Maldives History, Geography, Economy and Important Events

A comparative study of the oral, linguistic and cultural tradition and custom of the Maldives confirms that the first settlers were Dravidians, who came here from Kerala in the Sangam period (BCE 300–300 CE). It was probably the fishermen of the south west coast which is now the south of the Indian subcontinent and the west coast of Sri Lanka. One such community is that of the Giravaru people who are descendants of ancient Tamils. The establishment of the capital and the luxurious rule of Malé have described in ancient legends and local folk tales. They are considered the first community to settle on the island. The agreement to provide full political independence to the Maldives was signed by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Nasir Ranabandeyree Killegefan, Prime Minister and Queen Sahiba on behalf of Sir Michael Walker British Elchi Maldives Island. The ceremony was held on 26 July 1965 at the British High Commissioner's residence in Colombo.

The Maldives consists of approximately 1,190 Mungia islands, organized in a double chain of 26 coral islands, in a north-south direction. The coral islands of the Maldives cover an area of ​​approximately 90,000 square kilometers, making it one of the most isolated countries in the world. It has 1,192 islands, 200 of which are inhabited. The capital and largest city of the Republic of Maldives is Male, which has a population of 103,693 (2006). It is located on the southern side of the North Malle atoll, in Kafu atoll. It is also an administrative department of Maldives. Traditionally it was the king's island from which the ancient Maldives ruled the royal dynasty and where his palace was located.

In ancient times, the Maldives was famous for the kauri shell, coconut-rope, dry tuna fish (Maldives fish), ambergris (mawaharu) and coco de mer (tawakkashi). Local and foreign merchant ships carried these products to other ports of the Indian Ocean across Sri Lanka. The Maldives government began an economic reform program in 1989, starting with the lifting of import quotas and opening of some exports to the private sector. Later, its rules were liberalized and more foreign investment was allowed.

The official and common language is Dhivehi, an Indo-Aryan language which is related to the Sinhalese language of Sri Lanka. The first known script used to write Dhivehi is the Evil Akaru script, which is found in historical recordings of the kings (Radhavali). Later a script called dhives akuru was used for a long time. The current script is called Thana and is written from right to left. The Thana is said to have started from the reign of Mohammad Thakurufaanu.

India [M] , Sri Lanka [M] , United Kingdom [M] ,
Definition of international border: L = Land Border | M = Maritime Border