The Commonwealth countries in Asia

· Bangladesh, Brunei Darassalam, Maldives, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka

· All of the Asian Commonwealth countries have been members of the WTO since 1995.

· Asia has 383.8 million of the total 461.6 million illiterate adults in the Commonwealth

· In the 1960s and 1970s, many other countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific became independent. Some had fought wars for their freedom. Yet almost all joined the Commonwealth.

· capital: Malé

· official language: Maldivian (Divehi)

· geography: coral islands, Gan - the largest island of Maldives, the lowest country in the world, Two seasons dominate Maldives' weather: the dry season associated with the winter northeastern monsoon and the rainy season which brings strong winds and storms

· Government: Unitary presidential constitutional republic

· gained independence from the British in 1965

· became a republic in 1968 ruled by a president and an authoritarian government.

· Some social stratification exists on the islands. It is not rigid, since rank is based on varied factors, including occupation, wealth, Islamic virtue, and family ties. Instead of a complex caste system, there was merely a distinction between noble (bēfulhu) and common people in the Maldives. Members of the social elite are concentrated in Malé.

· places to visit: Diving Bluetribe Moofushi, South Ari Atoll; Alimatha Island, Vaavu Atoll [very beautiful seashore + diving]; Manta Point [diving]; Sun Island beach, South Ari Atoll [white sand, blue sea]; Banana Reef, North Male Atoll [diving]

· The politics of the Maldives take place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the Head of Government. Executive power is exercised by the government. The President heads the executive branch and appoints the Cabinet; Like many presidential democracies, each member of the cabinet need to be approved by the Parliament. The President, along with the vice President, is directly elected by the people to a five-year term by a secret ballot. He could be re-elected to second 5 year term, the limit allowed by the Constitution.

· current president: former Senior Member of UNICEF, Mohammed Waheed Hassan

· last year the Commonwealth suspended the Maldives from its democracy and human rights watchdog while the ousting was being investigated, and backed Nasheed's call for elections before the end of 2012

· Though in March 2012 the new regime promised new elections; in April the state minister of foreign affairs announced that elections would not be held in the near future

· On 8 October, Nasheed was arrested after failing to appear in court to face charges that he ordered the illegal arrest of a judge while in office. However, his supporters claim that this detention was politically motivated in order to prevent him from campaigning for the 2013 presidential elections

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 724