36 Facts About The Maldives

The Maldives became a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

The Maldives rejoined the Commonwealth on 1 February 2020 after showing evidence of functioning democratic processes and popular support.

Early settlers in the Maldives were probably Gujaratis who reached and settled Sri Lanka about 500 BCE.

Ancient history of The Maldives is told in copperplates, ancient scripts carved on coral artefacts, traditions, language and different ethnicities of Maldivians.

The Maldives's venerated tomb now stands on the grounds of Medhu Ziyaaraiy, across the street from the Friday Mosque, or Hukuru Miskiy, in Male.

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The Maldives remained a Buddhist kingdom for another 500 years after the conversion of Malabar Coast and Sindh—perhaps as the southwesternmost Buddhist country.

Middle Eastern seafarers had just begun to take over the Indian Ocean trade routes in the 10th century and found the Maldives to be an important link in those routes as the first landfall for traders from Basra sailing to Southeast Asia.

The Maldives remained a British crown protectorate until 1953 when the sultanate was suspended and the First Republic was declared under the short-lived presidency of Muhammad Amin Didi.

Meanwhile, in 1960 the Maldives allowed the United Kingdom to continue to use both the Gan and the Hithadhoo facilities for thirty years, with the payment of £750,000 from 1960 to 1965 for Maldives' economic development.

On 15 November 1967, a vote was taken in parliament to decide whether the Maldives should continue as a constitutional monarchy or become a republic.

The first resort in the Maldives was Kurumba Maldives which welcomed the first guests on 3 October 1972.

The Maldives's election was seen as ushering in a period of political stability and economic development given Maumoon's priority to develop the poorer islands.

The Maldives were devastated by a tsunami on 26 December 2004, following the Indian Ocean earthquake.

The Maldives's administration faced many challenges, including the huge debt left by the previous government, the economic downturn following the 2004 tsunami, overspending by means of overprinting of local currency, unemployment, corruption, and increasing drug use.

The largest island of The Maldives is that of Gan, which belongs to Laamu Atoll or Hahdhummathi The Maldives.

The Maldives is the lowest country in the world, with maximum and average natural ground levels of only 2.

The Maldives has a tropical monsoon climate under the Koppen climate classification, which is affected by the large landmass of South Asia to the north.

However, the weather patterns of The Maldives do not always conform to the monsoon patterns of South Asia.

The Maldives have a range of different habitats including deep sea, shallow coast, and reef ecosystems, fringing mangroves, wetlands and dry land.

The Maldives is a presidential constitutional republic, with extensive influence of the president as head of government and head of state.

The current Constitution of The Maldives was ratified by President Maumoon on 7 August 2008, and came into effect immediately, replacing and repealing the constitution of 1998.

Since 1996, the Maldives has been the official progress monitor of the Indian Ocean Commission.

In 2002, the Maldives began to express interest in the commission but as of 2008 had not applied for membership.

The Maldives' interest relates to its identity as a small island state, especially economic development and environmental preservation, and its desire for closer relations with France, a main actor in the IOC region.

The Maldives is a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

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The Maldives enjoys close ties with Commonwealth members Seychelles and Mauritius.

The Maldives has an arrangement with India allowing cooperation on radar coverage.

In 2019, The Maldives signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

The Maldives has twenty-six natural atolls and few island groups on isolated reefs, all of which have been divided into twenty-one administrative divisions.

Historically, the Maldives provided enormous quantities of cowry shells, an international currency of the early ages.

The Maldives remained largely unknown to tourists until the early 1970s.

Visitors to the Maldives do not need to apply for a visa pre-arrival, regardless of their country of origin, provided they have a valid passport, proof of onward travel, and the money to be self-sufficient while in the country.

The Maldives's venerated tomb now stands on the grounds of Medhu Ziyaaraiy, across the street from the Friday Mosque, or Hukuru Miskiy, in Male.

On 24 May 2021, The Maldives had the world's fastest-growing COVID-19 outbreak, with the highest number of infections per million people over the prior 7 and 14 days, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Culture of the Maldives is influenced by the cultures of the people of different ethnicities who have settled on the islands throughout the times.

Reflective of this is the fact that the Maldives has had the highest national divorce rate in the world for many decades.