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72-709: The Maldives , officially the Republic of Maldives , and historically known as the Maldive Islands , is a country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean . The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India , about 750 kilometres (470 miles; 400 nautical miles) from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in

144-418: A chief judge and marrying into the royal family of Omar I . For he became embroiled in local politics and left when his strict judgments in the laissez-faire island kingdom began to chafe with its rulers. In particular, he was angered at the local women going about with no clothing above the waist— a cultural epithet of the region at the time- was seen as a violation of Middle Eastern Islamic rules of modesty—and

216-909: A founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The Maldives is a member of the United Nations , the Commonwealth of Nations , the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , and the Non-Aligned Movement . The World Bank classifies the Maldives as having an upper- middle income economy. The Maldives is a Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation . Fishing has historically been

288-404: A matter of consideration when the potential beneficiaries (Bahamas, Fiji, Indonesia, Philippines) gained independence post- World War II . In the absence of international law, the claims of these states to the waters between the islands were based on internal laws (Indonesia) or interpretation of treaties (the 1898 Treaty of Paris for Philippines). At the same time, the economic activity involving

360-471: A republic. On 15 March 1968, a national referendum was held on the question, and 93.34% of those taking part voted in favour of establishing a republic. The republic was declared on 11 November 1968, thus ending the 853-year-old monarchy, which was replaced by a republic under the presidency of Ibrahim Nasir. As the King had held little real power, this was seen as a cosmetic change and required few alterations in

432-439: A state as a single unit, the islands and the waters within the baselines as internal waters ( archipelagic waters ). Under this concept ("archipelagic doctrine"), an archipelago shall be regarded as a single unit, so that the waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, irrespective of their breadth and dimensions, are subject to its exclusive sovereignty (while allowing ships from other countries to exercise

504-658: A vast submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean; this also forms a terrestrial ecoregion with the Chagos Archipelago and Lakshadweep . The Maldives has an average ground-level elevation of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, and a highest natural point of only 2.4 metres (7 ft 10 in), making it the world's lowest-lying country. Some sources state the highest point, Mount Villingili , as 5.1 metres or 17 feet. The Maldives has been inhabited for over 2,500 years. Documented contact with

576-500: Is commonly used in the field of statistics in place of saying "per person" (although per caput is the Latin for "per head" ). It is also used in wills to indicate that each of the named beneficiaries should receive, by devise or bequest , equal shares of the estate. This is in contrast to a per stirpes division, in which each branch (Latin: stirps , pl. : stirpes ) of the inheriting family inherits an equal share of

648-534: Is one of the oldest surviving mosques in the Maldives. Following the Islamic concept that before Islam there was the time of Jahiliya (ignorance), in the history books used by Maldivians the introduction of Islam at the end of the 12th century is considered the cornerstone of the country's history. Nonetheless, the cultural influence of Buddhism remains, a reality directly experienced by Ibn Battuta during his nine months there sometime between 1341 and 1345, serving as

720-414: Is similar to the transit passage for the international straits : both ships and aircraft can use the archipelagic waters, the right of passage is non-suspensible, submarines can navigate while submerged, etc. Article 54 in particular explicitly incorporates Articles 39, 30, 42, and 44 (that cover the transit passage) into ASLP. The main difference between the transit passage and ASLP is that in case of ASLP

792-615: The Berber traveller interpreted the name of Malé, having been through Muslim North India, where Perso-Arabic words were introduced to the local vocabulary. This is the name currently inscribed on the scroll in the Maldives state emblem . The classical Persian/Arabic name for the Maldives is Dibajat . The Dutch referred to the islands as the Maldivische Eilanden ( pronounced [mɑlˈdivisə ˈʔɛilɑndə(n)] ), while

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864-409: The Indian Ocean earthquake . Only nine islands were reported to have escaped any flooding, while fifty-seven islands faced serious damage to critical infrastructure, fourteen islands had to be totally evacuated, and six islands were destroyed. A further twenty-one resort islands were forced to close because of tsunami damage. The total damage was estimated at more than US$ 400 million, or some 62% of

936-494: The International Law Commission (ILC) proposing a definition of an archipelago as three or more islands in the mid-ocean separated by no more than 10 miles, with the body of water in between being internal waters . The proposal was objected to by the maritime states . The 1958 UNCLOS I established the rule of straight baselines that settled the issue for the islands of mainland countries, but not for

1008-610: The Persian Gulf . In 1558, the Portuguese established a small garrison with a Viador ( Viyazoaru ), or overseer of a factory (trading post) in the Maldives, which they administered from their main colony in Goa . Their attempts to forcefully impose Christianity with the threat of death provoked a local revolt led by Muhammad Thakurufaanu al-A'uẓam , his two brothers and Dhuvaafaru Dhandahele, who fifteen years later drove

1080-614: The Vedic period mention the "Hundred Thousand Islands" ( Lakshadweepa ), a generic name which would include not only the Maldives, but also the Laccadives , Aminidivi Islands, Minicoy , and the Chagos island groups. Medieval Muslim travellers such as Ibn Battuta called the islands Maḥal Dībīyāt ( محل ديبية ) from the Arabic word maḥal ("palace"), which must be how

1152-425: The archipelagic sea lanes passage or innocent passage at their choice). The baselines must enclose the main islands of the archipelago and the enclosed water to land ratio must be "between 1:1 and 9:1". The lower end of this ratio was chosen to exclude states with a lot of land, like Japan, while the higher end prevents a group of highly scattered islands from putting claims on a very large body of water. The ratio

1224-421: The territorial waters and closer to the internal waters . The approval of the United Nations (UN) for the five sovereign states as archipelagic states respects existing agreements with other countries and shall recognize traditional fishing rights and other legitimate activities of the immediately adjacent neighboring countries in certain areas falling within archipelagic waters. The terms and conditions for

1296-625: The 17th century in Arabic by Allama Ahmed Shihabuddine (Allama Shihab al-Din) of Meedhoo in Addu Atoll, the first settlers of the Maldives were people known as Dheyvis. They came from the Kalibanga in India. The time of their arrival is unknown but it was before Emperor Asoka 's kingdom in 269–232 BCE. Shihabuddin's story tallies remarkably well with the recorded history of South Asia and that of

1368-525: The 1940s, Didi nationalised the fish export industry. As president, he is remembered as a reformer of the education system and an advocate of women's rights . Conservatives in Malé ousted his government, and during a riot over food shortages, Didi was beaten by a mob and died on a nearby island. Beginning in the 1950s, the political history in the Maldives was largely influenced by the British military presence on

1440-539: The 1975 arrest and exile of elected prime minister Ahmed Zaki to a remote atoll . Economic decline followed the closure of the British airfield at Gan and the collapse of the market for dried fish, an important export. With support for his administration faltering, Nasir fled to Singapore in 1978, with millions of dollars from the treasury. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom began his 30-year role as president in 1978, winning six consecutive elections without opposition. His election

1512-536: The 2022 census, it is the 2nd least populous country in Asia and the ninth-smallest country in the world by area , but also one of the most densely populated countries in the world . Malé is the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the "King's Island", where the ancient royal dynasties ruled from its central location. The Maldivian Archipelago is located on the Chagos–Laccadive Ridge ,

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1584-581: The Arab world. 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. Trade involved mainly cowrie shells —widely used as a form of currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast—and coir fibre. The Bengal Sultanate , where cowrie shells were used as legal tender,

1656-478: The British anglicised the local name for the islands first to the "Maldive Islands" and later to "Maldives". In a conversational book published in 1563, Garcia de Orta writes: "I must tell you that I have heard it said that the natives do not call it Maldiva but Nalediva. In the Malabar language, nale means four and diva island. So that in that language, the word signifies 'four islands', while we, corrupting

1728-504: The Commonwealth on 1 February 2020 after showing evidence of functioning democratic processes and popular support. According to legends, the first settlers of the Maldives were people known as Dheyvis. The first Kingdom of the Maldives was known as Kingdom of Dheeva Maari  [ bn ] . During the 3rd century BCE visit of emissaries, it was noted that the Maldives was known as Dheeva Mahal. During c.  1100 – 1166,

1800-500: The Dutch from Ceylon in 1796 and included the Maldives as a British protectorate . The status of the Maldives as a British protectorate was officially recorded in an 1887 agreement in which the sultan Muhammad Mueenuddeen II accepted British influence over Maldivian external relations and defence while retaining home rule, which continued to be regulated by Muslim traditional institutions in exchange for an annual tribute . The status of

1872-474: The GDP. 102 Maldivians and 6 foreigners reportedly died in the tsunami. The destructive impact of the waves on the low-lying islands was mitigated by the fact there was no continental shelf or land mass upon which the waves could gain height. The tallest waves were reported to be 14 feet (4.3 m) high. During the later part of Maumoon's rule, independent political movements emerged in the Maldives, which challenged

1944-530: The Law of the Sea provisions. Bolded are the five original official archipelagic states. Per capita Per capita is a Latin phrase literally meaning "by heads" or "for each head", and idiomatically used to mean "per person". The term is used in a wide variety of social sciences and statistical research contexts, including government statistics, economic indicators , and built environment studies. It

2016-615: 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 the Maldives' economic development. The base was closed in 1976 as part of the larger British withdrawal of permanently-stationed forces ' East of Suez '. When the British became increasingly unable to continue their colonial hold on Asia and were losing their colonies to

2088-478: The Maldives both developed and flourished, a culture that survives today. The Maldivian language , early Maldive scripts, architecture, ruling institutions, customs, and manners of the Maldivians originated at the time when the Maldives were a Buddhist kingdom. Buddhism probably spread to the Maldives in the 3rd century BCE at the time of Emperor Ashoka 's expansion and became the dominant religion of

2160-1022: The Maldives was also referred to as Diva Kudha and the Laccadive archipelago which was a part of the Maldives was then referred to as Diva Kanbar by the scholar and polymath al-Biruni (973–1048). The name Maldives may also derive from Sanskrit माला mālā ( garland ) and द्वीप dvīpa (island), or මාල දිවයින Maala Divaina ("Necklace Islands") in Sinhala . The Maldivian people are called Dhivehin . The word Dheeb/Deeb (archaic Dhivehi , related to Sanskrit द्वीप , dvīpa ) means "island", and Dhives ( Dhivehin ) means "islanders" (i.e., Maldivians). In Tamil, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as Mālaitīvu ( மாலைத்தீவு ). The venerable Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamsa mentions an island designated as Mahiladiva ("Island of Women", महिलादिभ) in Pali, likely arising from an erroneous translation of

2232-556: The Maldives. Assuming that cowrie shells come from the Maldives, historians believe that there may have been people living in the Maldives during the Indus Valley civilisation (3300–1300 BCE). A number of artefacts show the presence of Hinduism in the country before the Islamic period. According to the book Kitāb fi āthār Mīdhu al-qādimah ( كتاب في آثار ميذو القديمة ) ( On the Ancient Ruins of Meedhoo ), written in

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2304-499: The Muslim title of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil, he initiated a series of six Islamic dynasties that lasted until 1932 when the sultanate became elective. The formal title of the sultan up to 1965 was, Sultan of Land and Sea, Lord of the twelve-thousand islands and Sultan of the Maldives which came with the style Highness . A Moroccan traveller named Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari is traditionally cited for this conversion. According to

2376-618: The Persian town of Tabriz . This interpretation, held by the more reliable local historical chronicles, Raadavalhi and Taarikh, is that Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari was Abdul Barakat Yusuf Shams ud-Dīn at-Tabrīzī, also locally known as Tabrīzugefānu. In the Arabic script the words al-Barbari and al-Tabrizi are very much alike, since at the time, Arabic had several consonants that looked identical and could only be differentiated by overall context (this has since changed by addition of dots above or below letters to clarify pronunciation – For example,

2448-594: The Portuguese out of the Maldives. This event is now commemorated as National Day which is known as Qaumee Dhuvas (literally meaning "National" and "Day"). It is celebrated on 1st of Rabi' al-Awwal , the third month of Hijri (Islamic) calendar. In the mid-17th century, the Dutch, who had replaced the Portuguese as the dominant power in Ceylon , established hegemony over Maldivian affairs without involving themselves directly in local matters, which were governed according to centuries-old Islamic customs. The British expelled

2520-564: The Sanskrit term, signifying "garland". Jan Hogendorn, Grossman Professor of Economics at Colby College , theorised that the name Maldives derives from the Sanskrit mālādvīpa ( मालाद्वीप ), meaning "garland of islands". In Malayalam , "Garland of Islands" can be translated as Maladweepu ( മാലദ്വീപ് ). In Kannada, "Garland of Islands" can be translated as Maaledweepa ( ಮಾಲೆದ್ವೀಪ ). None of these names are mentioned in any literature, however, classical Sanskrit texts dating back to

