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Full
Country Name
Republic of Maldives
Location
Southwest of Sri Lanka, on the equator.
Capital City
Male
People
Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, African
Language
Maldivian Divehi
Religion
Sunni Muslim
Government
Republic
Functional literacy rate
98%
President
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
GDP
US$500 million
GDP per head
US$1840
Annual growth
5.8%
Inflation
6.3%
Local Time
GMT + 5 hours
Climate
Generally warm and humid. Sun shines all year through. Average temperature: around 29 - 32 degrees Celsius.
Geography
1,190 coral islands, forming an archipelago of 26 major atolls. Stretches 820 kilometers north to south and 120 kilometers east to west. 200 are inhabited, 87 are exclusive resort islands.
Major industries: fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining, coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes, fish
Major trading partners: Sri Lanka, US, Germany, Singapore, UK, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand.
Business Hours
From Sunday to Thursday 7.30 - 14.30 in the government sector and generally from 9.00 to 5.00 in the private sector, although most offices in the private sector open for a half day on Saturday. Weekend falls on Friday and Saturday.
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