Maldive Islands

The name of Maldives occurs from Hindu words “mahal” (palace) and “diva” (island). Maldive Islands are located in the equatorial waters of Indian Ocean in 700 km to the southwest from Sri Lanka. They represent a chain of 20 atolls which emerged in the result of a thousand-year growth of corals.
The exact number of coral islets remains a secret until today. The British sea chart shows such a quantity of islands as 1 100, while the last calculation has shown 1 196. In fact, the islands are in a condition of growth and changes, therefore it is impossible to get an exact figure. Coral colonies grow up to 1-4 cm annually and then appear on the ocean surface. The internal part of a coral dies and after a long time a lagoon starts to be formed. Under the influence of natural erosion corals turn into white gentle sand, for which Maldivian beaches are so well-known. Sometimes islets are formed by the coral reeves, some of them unite and others break up into two. In 1955 the storm created three new islands while others started to collapse slowly. For example, quite a large island in the Mail atoll has disappeared because of the natural erosion back in 1960. More than 200 islands are occupied and the others are uninhabited. The highest point of archipelago is in a southern atoll of Addu and makes 2,4 m. the Total area of all islands is about 300 km ².

Climate

Maldives have a tropical climate. It is rather dry under the influence of northeast monsoons from November to March and quite rainy under the influence of southwest monsoons from June to August. The air temperature fluctuates between 24 and 30 ° throughout the year. There are no rivers or lakes on the islands. Despite an abundance of precipitation there is a lack of fresh water. Wells and tanks serve as unique and rare sources of water, which are filled up during rains.

Geography

The atoll of Male is the centre of Maldive Islands. It stretches 69 kilometers from the North to the South and 40 kilometers from the West to the East. The atoll consists of 8 fishing islands and 27 hotel islands. Tourists consider it as the most popular place in Maldive Islands.
The capital of Maldive Islands is Male – known as the smallest capital of the world (2,5 km long and 1 km wide). It is also the only city and an archipelago port. It is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. A mosque “Good Friday” is the main place of interest within the capital. This is the biggest mosque of Maldive Islands as it can accommodate more than 5000 people at a time. There is also a mosque of “Good Friday” with a unique minaret, tombs of national heroes and members of ruling families. It is alsmo worth seeing many places of interest such as Presidential Palace, the National Museum located in the Park of the Sultan and the burial places of the legendary Maldivian saints.

History and Culture

Maldive Islands also have rich history and ancient culture. The first inhabitants settled in Maldives about 3 000 years ago. There are some legends about ancient settlements in Maldives. According to the first legend the prince and his wife, the daughter of the king of present Sri Lanka, stopped in an atoll of Raa during the travelling, and then have been invited by the local people to stay and rule there.
The second legend tells about Redens. They were tall white people with blue eyes, dark hair and aquiline noses. During archeological excavations some fragments of ceramics have been found. According to these fragments the Redens’ period of settling was about 2000 BC. We can only guess where these mysterious people came from and it is believed that they belonged to the Aryan civilization which had grown in a valley of the river Indus about 2000 BC.
In 1153 AD the Buddhist King Kalaminja, who was the governor of Maldives at that time , accepted Islam and it is the state religion until now. Despite colonization attempts Maldives have been saving their independence up to 1887 (with the exception of the 16-year-old period of the Portuguese sovereignty in XVI century).
After the acceptance of Islam, the governors began to be called Sultans. There are 84 names of Sultans and Sultanesses in the history of Maldives, which belongs to six dynasties.
In 1887 the territory of Maldive Islands is still ruled by hereditary Sultans, and after signing the agreement it became a part of the British colonial empire, however, in 1965 full independence of Maldive Islands has been restored. In November 11th, 1968 the independent Republic of Maldives (before they were called Sultanate) was proclaimed.

Government

The Maldives are governed under the constitution of 1998. The president, who is both head of state and head of government, is chosen by the legislature for a five-year term; the chosen candidate must be confirmed in a referendum. The unicameral legislature consists of the 50-member People’s Council or Majlis; 42 members are elected by popular vote and eight appointed by the president. All legislators serve five-year terms. Administratively, the country is divided into 19 atolls and the capital city.

Interactive map