I present a peaceful country, Maldives, situated a few hundred kilometers southwest of Sri Lanka. Maldives, an archipelago, extends to about 870 km in length and is formed by 1190 islands, large and small, of which about 201 are inhabited. The archipelago is comprised of atolls and coral reefs and has a temperate climate, with an average temperature from 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. It is humid and has an annual rainfall of 2100 mm (84.0 ins), which enables the inhabitants to cultivate their local crops.
The Transparency International CPI measures the perceived levels of public-sector corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on different expert and business surveys. The 2008 CPI scores 180 countries (the same number as the 2007 CPI) on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to ten (highly clean).
Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden share the highest score at 9.3, followed immediately by Singapore at 9.2. Bringing up the rear is Somalia at 1.0, slightly trailing Iraq and Myanmar at 1.3 and Haiti at 1.4.
While score changes in the Index are not rapid, statistically significant changes are evident in certain countries from the high to the low end of the CPI. Looking at source surveys included in both the 2007 and 2008 Index, significant declines can be seen in the scores of Bulgaria, Burundi, Maldives, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Similarly, statistically significant improvements over the last year can be identified in Albania, Cyprus, Georgia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, South Korea, Tonga and Turkey."
Note: Source from Transparency International Report 2008
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