GDP and more than 60% of 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. The
Maldivian Government implemented economic reforms, beginning in 1989
that initially lifted import quotas, opened some exports to the
private sector, and liberalized regulations to allow more foreign
investment. Real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year for more
than a decade, and registered 18% in 2006, due to a rebound in
tourism and reconstruction following the tsunami of December 2004.
GDP slowed in 2007-08, then contracted in 2009 due to the global
recession. Falling tourist arrivals and fish exports, combined with
high government spending on social needs, subsidies, and civil
servant salaries contributed to a balance of payments crisis, which
was eased with a December 2009, $79.3 million dollar IMF standby
agreement. Diversifying the economy beyond tourism and fishing,
reforming public finance, and increasing employment opportunities
are 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 1
meter or less above sea level.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.767 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
$1.708 billion (2009 est.)
$1.763 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.433 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.4% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 105
-3.1% (2009 est.)
6.2% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,500 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
$4,300 (2009 est.)
$4,600 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.6%
industry: 16.9%
services: 77.5% (2009 est.)
Labor force:
144,000 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 177
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 11%
industry: 23%
services: 65% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14.4% (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
Population below poverty line:
16% (2008)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.3% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
12.3% (2008 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
13% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 27
13% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
13% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 64
13% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$460 million (31 October 2009)
country comparison to the world: 159
$475.2 million (31 December 2008)
Stock of broad money:
$1.065 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 161
$946.1 million (31 December 2008)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.548 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
$1.08 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish
Industries:
tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut
processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand
mining
Industrial production growth rate:
-0.9% (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
Electricity - production:
542 million kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
Electricity - consumption:
542 million kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2009 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
Oil - consumption:
6,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Oil - imports:
5,490 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 140
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
Current account balance:
-$370 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
-$638 million (2008 est.)
Exports:
$88 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
$125 million (2008 est.)
Exports - commodities:
fish
Exports - partners:
France 17.01%, Thailand 15.16%, Italy 13.49%, UK 13.13%, Sri Lanka
12.38% (2009)
Imports:
$782 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
$1.221 billion (2008 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, clothing, intermediate and
capital goods
Imports - partners:
Singapore 24.62%, UAE 15.7%, India 11.02%, Malaysia 8.98%, Sri Lanka
5.4%, Thailand 5.36% (2009)
Debt - external:
$589 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
$477 million (2008 est.)
Exchange rates:
rufiyaa (MVR) per US dollar - 12.8 (2009), 12.8 (2008), 12.8 (2007),
12.8 (2006)
Communications ::Maldives
Telephones - main lines in use:
49,913 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 161
Telephones - mobile cellular:
461,149 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 159
Telephone system:
general assessment: telephone services have improved; interatoll
communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands and
resorts are connected with telephone and fax service
domestic: each island now has at least 1 public telephone, and there
are mobile-cellular networks with a rapidly expanding subscribership
that exceeds 100 per 100 persons
international: country code - 960; linked to international submarine
cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth
station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2009)
Broadcast media:
state-owned radio and television monopoly until recently; by
mid-2008 there were 5 radio broadcast stations operating; first
private cable TV channel now operational with an additional 4
private TV channels in the regulatory pipeline (2008)
Internet country code:
.mv
Internet hosts:
2,164 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 153
Internet users:
86,400 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 163
Transportation ::Maldives
Airports:
5 (2010)
country comparison to the world: 178
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2010)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2010)
Roadways:
total: 88 km
country comparison to the world: 214
paved roads: 88 km - 60 km in Male; 14 km on Addu Atolis; 14 km on
Laamu
note: village roads are mainly compacted coral (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 24
country comparison to the world: 95
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 20, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated
cargo 2
registered in other countries: 4 (Panama 3, Tuvalu 1) (2010)
Ports and terminals:
Male
Military ::Maldives
Military branches:
Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Marine Corps, Security
Protection Group, Coast Guard (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
18-28 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2010)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 158,307
females age 16-49: 97,166 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 137,181
females age 16-49: 83,837 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 4,369
female: 3,765 (2010 est.)
Military expenditures:
5.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Military - note:
the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), with its small size and
with little serviceable equipment, 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
(2008)
Transnational Issues ::Maldives
Disputes - international:
none
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 1,000-10,000 (December 2004 tsunami victims) (2007)
page last updated on January 24, 2011
======================================================================
@Mali (Africa)
Introduction ::Mali
Background:
The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in
1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few
months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed
Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a
military coup - led by the current president Amadou TOURE - enabling
Mali's emergence as one of the strongest democracies on the
continent. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic
presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping
with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in
2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE, who was subsequently elected
to a second term in 2007. The elections were widely judged to be
free and fair.
Geography ::Mali
Location:
Western Africa, southwest of Algeria
Geographic coordinates:
17 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 1,240,192 sq km
country comparison to the world: 24
land: 1,220,190 sq km
water: 20,002 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 7,243 km
border countries: Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea
858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km,
Senegal 419 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid,
and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February)
Terrain:
mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in
south, rugged hills in northeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Senegal River 23 m
highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m
Natural resources:
gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite,
hydropower
note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are
known but not exploited
Land use:
arable land: 3.76%
permanent crops: 0.03%
other: 96.21% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,360 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
100 cu km (2001)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 6.55 cu km/yr (9%/1%/90%)
per capita: 484 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring
droughts; occasional Niger River flooding
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of
potable water; poaching
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern,
cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the
northern, arid Saharan
People ::Mali
Population:
13,796,354 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 67
Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.6% (male 3,220,491/female 3,177,823)
15-64 years: 49.5% (male 3,241,250/female 3,406,757)
65 years and over: 3% (male 189,886/female 207,018) (2010 est.)
