Maldives
or rather the Republic of Maldives
is an island country in the Indian
Ocean. The country is composed of
1190 coral islands. The country’s
name has several meanings. Some say
it is derived from the Tamil word
'malai ', which means that the mountains
and 'teevu ', which means the islands.
Others say that is derived from the
sanskrit word 'maladvipa ', which
means 'garland of islands '.
The Republic of Maldives has a
rich history. The country was under
Muslim, Portuguese, Dutch and British
rule for most of its history. The
country has been an independent
Islamic Sultanate of 1153 to 1968,
if it was a British colony from
1887 to 1963. In 1953, people have
tried to form a republic, but without
much success, as the sultanate was
imposed again. However, in 1959,
under the leadership of Ibrahim
Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan, a
state of Maldives, the population
protested against the government
and formed the United Republic Suvadive
and Abdulla Afeef Didi elected as
their president.
After the country gained independence
from the English in the year1965,
the Sultanate of Maldives ruled
the country for three years. Thereafter,
on November 11, 1968, the sultanate
was abolished and a republic was
established under which the country
came to be known as the Republic
of Maldives. Mr. Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri
Kilegefan was the country's first
president from 1968 to 1978.
The country has a presidential
republic. The president is the head
of government and it is he who appoints
the cabinet. The president is chosen
by secret ballot and is appointed
for a term of five years. The country
has a unicameral legislature composed
of 50 members each serving a term
of five years. The system of universal
suffrage is followed here. The People's
Party of Maldives is a major political
party in the country.
The judges in the Maldives are
appointed by the President and all
judicial decisions are based on
Islamic law. Maldives and the United
Nations Development Project, wrote
the first Muslim Criminal Code in
world history.
Regarding the administrative structure
of the place, there are 26 atolls
which is divided into twenty administrative
atolls in the city. Most important
is the Gaafu Alif Atoll. The atolls
are administered by the Atoll Chiefs,
who are appointed by the president.
The country's official religion
is Islam. Maldives is the smallest
country in Asia which is a member
of the United Nations. The official
language of this country is Dhivehi.
However English is also spoken at
length here.
Tourism and fishing are the main
sectors of its economy. In fact,
fishing is the main occupation of
the inhabitants of this country
and the government has taken all
measures to develop this sector
as much as possible. The country
also has a flourishing cottage industry.
It is also because of the growth
of the tourism sector in recent
years. More and more people are
now visiting Maldives thereby making
it a popular holiday destination
in the world.
The Republic of Maldives with its
rich history and cultural context
has become a major tourist destination
in the world.
