etnam, and possibly
Brunei; Philippines have not fully revoked claim to Sabah State; two
islands in dispute with Singapore; Sipadan and Ligitan Islands in
dispute with Indonesia

Illicit drugs: transit point for some illicit drugs going to Western
markets; drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe
penalties

______________________________________________________________________

MALDIVES

@Maldives:Introduction

Background: The Maldives were long a sultanate, first under Dutch and
then under British protection. They became a republic in 1968, three
years after independence. Tourism and fishing are being developed on
the archipelago.

@Maldives:Geography

Location: Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean,
south-southwest of India

Geographic coordinates: 3 15 N, 73 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area:
total: 300 sq km
land: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 644 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to
March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Terrain: flat, with white sandy beaches

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll
2.4 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 3%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 84% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea
level rise

Environment - current issues: depletion of freshwater aquifers
threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral
reef bleaching

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200
inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago
of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian
Ocean

@Maldives:People

Population: 301,475 (July 2000 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 71,273; female 67,323)
15-64 years: 51% (male 78,598; female 75,331)
65 years and over: 3% (