Maldives Overview

Country Profile

The Maldives is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, also known as the Republic of Maldives. Is covers a land area of 298 square kilometers and has a population of 2.85 million. Most are ethnic Maldives. Islam is the state religion. The official language is Dhivehi, and the upper classes generally speak English. The currency is Lafia. The capital is Male (Male).

Maldives National Flag

The flag is a green rectangle containing a white crescent, with a green border. The red symbolizes the blood of heroes, while the green symbolizes life, progress, prosperity, peace, and tranquility and the white symbolizes the people of the Islamic faith.

History Summary

The Sultanate was established in 1116 AD. Nearly 400 years later, the country suffered aggression and colonial rule under Portugal and the Netherlands. In 1887, it became a British “protectorate.” The country was diverted to a constitutional monarchy in 1932. In 1952, the Maldives became a republic within the Commonwealth. In 1954, the constitutional monarchy was restored. On July 26, 1965, the Maldives declared independence. On November 11, 1968, the Republic was established, a presidential regime.

Economy and Culture Overview

Maldives’ vast waters hold abundant fishery resources, whose skipjack tuna is world famous. “Maldives fish,” a famous specialty of Maldives Island, is made from tuna which is first cleaned, put Shaguan in the use of sea boiled, first fish, and then the offal and blood is done. Next, the fish bone is separated and cut into fillets, and then the fish is placed on bamboo shelves with smoking wood until the smoked fish turns black. Finally, the fish is exposed to the sun for a few days until it reaches the final concentration for storage. This is the “Maldives fish.”

Maldives is the world’s largest coral island. There are nineteen group of atolls and more than 1,200 coral islands. Some coral islands form colors like a wreath: around the outermost island is a flat beach, the top covered with coral reefs and white sand into the wind, the middle layer is made of Coconut trees, banana trees and other tall trees which form a green “ribbon,” and the innermost layer is the seasonal blooming of flowers, with the white walls and red roofs of the house set off by the million flowers. Hence, the world knows it as the “garland island.”

Fisheries, tourism, and shipping are the three pillars of the Maldives economy. As the tourism industry prospers on many desert islands, there more than 70 islands for romantic vacations, with each island and hotel having a distinctive and unique style. The advantage of the hotel facing the sea and its hidden space design won a reputation for being a “honeymoon haven.”

Maldives Map