2592-563: The ceremony taking place at the British High Commissioner's Residence in Colombo . After this, the sultanate continued for another three years under Sir Muhammad Fareed Didi , who declared himself King upon independence. 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. Of the 44 members of parliament, 40 voted in favour of

2664-541: The copperplate document of the Maldives known as Loamaafaanu . The Maapanansa , the copper plates on which recorded the history of the first Kings of the Maldives from the Solar Dynasty, were lost quite early on. A 4th-century notice written by Ammianus Marcellinus (362 CE) speaks of gifts sent to the Roman emperor Julian by a deputation from the nation of Divi. The name Divi is very similar to Dheyvi who were

2736-631: The dominant economic activity, and remains the largest sector by far, followed by the rapidly growing tourism industry. The Maldives rates "high" on the Human Development Index , with per capita income significantly higher than other SAARC nations. The Maldives was a member of the Commonwealth of Nations from July 1982 until withdrawing from the organisation in October 2016 in protest of allegations by other nations of its human rights abuses and failing democracy. The Maldives rejoined

2808-481: The establishment of the capital and kingly rule in Malé. A strong underlying layer of Dravidian and North Indian cultures survives in Maldivian society, with a clear Elu substratum in the language, which also appears in place names, kinship terms, poetry, dance, and religious beliefs. The North Indian system was brought by the original Sinhalese from Sri Lanka . Malabar and Pandya seafaring culture led to

2880-408: The exercise of such rights and activities, including the nature, the extent and the areas to which they apply, shall, at the request of any of the countries concerned, be regulated by bilateral agreements between them. Such rights shall not be transferred to or shared with third countries or their nationals. The regime of archipelagic sea lanes passage ( ASLP ) is specific to archipelagic waters and

2952-559: The father of the former first lady of the Maldives Fazna Ahmed . The attackers were defeated by then National Security Services of Maldives . On the night of 3 November 1988, the Indian Air Force airlifted a parachute battalion group from Agra and flew them over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) to the Maldives. By the time Indian armed forces reached the Maldives, the mercenary forces has already left Malé on

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3024-413: The first settlers of Maldives. The ancient history of the Maldives is told in copperplates, ancient scripts carved on coral artefacts, traditions, language and different ethnicities of Maldivians. The first Maldivians did not leave any archaeological artefacts. Their buildings were probably built of wood, palm fronds, and other perishable materials, which would have quickly decayed in the salt and wind of

3096-469: The four cardinal points with the main gate facing east. Local historian Hassan Ahmed Maniku counted as many as 59 islands with Buddhist archaeological sites in a provisional list he published in 1990. The importance of the Arabs as traders in the Indian Ocean by the 12th century may partly explain why the last Buddhist king of the Maldives, Dhovemi , converted to Islam in the year 1153 (or 1193). Adopting

3168-481: The government without success. While the first two attempts met with little success, the 1988 coup attempt involved a roughly 80-strong mercenary force of the PLOTE who seized the airport and caused Maumoon to flee from house to house until the intervention of 1,600 Indian troops airlifted into Malé restored order. The November 1988 coup d'état was headed by Ibrahim Lutfee, a businessman, and Sikka Ahmed Ismail Manik,

3240-475: The hijacked ship MV Progress Light. The Indian paratroopers landed at Hulhulé and secured the airfield and restored the government rule at Malé within hours. The brief operation labelled Operation Cactus , also involved the Indian Navy that assisted in capturing the freighter MV Progress Light and rescued the hostages and crew. The Maldives were devastated by a tsunami on 26 December 2004, following

3312-437: The increasing influence of European colonial powers , with the Maldives becoming a British protectorate in 1887. Independence from the United Kingdom came in 1965, and a presidential republic was established in 1968 with an elected People's Majlis. The ensuing decades have seen political instability, efforts at democratic reform, and environmental challenges posed by climate change and rising sea levels . The Maldives became

3384-545: The indigenous populations who wanted freedom, on 26 July 1965 an agreement was signed on behalf of the Sultan by Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan, Prime Minister, and on behalf of the British government by Sir Michael Walker , British Ambassador-designate to the Maldive Islands, which formally ended the British authority on the defence and external affairs of the Maldives. The islands thus achieved independence, with

3456-625: The islands was akin to other British protectorates in the Indian Ocean region, including Zanzibar and the Trucial States . In the British period, the Sultan's powers were taken over by the Chief Minister, much to the chagrin of the British Governor-General who continued to deal with the ineffectual Sultan. Consequently, Britain encouraged the development of a constitutional monarchy , and the first Constitution

3528-416: The islands. In 1954, the restoration of the sultanate perpetuated the rule of the past. Two years later, the United Kingdom obtained permission to reestablish its wartime RAF Gan airfield in the southernmost Addu Atoll, employing hundreds of locals. In 1957, however, the new prime minister , Ibrahim Nasir , called for a review of the agreement. Nasir was challenged in 1959 by a local secessionist movement in

3600-469: The letter "B" in modern Arabic has a dot below, whereas the letter "T" looks identical except there are two dots above it). "ٮوسڡ الٮٮرٮرى" could be read as "Yusuf at-Tabrizi" or "Yusuf al-Barbari". The venerated tomb of the scholar now stands on the grounds of Medhu Ziyaaraiy , across the street from the Friday Mosque, or Hukuru Miskiy , in Malé. Originally built in 1153 and re-built in 1658, this

3672-461: The locals taking no notice when he complained. Compared to the other areas of South Asia, the conversion of the Maldives to Islam happened relatively late. The Maldives remained a Buddhist kingdom for another 500 years. Arabic became the prime language of administration (instead of Persian and Urdu), and the Maliki school of jurisprudence was introduced, both hinting at direct contact with the core of

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3744-567: The mid-ocean archipelagoes. UNCLOS III finally settled the issue prompted by a proposal submitted by Fuji, Indonesia, Mauritius , and the Philippines. The codification comprises nine articles of the Part IV of the UNCLOS. This is a list of the current archipelagic states in the world. These 22 island countries have sought to claim archipelagic status by utilising the 1982 UN Convention on

3816-562: The name of protecting Islam. Nasheed controversially resigned from office after large number of police and army mutinied in February 2012. Nasheed's vice-president, Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik , was sworn in as president. Nasheed was later arrested, convicted of terrorism, and sentenced to 13 years. The trial was widely seen as flawed and political. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for Nasheed's immediate release. Archipelagic state An archipelagic state can designate

3888-464: The name, call it Maldiva." The local name for Maldives by the Maldivian people in Dhivehi language is "Dhivehi Raajje", ( Dhivehi : ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ ). In the 6th–5th century BCE, the Maldives already had their kingdoms. The country has an established history of over 2,500 years according to historical evidence and legends. The Mahāvaṃsa (300 BCE) has records of people from Sri Lanka emigrating to

3960-415: The north to Addu Atoll in the south. The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia . Including the sea, the territory spans roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), with a land area of 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi). The Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states, and the smallest Muslim country by land area. With a population of 515,132 in

4032-486: The outside world began around 947 AD when Arab travelers began visiting the islands. In the 12th century, partly due to the importance of the Arabs and Persians as traders in the Indian Ocean, Islam reached the Maldivian Archipelago. The Maldives was soon consolidated as a sultanate , developing strong commercial and cultural ties with Asia and Africa . From the mid-16th century, the region came under

4104-506: The people of the Maldives until the 12th century. The ancient Maldivian Kings promoted Buddhism , and the first Maldive writings and artistic achievements, in the form of highly developed sculpture and architecture, originate from that period. Nearly all archaeological remains in the Maldives are from Buddhist stupas and monasteries, and all artefacts found to date display characteristic Buddhist iconography. Buddhist (and Hindu) temples were Mandala shaped. They are oriented according to

4176-528: The sea resources grew in importance, prompting, for example, the 1945 Truman Proclamation by the United States , 1955 and 1956 notes verbales of the Philippines, and the 1957 Djuanda Declaration by Indonesia. After an early attempt to define archipelagic waters as territorial waters by the League of Nations at the 1930 Hague Conference on Codification failed, the efforts restarted in 1952 with

4248-657: The second round. His 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 (the rufiyaa ), unemployment, corruption, and increasing drug use. Taxation on goods was imposed for the first time in the country, and import duties were reduced on many goods and services. Universal health insurance ( Aasandha ) and social welfare benefits were given to those aged 65 years or older, single parents, and those with special needs. Social and political unrest grew in late 2011 , following opposition campaigns in

4320-464: The settlement of the Islands by Tamil and Malabar seafarers. The Maldive Islands were mentioned in ancient Sangam Tamil literature as "Munneer Pazhantheevam" or "Older Islands of Three Seas". Despite being just mentioned briefly in most history books, the 1,400 year-long Buddhist period has a foundational importance in the history of the Maldives. It was during this period that the culture of

4392-458: The ship can opt instead for an innocent passage, while the transit passage provides no such alternative. Both transit passage and ASLP regimes, with the ability to launch and receive aircraft, perform maneuvers and navigate underwater, are primarily designed for warships. An archipelagic state can designate sea lanes and air routes that will be subject of ASLP and "include all normal routes used [...] for international navigation or overflight". If

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4464-454: The state does not do so, the default sea lanes will correspond to "the routes normally used for international navigation". Ships should not deviate more than 25 miles off the designated lanes. Discussions about the status of waters between the islands of an archipelago date back to 1924, when Alejandro Alvarez proposed grouping the islands together when considering the limits of territorial waters. The concept of an archipelagic state became

4536-515: The story told to Ibn Battutah , a mosque was built with the inscription: 'The Sultan Ahmad Shanurazah accepted Islam at the hand of Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari.' Some scholars have suggested the possibility of Ibn Battuta misreading Maldive texts, and having a bias towards the North African, Maghrebi narrative of this Shaykh, instead of the Persian origins account that was known as well at the time. Others have it that he may have been from

4608-479: The structures of government. Tourism began to be developed on the archipelago by the beginning of the 1970s. The first resort in the Maldives was Kurumba Maldives which welcomed the first guests on 3 October 1972. The first accurate census was held in December 1977 and showed 142,832 people living in the Maldives. Political infighting during the 1970s between Nasir's faction and other political figures led to

4680-486: The then-ruling Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party, MPP) and demanded democratic reform. The dissident journalist and activist Mohamed Nasheed founded the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in 2003 and pressured Maumoon into allowing gradual political reforms. In 2008, a new constitution was approved and the first direct presidential elections occurred, which were won by Nasheed in

4752-570: The three southernmost atolls that benefited economically from the British presence on Gan . This group cut ties with the Maldives government and formed an independent state, the United Suvadive Republic with Abdullah Afeef as president and Hithadhoo as its capital. One year later the Suvadive republic was scrapped after Nasir sent gunboats from Malé with government police, and Abdullah Afeef went into exile. Meanwhile, in 1960

4824-504: The tropical climate. Moreover, chiefs or headmen did not reside in elaborate stone palaces, nor did their religion require the construction of large temples or compounds. Comparative studies of Maldivian oral, linguistic, and cultural traditions confirm that the first settlers were people from the southern shores of the neighbouring Indian subcontinent , including the Giraavaru people , mentioned in ancient legends and local folklore about

4896-423: The waters between the islands as sovereign archipelagic waters . As of 20 June 2015, a total of 22 sovereign states have sought to claim archipelagic status. Few countries comprise an archipelago in a geographical sense, but chose not to claim the archipelagic state status, including Japan , United Kingdom , New Zealand , Cuba , and Iceland . Archipelagic states are composed of groups of islands that form

4968-411: Was one of the principal trading partners of the Maldives. The Bengal–Maldives cowry shell trade was the largest shell currency trade network in history. The other essential product of the Maldives was coir , the fibre of the dried coconut husk , resistant to saltwater. It stitched together and rigged the dhows that plied the Indian Ocean. Maldivian coir was exported to Sindh , China , Yemen , and

5040-659: Was proclaimed in 1932. However, the new arrangements favoured neither the Sultan nor the Chief Minister, but rather a young crop of British-educated reformists. As a result, angry mobs were instigated against the Constitution which was publicly torn up. 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 Mohamed Amin Didi . While serving as prime minister during

5112-508: Was proposed during UNCLOS negotiations by the Bahamas in order to include all five original archipelagic states. Low-tide elevations can be used for baselines, provided that they have lighthouses built on them, or lie within the territorial water of an actual island. The exact status of archipelagic waters is subject to interpretation. For example, both the Philippines and Indonesia consider their archipelagic waters to be more sovereign that

5184-490: Was seen as ushering in a period of political stability and economic development given Maumoon's priority to develop the poorer islands. Tourism flourished and increased foreign contact spurred development. However, Maumoon's rule was controversial, with some critics saying Maumoon was an autocrat who quelled dissent by limiting freedoms and practising political favouritism. A series of coup attempts (in 1980, 1983, and 1988) by Nasir supporters and business interests tried to topple

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