Key facts about the Maldives

Here are some key facts about the Indian Ocean archipelago:

GEOGRAPHY:

The Maldives are a group of 1,192 islands scattered across 500 miles (800 km) of the Indian Ocean off the southern tip of India.

POPULATION:

300,000 (2007)

ETHNIC GROUPS:

The archipelago's population stems from migrations of Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Sinhalese and Arab people.

RELIGION:

Islam, the official religion, is proclaimed as universal.

LANGUAGE:

Dhivehi (related to Sinhalese) is the official language, but English and Arabic are also spoken.

CAPITAL:

Male

ECONOMY:

The Maldives are known for luxury beach vacations and its environmental consciousness in developing tourism. The $850 million economy grew 7.6 percent in 2007.

The Maldivian Monetary Authority estimates economic growth of 8.3 percent for 2008. However, the IMF said in a report in September that economic growth would slow to 6.5 percent in 2008, less than its forecast 8.3 percent.

Annual inflation is also expected to double to 15 percent in 2008. The budget deficit will hit 9.6 percent of GDP this year, up from 7.8 percent in 2007, owing to high spending and revenue shortfalls, the IMF forecast.