Maldives
The smallest country in Asia, a necklace of atolls in the Indian Ocean.
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near the southeastern boundary of the Arabian Sea. It is the smallest country in Asia, with a land area of only 298 km² spread over roughly 90,000 km² of sea. With a population of 515,132 in the 2022 census, it is the second least populous country in Asia and the ninth-smallest country by area, but also one of the most densely populated. The Maldives has an average ground-level elevation of around 1.5 m above sea level, and a highest natural point of only 2.4 m, making it the world's lowest-lying country. Some sources state the highest point, Mount Villingili, as 5.1 m. Malé is the capital and most populated city.
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Malé
- Region
- Southern Asia
- Languages
- Maldivian
- Currency
- Maldivian rufiyaa
- Official language
- Dhivehi
- Religion
- Islam (State Religion)
- Geographic distinction
- Lowest elevation country on Earth
Lore & Background
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. During the 3rd century BCE visit of emissaries, it was noted that the Maldives was known as Dheeva Mahal. During an unspecified period before 1166, 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. The name Maldives may derive from Sanskrit for 'garland' and 'island', or Maala Divaina ('Necklace Islands') in Sinhala. The Maldivian people are called Dhivehin. The word 'Divehi' (archaic Dhivehi, related to Sanskrit 'dvīpa', 'island') means 'island', and 'Dhivehin' means 'islanders' (i.e., Maldivians). In Tamil, 'garland of islands' can be translated as 'Maalai Theevugal'. The Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamsa mentions an island designated as 'Dvīpa Stri' ('Island of Women') in Pali, likely arising from an erroneous translation of the Sanskrit term, signifying 'garland'. Jan Hogendorn theorised that the name Maldives derives from the Sanskrit 'mālādvīpa', meaning 'garland of islands'. In Malayalam, 'garland of islands' can be translated as 'Mālādvīpam'. In Kannada, 'garland of islands' can be translated as 'Mālādvīpa'. None of these names are mentioned in any literature, however, classical Sanskrit texts dating back to 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 'Mahal' from the Arabic word 'mahal' ('palace'), which must be how the Berber traveller interpreted the name of Malé. This is the name currently inscribed on the scroll in the Maldives state emblem. The classical Persian/Arabic name for Maldives is 'Dibajat'. The Dutch referred to the islands as the 'Maldivische Eilanden', while the British anglicised the local name to 'Maldive Islands' and later to 'Maldives'. In a conversational book published in 1563, Garcia de Orta writes that the natives call it Nalediva, meaning 'four islands' in the Malabar language. The local name for Maldives by the Maldivian people in Dhivehi language is 'Dhivehi Raajje'.
Reader's Guide
The Maldives is an archipelagic country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean, near the southeastern boundary of the Arabian Sea, southwest of India and Sri Lanka, about 750 km from the Asian continent's mainland. Its chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. Malé is the capital and most populated city, traditionally called the 'King's Island'. The Maldives has been inhabited for over 2,500 years. Documented contact with the outside world began around 947 CE when Arab travellers began visiting the islands. In the 12th century, Islam reached the Maldivian Archipelago. The Maldives was soon consolidated as a sultanate. From the mid-16th century, the region came under increasing European colonial influence, 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 Maldives became a founding member of SAARC. Fishing has historically been the dominant economic activity, and remains the second largest sector, behind the rapidly growing tourism industry. The Maldives rates 'high' on the Human Development Index, with a per capita income significantly higher than other SAARC nations. The World Bank classifies the Maldives as having an upper-middle income economy. The Maldives is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement, and is a Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It temporarily withdrew from the Commonwealth in October 2016 and was readmitted on 1 February 2020.
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