HISTORY
Maldives comprises 1,191 islands in the Indian Ocean. The earliest settlers were probably from southern India. Indo-European speakers followed them from Sri Lanka in the fourth and fifth centuries BC. In the 12th century AD, sailors from East Africa and Arab countries came to the islands. Today, the Maldivian ethnic identity is a blend of these cultures, reinforced by religion and language.
Originally Buddhists, Maldivians
were converted to Sunni Islam in the mid-12th century. Islam is
the official religion of the entire population. Strict adherence
to Islamic precepts and close community relationships have helped
keep crime low and under control.
The official and common language
is Dhivehi, an Indo-European language related to Sinhala, the
language of Sri Lanka. The writing system is from right to left.
English is used widely in commerce and increasingly as the medium
of instruction in government schools.
Some social stratification
exits on the islands. It is not rigid, since rank is based on
varied factors, including occupation, wealth, Islamic virtue,
and family ties. Members of the social elite are concentrated
in Male.
The early history of the Maldives
is obscure. According to Maldivian legend, a Sinhalese prince
named Koimale was stranded with his bride--daughter of the king
of Sri Lanka--in a Maldivian lagoon and stayed on to rule as the
first sultan.
Over the centuries, the islands
have been visited and their development influenced by sailors
from countries on the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean littorals.
Mopla pirates from the Malabar Coast--present-day Kerala state
in India--harassed the islands. In the 16th century, the Portuguese
subjugated and ruled the islands for 15 years (1558-73) before
being driven away by the warrior-patriot Muhammad Thakurufar Al-Azam.
Although governed as an independent Islamic sultanate for most of its history from 1153 to 1968, the Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887 until July 25, 1965. In 1953, there was a brief, abortive attempt at a republican form of government, after which the sultanate was re-imposed. Following independence from Britain in 1965, the sultanate continued to operate for another 3 years. On November 11, 1968, it was abolished and replaced by a republic, and the country assumed its present name.
