Maldives

The History of Maldives

As a result of the tumultuous and interesting history of the Maldives (known before as Maldives Islands), Maldivians are proud and independent characters that form part of a peaceful nation.

The earliest known history of the Maldives starts when it was first settled in the 5th century BC, by Buddhist Seafarers from India, followed by the Indo-European speakers from Sir-Lanka. The Maldives has remained largely independent, except for a brief period when it was occupied by the Portuguese for about 15 years from 1558. The many Maldives Islands also played a pivotal role in historical trade because their location on the major marine routes of the Indian Ocean.

There are many myths and legends around the Maldives, one of these legends is that Sinhalese prince names Koimale was stranded here with his bride- daughter of the king of Sri Lanka – and stayed on the rule as the first Sultan.

Originally Buddhist, the 12th century saw Maldivians convert to Sunni Islam. Islam is still the official religion of nearly the entire population of the Maldives. Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887 till 1965, although the Maldives was governed as an independent Islamic sultanate for most of its history, from 1153 to 1968.

The more recent history of Maldives highlights many successes, such as the stability, growth and gradual adjustments to a modern and well-rounded economy – this is a great achievement and it is hard to believe that the Maldives was once a very poor country, even using cowrie shells as their currency, a system of collecting and dealing which was once a real and thriving industry in the Maldives.

In 1978 Mauman Abdul Gayoom was selected as President, and then again re-elected in 1993. Because of the threat of high-rising sea levels, an initiative by Gayoom and the Commonwealth was formed to focus on the impact of climate change on low-lying countries. In 1998, Mohamed Nasheed was elected president and currently, Abdulla Yameen is the president and has been since 2013.