Maldives; An Introduction

For most holidaymakers, great sunny days with deep blue skies, clear lagoons with pleasing shades of blue, moonlit nights, the soothing sound of little waves lapping the soft white sands, the ruffle of palms and powdery white beaches are the basic ingredients for the perfect tropical holiday. Few places offer these ingredients in greater abundance than the Maldives.

Although the Maldives is well known by travelers and holidaymakers today, its long history is not known to most. The Maldives has gone through immense changes and has been affected by geopolitical changes and upheavals that have swept through the world throughout the last two millennia.

Maldives at a glance

Official name of the country; Republic of Maldives
Area; 90,000 sq Km
Total number of administrative atolls; 20
Capital; Male'(1.77 sq Km)
International Airport; Male' International Airport
Literacy rate; 98.2%
Electricity; 220-240 volts
Maldives standard time; +5 hrs GMT
Language; Dhivehi(English is widely spoken)
Currency; Rufiya ( Rf. 1 = 100 laaree)
Exchange rate; US$ 1 = Rf. 12.75
Number of islands; 1192
No. of inhabited islands; 199
No. of Resort islands; 87
Population; 285,066
International dialling code; +960
International domain; .mv

History

A brief history of the Maldives

The ancient history of Maldives is a mixture of fact and legend. Our history has been shaped and molded with the ebb and flow of time and tide.

The Maldives has been influenced by the major civilizations of the world. The Phoenicians, Egyptians and Mesopotamians have passed through the islands during ancient times each leaving their mark.

The famous Cowry shell from Maldives once used as currency in different parts of the world has been found in the ruins of the ancient port of Lothal of the Indus Valley dating back to 1400 BC. Thor Heyerdahl the famous archeologist writes that the Maldives was first settled by sun-worshipping seafarers known as ‘Redin’, as early as 2500 BC, before Buddhism and later Islam changed the religious landscape of the country.

The Maldives was invaded by Portuguese in 1558 and ruled by them until 1573, continuously raided by Malabars from South West India during the 17th and 18th centuries and eventually invaded by them in 1752. Although the Malabar rule was short-lived the raids continued. The Sultans sought protection first from the French at first and then in 1887 signed a protectorate agreement with the British.

Geography

Geography of Maldives

Few countries have a landscape as remarkable as that of the Maldives. The Maldives is an archipelago of 1190 islands that straddle the equator, about 650 km southwest of Sri Lanka. The islands are scattered in a chainlike formation extending 820 km from north to south and 130 km at its widest point.

The islands form ring-shaped formations or atolls, 26 in all some with a single island while others with over 200 islands in them. Huvadhoo Atoll in the south is the second largest atoll in the world.

The Maldives lie between Latitude 7o 6’ 30” N to 0o 42’ 30” S and Longitudes 72o 32’ and 30” E to 73o 46’ 15” E.