In The Name of Allah The
Almighty
Republic of Maldives independent island nation consisting of a chain of about
1,300 small coral islands and sandbanks (202 of which are inhabited), grouped in
clusters, or atolls, in the Indian Ocean. The islands extend more than 510 miles
from north to south and 80 miles from east to west. The northernmost atoll is
about 370 miles south-southwest of the Indian mainland, and the central area,
including the capital island of Male, is about 400 miles southwest of Sri Lanka.
The Maldives Islands are a series of coral atolls built up from the crowns of a
submerged ancient volcanic mountain range. All the islands are low-lying, none
rising to more than 6 feet above sea level. Barrier reefs protect the islands
from the destructive effects of monsoons. The rainy season, from May to August,
is brought by the southwest monsoon; from December to March the northeast
monsoon brings dry and mild winds. The average annual temperature varies from 24
to 30 °C. Rainfall averages about 84 inches per year. The atolls have sandy
beaches, lagoons, and a luxuriant growth of coconut palms, together with
breadfruit trees and tropical bushes. Fish abound in the reefs, lagoons, and
seas adjoining the islands; sea turtles are caught for food and for their oil, a
traditional medicine.
The archipelago was inhabited as early as the 5th century BC by Buddhist
peoples, probably from Sri Lanka and southern India. According to tradition,
Islam was adopted in AD 1153. Ibn Baṭṭūṭah, a notable North African traveler,
resided there during the mid-1340s and described conditions at that time. The
Portuguese forcibly established themselves in Male from 1558 until their
expulsion in 1573. In the 17th century the islands were a sultanate under the
protection of the Dutch rulers of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and, after the British
took possession of Ceylon in 1796, the islands became a British protectorate, a
status formalized in 1887. In 1932, before which time most of the administrative
powers rested with sultanas, the first democratic constitution was proclaimed,
the country remaining a sultanate. A republic was proclaimed in 1953, but later
that year the country reverted to a sultanate. In 1965 the Maldives Islands
attained full political independence from the British, and in 1968 a new
republic was inaugurated and the sultanate abolished. The last British troops
left on March 29, 1976, the date thereafter celebrated in the Maldives as
Independence Day.
The Moldavians are a mixed people, speaking an Indo-European language called
Divehi (the official language); Arabic, Hindi, and English are also spoken.
Islam is the state religion. The first settlers, it is generally believed, were
Dravidian and Sinhalese peoples from southern India and Sri Lanka. Traders from
Arab countries, Malaya, Madagascar, Indonesia, and China visited the islands
through the centuries. With the exception of those living in Male, the only
relatively large settlement in the country, the inhabitants of the Maldives live
in villages on small islands in scattered atolls. Only about 20 of the islands
have more than 1,000 inhabitants, and the southern islands are more densely
populated than the northern ones. The birth rate for the Maldives is somewhat
higher than the world average, but the death rate is lower. About one-third of
the total population is under 15 years of age.
One of the poorest countries in the world, the Maldives has a developing economy
based on fishing, tourism, boatbuilding, and boat repairing. The gross national
product (GNP) per capita is among the lowest in the world. Most of the
population subsists outside a money economy on fishing, coconut collecting, and
the growing of vegetables and melons, roots and tubers (cassava, sweet potatoes,
and yams), and tropical fruits. Cropland, scattered over many small islands, is
minimal, and nearly all of the staple foods must be imported. Fishing, the
traditional base of the economy, continues to be the most important sector,
providing employment for approximately one-fourth of the labor force as well as
accounting for a major portion of the export earnings. Tuna is the predominant
fish caught, mostly by the pole-and-line method, although a good deal of the
fishing fleet has been mechanized. Most of the fish catch is sold to foreign
companies for processing and export.
The Maldives national shipping line forms the basis of one of the country's
commercial industries. Tourism is a fast-growing sector of the economy. Resort
islands and modern hotels in Male have attracted increasing numbers of tourists
during the winter months. Industries are largely of the handicraft or cottage
type, including the making of coir (coconut-husk fiber) and coir products,
boatbuilding, and construction. Imports include consumer goods such as food
(principally rice), textiles, medicines, and petroleum products. Fish—mostly
dried, frozen, or canned skipjack tuna—accounts for the bulk of exports. The
United States, Sri Lanka, and Singapore are among the main trading partners.
Boats provide the principal means of transport between the atolls, and scheduled
shipping services link the country with Sri Lanka, Singapore, and India. There
is a national airline, and the airport at Male handles international traffic.
The head of state is the president, who, upon nomination by the Citizens'
Council, is elected by popular vote to a renewable five-year term. The
unicameral Citizens' Council has 42 members elected to five-year terms—2 from
Male island and 2 from each of the 20 atoll groups into which the country is
divided for administrative purposes—and 8 who are appointed by the president.
The president appoints all judges, who administer justice under the tenets of
Islam.
Most Moldavians rely on traditional medical practices when ill; Male has a small
hospital. Major illnesses include gastroenteritis, typhoid, cholera, and
malaria. Life expectancy is about 68 years for men and 67 for women. Three types
of formal education are available in the Maldives, including traditional schools
(makthabs) designed to teach the reading and reciting of the Quran,
Divehi-language schools, and English-language primary and secondary schools. The
English-language schools are the only ones that offer secondary-level education.
Students must go abroad for higher education. Only about two-thirds of the
school-age population is enrolled in schools.
In December 2004 the Maldives was damaged by a large tsunami caused by a massive
earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia. Scores of people were killed, and
much property was damaged.