Edmund Spenser

The Maldives are a country of Asia of the South-west made up of 1.196 islands, including 203 inhabited, located at approximately 450 km in the south of the Deccan. Its surface is of 298 km ². The islands are gathered in 26 Atoll S carrying each one the name of one or two letters of the alphabet maldivien (writing Thâna).

History

See also: History of Maldives

The old story of Maldives is little known. According to the legend maldivienne, a prince of the India called Koimala failed himself with his young wife in a lagoon of Maldives and settled becoming the first sultan. It is also told that they are the women from Ceylon who settled from where the name of “Mahiladipa” islands of the women, who gave the name Maldives.

During centuries, the islands were visited and their development was influenced by the sailors of the countries of the Mer of Oman and the littoral of the Indian Ocean. The pirates Mopla of the Malabar Coast - currently the State of the Kerala in India - made a theater of their actions of it. At the 16th century, the Portuguese seize the islands and control them during 15 years (1558 - 1573) before being expelled by the patriotic warrior and future sultan, Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Azam.

Independent Islamic sultanate during the major part of its history, of 1153 with 1968, Maldives are however a British Protectorat of 1887 until the July 25th 1965. In 1952, there is a short attempt at République, then in 1954 the Sultanat is reimposed.

After independence in 1965, the sultanate continues during 3 more years, then the November 11th 1968, it is reversed and replaced by a republic and the country takes its current name.

In 1988, a coup d'etat is caused by a group of Maldiviens using the Tamoul S Sri Lankian of PLOTE. The intervention of 1500 Indian soldiers restores the government.

Policy

See also: Political of Maldives

The Parliament of Maldives voted unanimously the June 2nd 2005 in favor of the historical introduction of the Multipartisme.

Subdivisions

See also: Atolls of Maldives

Geography

See also: Geography of Maldives

Atolls and islands

The island-hotel

  • Rihiveli - Lat: 3°48' 47.45" NR - Length. 73°24' 41.70" E

Economy

See also: Economy of Maldives

Before the period of tourism of mass, almost the only resources of the archipelago came to him from the sea (fishing, trade).

The softness of the climate, the beauty of the landscapes, of the lagoons, of the underwater funds which have an incomparable flora and a fauna allowed the significant development of tourism since the years 1980.

Large hotels reserved the abroads were built on islands, from which they are often the only construction, and from which the inhabitants from the country are distant. The government authorizes the construction of the hotels only on the deserted islands (there is approximately a thousand of it).

The consecutive raising of water to the warming of the climate constitutes a particularly heavy threat on this small country whose culminating point is with less than three meters of altitude.

Tourism

The Années 1950 attract the tourists with the extraordinary attraction of sea-beds.

Today, 87 islands are chacunes an exclusive spring or Tourist Resort Island (or island-hotel).

Tourism constitutes one of the financial main resources of Maldives. It is the introduction of the technique of Dessalement of the sea water which was an essential component of the establishment of the Tourist Resort Island S.

The demographic pressure and many installations carried out degraded the insular environment. The threats of rise are added to it to the level of the oceans which threaten the exploitation of long-term tourism.

Many tourists: 1986: 114.000 - 1996: 338.000 - 1998: 396.000 - 1999: 430.000

Source of the tourists: 77% of Europe; 19% of Asia, 2% of Oceania; 01,5% of America; 00,5% of Africa.

Demography

See also: Demography of Maldives

The capital Malé, where live more than 70.000 people, is over-populated. The entirety of the surface of the island is covered with buildings, the buildings pushing now vertically. To cure this problem, the government created an artificial island by pumping sand at the sea-bed and by making an enormous heap. On this island designed to accommodate 100.000 inhabitants, the buildings are in the course of construction. It was high 2 meters above the sea to mitigate a possible rise of water.

Culture

Maldives are a country Musulman. The Islam is the only legal and allowed religion. It is interdict to introduce there:

  • of the objects of other religions whatever is nature (badges, books, statuettes, etc, including when they are memories, coming from India or Ceylon, for example, which are often reported by the tourists at the time of a voyage grouped Ceylon-Maldives or India Southerner-Maldives).
  • of alcohol, the pigmeat, etc
  • of the reviews or object erotic.

As the country cannot do without the economic contribution of tourism (primarily Western) these objects, when they are detected in the passing of the customs to the airport of Male, are put in instruction on arrival of their owner and are restored to him when it sets out again.

In addition, the hotels, located in islands where cannot go the inhabitants of the country, serve as alcohol without restriction. Practically the only place where the nonMoslem tourist can côtoyer the population is the small capital, Malé. In the other islands, a strict segregation is applied.

See too

  • Theme index of the Indian world

External bond

  • Practical informations on Maldives

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