It has also maintained traditional systems of health and education. Islam is the national religion and modern culture is Islamic with 100% of the people belonging to the Sunni sect. Islam exerts a strong unifying influence on the Maldivians inhabiting the dispersed islands and the values of the society are guided predominantly by the principles of Islam, which was accepted as the state religion in AD. Society is liberal with women enjoying considerable freedom and traditionally playing an important role in island communities while men spent long periods at sea. The society is stratified but socially mobile, with respect and status being determined by political connections, wealth and education. The language is Dhivehi, is written in Thaana script and is the official language of the Maldives. In recent years English was introduced as the medium of instruction in secondary education although English as a medium instruction was introduced in primary schools in Male since The Maldives has a high functional literacy rate of 98% (1996, ages 15-45). The literacy rate is marginally higher for females than for males and presents no rural urban disparities. There are 272 educational institutions in the country out of which 63 are government instituions. The current educational environment presents a merging of traditional and modern education. A modern formal English medium schools system has now been established in Male operated both by the public and private sectors. This system provides primary, secondary and upper secondary education culminating in GCE Ordinary and Advanced Level Examinations of the University of London. This system was introduced in Male in the early 1960s. Progressively, the Government is creating similar educational facilities in the islands by establishing Atoll Education Centres (AECs) and Atoll Primary Schools (APSs) in each atoll, and regional secondary schools. Economic development Economic life in the Maldives was dominated in the past by subsistence agriculture and fishing with some exchange of marine and other products for rice and other necessities. Rapid social and economic development is of recent origin with living standards having increased very substantially since the late 1970 s. The impressive annual growth in the economy since the latter part of the 70 s has been due largely to the increased receipts from tourism and fishing as well as government investment in infrastructure. The Maldives, with a per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$ (1998 revised figures), is recognised as one of the least developed countries (LDCs) within the United Nations System. However, it is scheduled for graduation from this category. The Maldives has a typical small island economy limited by natural and human resources, an acute shortage of raw materials, heavy imports of most requirements and an ever increasing demand on government revenue to

3 cater for the basic needs of an expanding population. Fishing has always been a central activity in Maldivian society and the fisheries sector is extremely important for the economy providing around 80% of export income. Fishing has been expanded through mechanisation of the traditional fishing fleet, fuel distribution systems and fish collection facilities. The tuna fishery is based on trolling and pole and line fishing from mechanised dhoni, thus producing a dolphin-friendly product. Fishing is widespread throughout the atolls and boats operate primarily within about 75 miles of the atolls. Collector boats and mother vessels purchase fish from fishermen, consolidate and freeze the supplies and deliver them to the plants for further processing. Tourism is the second largest contributor to the economy of the Maldives and it is increasing in importance year by year. The number of annual tourist arrivals (324,311 in 1995) now exceeds the total local population (249,281 in 1995). At present there are 73 resorts, mostly on small islands in North and South Male atolls and in Ari atoll, although plans are in hand to expand the number and distribution of resorts to some of the other atolls. Resorts are established on uninhabited islands leased to resort developers for a 25 year period. Resort development relies heavily on imported equipment, facilities, food stuffs and skilled labour, although about 3,000 Maldivians are employed. Over 61% of tourists came from Europe, mainly Germany and Italy. Population and demographics The population of Maldives is large relative to the land area and the population growth rate is among the highest in the world. The population of Maldives increased from 180,088 in 1985 to 213,215 in 1990 and the total population of the Maldives as enumerated in the 1995 census was 244,644. The population growth rate between 1977 and 1985 was 3.2% per annum and between 1985 and 1990 the growth rate increased to 3.4%. However, according to the 1995 census preliminary results, the growth rate between 1990 and 1995 dropped to 2.75% per annum. Thus, the current growth represents a significant decrease in the rate of growth since the 1990 census. It is believed that the high rate of growth of population is due to a reduction in the crude death rate that has resulted from improvements in primary health care. The Maldives has a relatively young population and at the time of the 1985 census, 45% of the population was under fifteen years of age. The proportion has increased, and in 1990 has reached 49%. The median age of the population is now 16 years. Estimates show that between 1990 and 2005 there will be an additional 24,400 children added to the population in the age group 0 to 1 and 71,500 people will enter the age group 15 to 64 (MPHRE, 1994). The geographical distribution of the population is unequal, with only 200 of the total 1,190 being inhabited. Of the 200 inhabited islands 90 have fewer than 500 people, 72 have between 500 and 1,000 inhabitants, 38 have between 1,000 and 5,000 and only 3 have more than 5,000 inhabitants. The distribution of population among the atolls is given in table 3.1, and islands with more than 2,000 people are given in Table 1. Table 1 Population by atoll in 1985, 1990 and 1995

