Capital: Male
Administrative divisions: 19 districts (atolls); Aliff, Baa, Daalu, Faafu, Gaafu Aliff, Gaafu Daalu, Haa Aliff, Haa Daalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Laviyani, Meemu, Naviyani, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Waavu

Independence: 26 July 1965 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

Constitution: 4 June 1968

Legal system: based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); election last held 1 October 1993 (next to be held NA); results - President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM was reelected with 92.76% of the vote
cabinet: Ministry of Atolls; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: unicameral
Citizens' Council (Majlis): elections last held on 7 December 1989 (next to be held 7 December 1994); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (48 total, 40 elected)

Judicial branch: High Court

Political parties and leaders: no organized political parties; country governed by the Didi clan for the past eight centuries
Member of: AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US: Maldives has no embassy in the US, but does have a UN mission in New York; Permanent Representative to the UN Ahmed ZAKI
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there
consular agency: Midhath Hilmy, Male
telephone: 2581

Flag: 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

NOTE: The information regarding Maldives on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Maldives Government 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Maldives Government 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.