Forgotten world (41): The Maldives

On eight occasions now, I’ve had a week-long feature on NightHawk devoted to parts of the world that tend to be under-reported or even forgotten. You can check out the previous 40 entries here. This week, I am going to run an ninth series of postings on this theme.
The Maldives – located in the Indian Ocean south of India – consists of some 1,200 islands, but only has a population of around 340,000, of whom 70,000 live in the capital Male. Many Maldivians live in poverty.
None of the islands is more than 1.8 metres (six feet) above sea level and they are therefore seriously affected by the threat of global warming and rising sea levels.
Aside from the island capital Male, outsiders are only permitted onto inhabited islands for brief visits, thereby limiting their impact on traditional Muslim communities. In fact, for most outsiders, the islands are home to sun-kissed resorts and no thought is given to the politics of the country.
But the same man has been in power for the past 28 years: President Maumoon Gayoom. Until 2005, political parties were banned and the country is now supposed to hold its first multi-party elections by the end of 2008.
Meanwhile the country’s only radio and television station are both controlled by the government and there is only one independent newspaper (the “Minivan Daily” with a circuation of just 3,700). Opposition journalists are targeted and sometimes imprisoned.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 6th, 2006 at 7:36 am and is filed under World current affairs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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