4 Locality Republic 180, , ,644 Male 45,874 55,130 62,793 Atolls 134, , ,671 North Thiladhunmathi 9,899 12,031 13,657 South Thiladhunmathi 10,850 12,890 14,955 North Miladhunmadulu 7,509 9,022 10,462 South Miladhunmadulu 6,864 8,437 10,096 North Maalhosmadulu 9,416 11,303 12,528 South Maalhosmadulu 6,982 7,716 8,727 Faadhippolhu 6,414 7,725 8,847 Male atoll 8,734 10,133 11,563 Ari Atoll 7,861 9,793 11,744 Felidhu Atoll 1,419 1,697 1,779 Mulakatholhu 3,490 4,186 4,810 North Nilandhe Atoll 2,148 2,614 3,167 South Nilandhe Atoll 3,568 4,199 4,825 Kolhumadulu 6,949 8,189 9,133 Hadhdhunmathi 7,212 9,101 10,192 North Huvadu Atoll 6,054 7,295 8,164 South Huvadu Atoll 8,905 10,417 12,403 Foammulah 4,983 6,160 6,971 Addu Atoll 14,957 15,177 17,648 Source: Ministry of Planning, Human Resources and Environment At present 25.7% (62,793) of the population live in Male, the capital of Maldives. In 1911, Male had only 7.25% (5,236) of the 72,237 people in the nation. From 12.45% in 1972 it increased to 20.67% in 1977 and to 25.47% in The rapid growth in Male population is associated with the bulk of development activities that has centred on North and South Male' atoll as a consequence of the locations of the capital, the international airport, the port of Male' and the tourist resort islands. The rate of population increase in Male was boosted by the closure of the Gan air base in 1976, and the birth of the Maldives tourist industry centred around the Male International Airport at Hulhule. Municipal administration Male is the capital island of the Maldives. It can be said to be the only city in the Maldives, although its geographic dimensions may not merit it being in the category of a city. The Male Municipality is the municipal authority of Male which is an office administered under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Chairman of the Male Municipality reports to the Minister of Home Affairs, Housing and Environment directly. Male has an area of about 1.77?? km of which??% is reclaimed from the sea. It houses about one-fourth of the national population. In -migration from other islands is the major contributor to the rapid growth in the population of Male. Major reasons for in-migration are the higher standard and broader range of facilities, services, education and employment opportunities available on Male in comparison to those available on other islands. In 199?, an adjacent uninhabited island of Villingilli which formerly housed a tourist resort was made the fifth ward of Male and land given for housing to residents of Male. This was due to the overflow from that of Male. Male is divided into five wards Villingilli being the 5 th ward. Each ward is administered by a ward office whose principal

5 responsibility is to administer the municipal services provided by the Government and municipal regulation of activities within each ward. Male itself has a very high rate of social services and economic development. Electronic media/informatization was introduced in the Maldives during the late 1980s. This late introduction indicates to some extent that our development in this e-media lags behind certain other capital cities in the region. However, it must be noted with satisfaction that the rate of growth in this sector is rapid and that at present, Male is a city that widely utilises e-media for different aspects of life including that of commerce and services. Official data on the contribution of e-commerce and e-industrialisation to the economic and social development of Male is not available at the present time. Although at the moment Male does not have broad band area networks, Male is a city that is fast growing in the area of economic and social development and rapidly moving into the e-industry. The government has taken several steps to stimulate development of e-commerce in Male, including provision of e- infrastructure, subsidisation of costs, and support services, thus creating an enabling environment for the further development of e-commerce. Appropriate technologies for networking are being adopted and promoted. In addition, it is also presently taking similar steps in different regions of the country, thereby stimulating and providing the basis for e- networking between different islands. It also has adopted a long -term strategy for improving provision of public services by means of IT. A national project is underway for development and implementation of government information systems, and a similar one is in the pipeline for government agency networking. With the establishment of the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1998, the Government of Maldives is rapidly undertaking development of both infrastructure and services to provide an enabling environment for the movement of municipal and administrative districts into the e-age. Maldives is a country with minimal natural resources. Male is very much dependant on trade and commerce for our development and continued growth and prosperity. Given this scenario, it is evident that e-applications and other e- resources will provide a gate-way superseding natural resource restrictions and thus be very much relied upon in the coming future. Given the sustained high rate of economic growth the Maldives has experienced, it can be said that a city like Male will benefit tremendously from informatization. The potential advantages and benefits from its adoption in e-commerce, e- government and e-cooperation are limitless given that informatization provides a means to transcend geographic dispersal of the islands of Maldives and the geographic isolation of Maldives given its location. As the Maldives emerges in to the era of informatization, it will no doubt look towards regional and international experiences in larger cities in order to from their experiences. As such, e-cooperation regionally and otherwise will play a significant role in our e- development. Potential areas for corporation, some of which are presently being explored and some with the potential to be used, include commerce, distance education, medical and other social services, environmental protection and sharing of information and technology. This present High level Forum on City Informatization in the Asia-Pacific Region is a first step in the right direction and has indeed been a very valuable learning experience for the Maldives. We take this opportunity to extend our deepest appreciation for the organizors and sponsors of this forum, to the Mayor, officials and citizens of the beautiful city of for

6 your very kind hospitality.