anch:

unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 members elected
by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President
with approval of voting members of the People's Council; High Court;
Trial Courts; all lower court judges are appointed by the Judicial
Service Commission

Political parties and leaders:

Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi
Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul
GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER]; Maldivian
Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]; note - political parties
were allowed to register in June 2005

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: various unregistered political parties

International organization participation:

ADB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Hussain MANIKU
chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6194
FAX: [1] (212) 599-6195

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to
Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits

Flag description:

red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical
white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side
of the flag

Economy
Maldives

Economy - overview:

Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 28% of GDP and
more than 60% of the Maldives' 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. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production,
boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 7% of GDP. The
Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989
initially by l