Important Historical Events of Maldives

• 400 BC Buddhist Kingdom

Discovery of ruined temples on some islands indicate an early Buddhist reign.

• 1153

Conversion from Buddhism to Islam
Foundation of the first Sultanate
Islam becomes the national religion
The first Sultan of the Maldives was Mohamed Bin Ibnu Abdulla (1141 - 1156, he disappeared during a pilgrimage to Mecca)

• 1344

Ibnu Batuta, Arabian historian and scholar travelled around the Maldives and worked as a Judge.

• 1558

The Portuguese capture Male'. Sultan Ali VI falls in battle.

• 1573

Under the leadership of Mohamed Thakurfaanu and his two brothers, the Maldives frees itself after 15 years of Portuguese rule.
Sultan Thakurufaanu (from 1573 - 1583) is honoured as national hero.

• 1887

On December 16, 1887 the Sultan of the Maldives signs a Protectorate Treaty with England. The Sultan receives protective rights for the Maldives, and is obliged to pay a tribute to the English Crown.

• 1932

The first written constitution comes into force. (Constitutional Sultanate)

• 1947

The last tribute payment to England.

• 1953

January 1 - After 800 years as a Sultanate (between 1153 - 1953), the first Republic is declared. The first President is Mohamed Amin Didi who dies only one year later.

• 1953, August 21

Return to Sultanate.

• 1959

Secession of the Southern Atolls and deceleration of the Republic of Suvadhuva.

• 1965

On July 26, 1965 the Maldives becomes independent and in the same year, a full member of the United Nations.

• 1968

On November 11, 1968 the second Republic comes into force (Presidential Republic by plebiscite). The first President is Ibrahim Nasir.

• 1972

The beginnings of tourism came after Hans Hass with his boat Xarifa. Produced the first film on the Maldives, both over and underwater in 1957/58.

• 1976

Accepted in the group of Non-Aligned States. The British leave the airbase at Gan.

• 1978

The current President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is elected for the first time and is confirmed in office in 1983, 1988 and again in 1993.

• 1988

Failed attempted coup by Tamil separatists on 3 November 1988. The President asks for foreign support. On the same evening, 1600 Indian parachutists land on the main island and suppress the rebellion.

Brief History and Language

History evidence suggests that people settled in the Maldives more than 2500 years ago, in 500 B.C. Despite frequent contact with seafarers in ancient times, the inhabitants have remained uniquely homogeneous in terms of language, religion and culture. The Maldivian state has evolved to suite the conditions in the country and the independence of the people. The political system has evolved from Sultanate to a Republic.

For most of its history, the Maldives has been fortunate in being an independent country, free from foreign domination. Prior to becoming independent in 1965, the Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887. The Maldives was a sultanate through its known history, but became a republic in 1968. The head of state and chief executive is the president, elected by every 5 years by a public referendum. The Maldives is member of the United Nations, the Common Wealth of Nations, the South Asian Association of Regional Co-Operation, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the World Trade Organization, and several other UN bodies.

The official language is Dhivehi, which is unique to the Maldives. However, English is widely spoken by a majority of the people, and also widely used in business and commerce.

Divehi is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to the Sinhalese language of Sri Lanka. Divehi represents the southernmost Indo-Aryan language, and thus the southernmost Indo-European language. Together with Sinhala, Divehi represents a special subgroup within the Modern Indo-Aryan languages which is called Insular Indo-Aryan.

Whereas earlier it was believed that Divehi was a descendant of the Sinhalese language, in 1969 Sinhalese philologist M. W. S. de Silva for the first time proposed that Dhivehi and Sinhalese have branched off from a common mother language (a Prakrit). He says that “the earliest Indic element in Maldivian is not so much a result of branching off from Sinhalese as a result of a simultaneous separation with Sinhalese from the Indic languages of the mainland of India”. S. Fritz has recently reached the same conclusion in a detailed study of the language. De Silva refers to the Dravidian influences seen in the Dhivehi language such as in the old place names. De Silva’s theory is supported by the legend of Prince Vijaya as told in the Mahavamsa because if this legend is to be believed, the migration of Indo-Aryan colonists to the Maldives and Sri Lanka from the mainland (India) must have taken place simultaneously.
Source: Wikipedia.com