Maldives is a small archipelagic state in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700 kilometres from the Asian continent’s mainland. The Maldivian Archipelago is located on the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a vast submarine mountain range. It is the world’s lowest-lying country, with even its highest natural point being one of the lowest in the world, at 5. 1 metres.
About Maldives in brief
Maldives is a small archipelagic state in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 700 kilometres from the Asian continent’s mainland. The Maldivian Archipelago is located on the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge, a vast submarine mountain range. With an average ground-level elevation of 1. 5 metres above sea level, it is the world’s lowest-lying country, with even its highest natural point being one of the lowest in the world, at 5. 1 metres. Fishing has historically been the dominant economic activity, and remains the largest sector by far, followed by the rapidly growing tourism industry. Maldives was a member of the Commonwealth from July 1982 until withdrawing from the organisation in October 2016 in protest at allegations by the other nations of its human rights abuses and failing democracy. It rejoined the Commonwealth on 1 February 2020 after showing evidence of functioning democratic processes and popular support. The name Maldives may also derive from Sanskrit mālā and dvīpa, or Maala Divaina in Sinhala. The word DheebDeeb means ‘island’ and Dhives means ‘islanders’ in Sanskrit. The first settlers of Maldives were people known as Dheyvis. In the 3rd century BC during the visit of emissaries sent by Emperor Asoka, Maldive was known as Dheeva Mahal. During c. 1100 – 1166, Maldiving was also referred as Diva Kudha and the L Accadive archipelago which was a part of Maldive.
It is also known as the ‘Garland of Islands’ in Tamil, which can be translated as Maladweepu, Inannada, or Maaledweepa. It has a population of around 515,696 people, with Malé the capital and the most populated city, traditionally called the ‘King’s Island’ Maldives became a British protectorate in 1887, and a presidential republic was established in 1968 with an elected People’s Majlis. It became a founding member of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in 1973. Maldives rate ‘high’ on the Human Development Index, with per-capita income significantly higher than other SAARC nations. It is the smallest Asian country by land area and population, with around 5 15,696 inhabitants. It also has the highest per capita income of any member of SAARC. The country has a fast-growing tourism industry, with the majority of tourists coming from the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India and other Asian countries. The island is home to more than 1,000 islands, many of which are uninhabited, and is a popular holiday destination for many of the country’s residents. It was once a sultanate, developing strong commercial and cultural ties with Asia and Africa. It now has a president and a prime minister.
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This page is based on the article Maldives published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 09, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
