Pray Today Sunday August 21st for

Maldives

Republic of Maldives

Asia

See Prayer Information

Geography

Area: 298 sq km
1,200 coral islands in 20 administrative groups, 600 km southwest of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. Only 202 islands are inhabited. These have an average size of less than 1 sq km. Average elevation is one metre.
Population: 313,920    Annual Growth: 1.43%
Capital: Malé
Urbanites: 40.5%
HDI Rank: 95 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)

Peoples

Peoples: 10 (50% unreached) All peoples
Unreached Peoples Prayer Card

Official language: Dhivehi of Sanskrit origin    Languages: 2 All languages

Religion

Largest Religion: Muslim

Religion		Pop %	Ann Gr
Christians	534	0.17	4.0
Evangelicals	235	0.1	4.3
Muslim	310,906	99.04

Challenges for Prayer

The fragile ecosystem of the Maldivesis threatened by rising sea levels that could flood and destroy. Coral mining and rises in sea temperatures have killed much of the coral that is the foundation of these islands. The 2004 tsunami and the 2008-2009 economic downturn demonstrated how fleeting life on these islands could be; pray that this would cause many to seek eternal assurance obtainable only through Christ.
Behind the facade of island paradise lies a darker reality. Freedom of expression and belief is strongly curtailed by powerful societal and regulatory forces. One of the highest divorce rates in the world, rising crime and gang activity, abuse of children and endemic drug use among teens (possibly up to 70%) indicate that all is not well. Beyond Islamic beliefs lies a widespread adherence to pre-Islamic occult practices called fanditha. Pray for the light of the gospel to shine into the lives of Maldivians. Pray against strongholds of pride, fear, duplicity and sensuality.
     For an additional 5 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.

More Information

The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Maldives.