Median age:
total: 16.2 years
male: 15.8 years
female: 16.6 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.607% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Birth rate:
46.09 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Death rate:
14.64 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
Net migration rate:
-5.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 201
Urbanization:
urban population: 32% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 113.66 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 4
male: 120.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 106.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.17 years
country comparison to the world: 208
male: 50.59 years
female: 53.8 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.54 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
100,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,800 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Malian(s)
adjective: Malian
Ethnic groups:
Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%,
Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%
Religions:
Muslim 90%, Christian 1%, indigenous beliefs 9%
Languages:
French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 46.4%
male: 53.5%
female: 39.6% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
male: 9 years
female: 7 years (2009)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 117
Government ::Mali
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Mali
conventional short form: Mali
local long form: Republique de Mali
local short form: Mali
former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Bamako
geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
8 regions (regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal,
Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou
Independence:
22 September 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 22 September (1960)
Constitution:
adopted 12 January 1992
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review
of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Modibo SIDIBE (since 28 September
2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 April 2007
(next to be held in April 2012); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE reelected president; percent
of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 71.2%, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA 19.2%,
other 9.6%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 1 and 22 July 2007 (next to be held in July
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
ADP coalition 113 (ADEMA 51, URD 34, MPR 8, CNID 7, UDD 3, and other
10), FDR coalition 15 (RPM 11, PARENA 4), SADI 4, independent 15
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders:
African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence or SADI [Oumar
MARIKO, secretary general]; Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA
[Diounconda TRAORE]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP (a
coalition of political parties including ADEMA and URD formed in
December 2006 to support the presidential candidacy of Amadou
TOURE); Alliance for Democratic Change (political group comprised
mainly of Tuareg from Mali's northern region); Convergence 2007
[Soumeylou Boubeye MAIGA]; Front for Democracy and the Republic or
FDR (a coalition of political parties including RPM and PARENA
formed to oppose the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE);
National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL];
Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Mady KONATE]; Party for
National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME]; Patriotic Movement for
Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT
[Amadou Ali NIANGADOU]; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar
KEITA]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou
Basir GOLOGO]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa
Balla COULIBALY]; Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila
CISSE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
other: the army; Islamic authorities; rebels in the northern region;
state-run cotton company CMDT; tuaregs
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN,
UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional),
WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mamadou TRAORE
chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950
FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC
embassy: located just off the Roi Bin Fahad Aziz Bridge just west of
the Bamako central district
mailing address: ACI 2000, Rue 243, Porte 297, Bamako
telephone: [223] 270-2300
FAX: [223] 270-2479
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red
note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors
from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Senegal
(which has an additional green central star) and the reverse of
those on the flag of neighboring Guinea
National anthem:
name: "Le Mali" (Mali)
lyrics/music: Seydou Badian KOUYATE/Banzoumana SISSOKO
note: adopted 1962; the anthem is also known as "Pour L'Afrique et
pour toi, Mali" (For Africa and for You, Mali) and "A ton appel
Mali" (At Your Call, Mali)
Economy ::Mali
Economy - overview:
Among the 25 poorest countries in the world, Mali is a landlocked
country highly dependent on gold mining and agricultural exports for
revenue. The country's fiscal status fluctuates with gold and
agricultural commodity prices and the harvest. Mali remains
dependent on foreign aid. Economic activity is largely confined to
the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River and about 65% of its
land area is desert or semidesert. About 10% of the population is
nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and
fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm
commodities. The government has continued an IMF-recommended
structural adjustment program that has helped the economy grow,
diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali is developing its
cotton and iron ore extraction industries to diversify its revenue
sources because gold production has started to fall. Mali has
invested in tourism but security issues are hurting the industry.
Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the
CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a 5%
average in 1996-2010. Worker remittances and external trade routes
for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest
in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire, however, Mali is building a road
network that will connect it to all adjacent countries and it has a
railway line to Senegal. In 2010, Mali experienced a regional
drought that hurt livestock and livelihoods.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$16.74 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
$15.91 billion (2009 est.)
$15.24 billion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$9.077 billion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.2% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
4.4% (2009 est.)
5% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,200 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
$1,200 (2009 est.)
$1,200 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 45%
industry: 17%
services: 38% (2001 est.)
Labor force:
3.241 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
Population below poverty line:
36.1% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 30.5% (2006)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40.1 (2001)
country comparison to the world: 61
50.5 (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
Central bank discount rate:
4.25% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 97
4.75% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
NA% (31 December 2009 est.)
NA% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$1.758 billion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 124
$1.559 billion (31 December 2008)
Stock of broad money:
$2.514 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
$2.12 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$994.9 million (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 150
$1.095 billion (31 December 2008)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:
food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
515 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
Electricity - consumption:
479 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing
electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Oil - consumption:
6,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
Oil - imports:
4,402 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
Current account balance:
-$446 million (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
Exports:
$294 million (2006)
country comparison to the world: 174
Exports - commodities:
cotton, gold, livestock
Exports - partners:
China 14.61%, Thailand 8.28%, Pakistan 6.74%, Morocco 6.48%, Burkina
Faso 4.67%, France 4.6%, India 4.45% (2009)
Imports:
$2.358 billion (2006)
country comparison to the world: 149
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials,
foodstuffs, textiles
Imports - partners: