Portal:Maldives

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Introduction

Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the eastern Arabian Sea, within the northern Indian Ocean. Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres (470 miles; 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland. Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.

Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island", where the ancient royal dynasties ruled from its central location. Maldives has been inhabited for over 2,500 years. Documented contact with the outside world began around 947 AD when Arab travellers began visiting the islands. In the 12th century, partly due to the importance of the Arabs and Persians as traders in the Indian Ocean, Islam reached the Maldivian Archipelago. Maldives was soon consolidated as a sultanate, developing strong commercial and cultural ties with Asia and Africa. From the mid-16th century, the region came under the increasing influence of European colonial powers, with Maldives becoming a British protectorate in 1887. Independence from the United Kingdom came in 1965, and a presidential republic was established in 1968 with an elected People's Majlis. The ensuing decades have seen political instability, efforts at democratic reform, and environmental challenges posed by climate change and rising sea levels. Maldives became a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Fishing has historically been the dominant economic activity, and remains the second largest sector, behind the rapidly growing tourism industry. Maldives rates "high" on the Human Development Index, with a per capita income significantly higher than other SAARC nations. The World Bank classifies Maldives as having an upper-middle income economy. (Full article...)

Selected articles -

The Sultanate of the Maldive Islands was an Islamic monarchy that controlled the Maldives for over eight centuries (1153–1968), with one interruption from 1953–1954.

Maldives was a Buddhist kingdom until its last monarch, King Dhovemi, converted to Islam in the year 1153; thereafter he also adopted the Muslim title and name of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil. Six dynasties would rule over the Maldives until the Sultanate become elective in 1932. (Full article...)

General images

The following are images from Maldives-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Buddhist stupa at Kuruhinna in Gan Island (Haddhunmathi Atoll), western side (from History of the Maldives)
Image 2The resort island of Landaa Giraavaru (Baa atoll) (from Maldives)
Image 31920 British map of the Maldives (from History of the Maldives)
Image 4Life expectancy in Maldives (from Maldives)
Image 5Sign outside the Velana International Airport (from Maldives)
Image 6Protesters in Malé in August 2004 (from History of the Maldives)
Image 7The tsunami that struck Malé on 26 December 2004; photo taken by Sofwathulla Mohamed while standing on his doorstep; his apartment was entirely washed out, damaging all his belongings (from History of the Maldives)
Image 8A demonstration (Muzhaahira) in Fua Mulaku in support of the government (1981) (from History of the Maldives)
Image 9Malé Friday Mosque minaret (1981) (from History of the Maldives)
Image 10A mechanised traditional inter-island dhoni stripped of its sails (from Maldives)
Image 11A selection of traditional Maldivian oarblade patterns (from Culture of the Maldives)
Image 12Portuguese presence in Maldives was established in 1558, by order of Constantino of Braganza, Viceroy of Portuguese India. (from Maldives)
Image 13Velana International Airport (from Maldives)
Image 141742 drawing of cowry shells (from History of the Maldives)
Image 15Malé harbour (from Maldives)
Image 16A beach of Bathala island (from Maldives)
Image 17Each administrative atoll is marked, along with the thaana letter used to identify the atoll. Natural atolls are labelled in light blue. (from Maldives)
Image 18The wreck of the Corbin, 1865 (from History of the Maldives)
Image 19An RAF Short Sunderland moored in the lagoon at Addu Atoll, during WWII (from Maldives)
Image 20A plaque in Hukuru Mosque, Malé, Maldives, placed by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandhar on which Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari's name is written; his last name can also be read as "at-Tabrizi" instead of "al-Barbari" (from History of the Maldives)
Image 2118th-century map by Pierre Mortier from the Netherlands, depicting with detail the islands of Maldives (from Maldives)
Image 22Maahefun Festival in Fuvahmulah (from Maldives)
Image 23Maldives soft coral (from Maldives)
Image 241753 Van Keulen map of Ari Atoll (from History of the Maldives)
Image 25Isdhoo Lōmāfānu is the oldest copper-plate book to have been discovered in Maldives to date. The book was written in 1194 CE (590 AH) in the Evēla form of the Divehi akuru, during the reign of Siri Fennaadheettha Mahaa Radun (Dhinei Kalaminja). (from Maldives)
Image 26Flag of the Sultan of Maldives (from Maldives)
Image 2717th SAARC summit in Addu City, Maldives (from Maldives)
Image 28Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Maldives (1978–2008) (from History of the Maldives)
Image 29Map from the 1662 Tabula Indiae orientalis by Frederik de Wit (from History of the Maldives)
Image 30Maldives against Bangladesh at the 2021 SAFF Championship. (from Maldives)
Image 31Masroshi. Maldivian savoury snacks (from Culture of the Maldives)
Image 32Seaplane Terminal (from Maldives)
Image 33Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir signs independence agreement with the British on July 26, 1965. (from Maldives)
Image 34Isdhoo Lōmāfānu is the oldest copper plate book to have been discovered in the Maldives to date; the book was written in 1194 A.D., in the Evēla form of the Divehi akuru, during the reign of Siri Fennaadheettha Mahaa Radun (Dhinei Kalaminja) (from History of the Maldives)
Image 35A boy sandboarding in Fuvahmulah, Maldives (from Culture of the Maldives)
Image 36Thaana script (from Maldives)
Image 3718th-century map by Pierre Mortier of the Netherlands depicting, with detail, the islands of the Maldives (from History of the Maldives)
Image 38Maalhosmadulu Atoll seen from space. Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll and Southern Maalhosmadulu Atoll can be seen in this picture. (from Maldives)
Image 391598 Bertius map of the Maldives, issued in Middelburg, Netherlands (from History of the Maldives)
Image 40Dark clouds bringing heavy rain, common in the rainy season (from Maldives)
Image 4117th-century Portuguese drawing of the fortress of Maldives and the archipelago. In Antonio Bocarro's book of Fortress (1632) (from Maldives)
Image 42Muizzu in January 2024 (from History of the Maldives)
Image 43Yameen in 2014 (from History of the Maldives)
Image 44Mohamed Waheed Hassan (from History of the Maldives)
Image 451753 Van Keulen map of Huvadu Atoll (inaccurate) (from History of the Maldives)
Image 46Flyboarding in Maldives (from Maldives)
Image 4716th-century Portuguese illustration from the Códice Casanatense, depicting workers (from Maldives)
Image 48Protesters in Malé in August 2005 (from History of the Maldives)
Image 49Maldivian soldiers at a presidential address in February 2024 (from Maldives)
Image 50Building set on fire in Malé during the September 2003 protests (from History of the Maldives)
Image 51Copy of a magical drawing. Diguvando. Fuvahmulah. (from Culture of the Maldives)
Image 52President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih congratulates Mohamed Nasheed Speaker of the People's Majlis in May 2019 (from Maldives)
Image 53Butorides striata in Maldives (from Maldives)
Image 54Oriental sweetlips (Plectorhinchus vittatus) at Meeru Island, North Male Atoll (from Maldives)
Image 55Filitheyo island beach with tall palm trees and blue fresh lagoons (from Maldives)
Image 56Solih in November 2023 (from History of the Maldives)

Selected biography

Aishath Lahfa (born 21 November 1997) is a Maldivian film actress. Before pursuing a career in acting, Lahfa was an active TikTok user, which won her recognition as a performer. She made her acting debut in the web series Girlfriends (2021) and continued playing main roles in several other web series including four-part anthology crime web series Mazloom (2021–2022), family romantic dramas Rimsha (2022) and Yasna (2022). In 2023, she made her first appearance in a feature film with the horror film Kalhaki. (Full article...)

Good article -

This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

The Maldives competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, from 25 July to 9 August 1992. The delegation's participation in the Barcelona Olympics marked the Maldives' second appearance at the Summer Olympics since their debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Seven athletes competed across two sports; Ahmed Shageef, Mohamed Amir, Hussain Riyaz, Hussein Haleem and Aminath Rishtha in track and field, and Ahmed Imthiyaz and Mohamed Rasheed in swimming. None of the track or swimming athletes advanced past the first round in their events, and no Maldivian has won a medal in any events. (Full article...)

Did you know -

... that Ithaa in Maldives is the world's first and only underwater restaurant?
... that Fathimath Dheema Ali is the first Olympic qualifier from the Maldives?
... that the minaret adjoining the Malé Friday Mosque has a wide base like a ship's funnel and resembles a wedding cake?
... that after being shipwrecked on Malé Atoll in 1973, Tony Hussein Hinde pioneered surfing in the Maldives, which was previously unknown in the country?
... that Indo-Maldivian relations grew stronger after India responded to Maldives' request for help and thwarted a militant plot to overthrow the government in 1988?

Selected Island -

Location in Maldives

Gulhi (Dhivehi: ގުޅި) is one of the inhabited islands of Kaafu Atoll. It is located in the South Malé Atoll close to Maafushi island and connected daily except Friday by MTCC public transport ferry. (Full article...)

List of selected islands

Selected picture -

More did you know -

... that there are 1,192 islands in the Maldives.
... that Maldives is the flattest country in the world.
... that The Maldives held the first underwater cabinet meeting.
... that Maldivian passport is the strongest passport in South Asia
... that The Maldives has the biggest whale shark population in the world.
... that Maldives is the world's leading destination in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023
... that the longest underwater kiss ever made has takes place in a Maldives' Resort.