Difference between revisions of "Maldives" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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==Culture==
 
==Culture==
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Rice and fish are the staple foods, fish being the most important source of protein for the people of Maldives. Few vegetables are eaten. Betel leaf with arecanut, cloves, and lime, is chewed after meals. Old people smoke an elongated pipe that goes through a trough of water. Meat other than pork is eaten only on special occasions. Alcohol is not allowed, except in tourist resorts. The local brew  is a sweet toddy made from the crown of the coconut palm.
[[Image:Mosque Maldives.JPG|thumb|right|250px|The [[Islamic Centre (Maldives)|Islamic Centre]], housing the mosque ''Masjid-al-Sultan [[Mohammed Thakurufaanu-al-A'z'am]]''.]]
 
{{main|Culture of the Maldives}}
 
{{seealso|Islam in the Maldives|Music of the Maldives|Arts and Crafts of the Maldives|Aafathis Daily}}
 
Maldivian culture is derived from a number of sources and factors. These include its proximity to [[Sri Lanka]] and [[South India]], East [[Africa]], the Malayan Archipelago and the Middle East via its conversion to [[Islam]] in the 12th century, and its location as a crossroads in the central Indian Ocean. Maldivians are of Sri Lankan and Southern Indian origin. There are also elements of [[Arab]]ian, [[African]], and [[Indonesia]]n origin as well. Maldivian culture shares many aspects with Sri Lanka and [[Kerala]], namely a strong [[matriarchal]] tradition.  
 
  
The music of the Maldives, such as Bodu-Beru (literally "Big Drum"), showcase their African roots, and other cultural activities resemble similarity to those of [[Arab]] and [[North India]]n regions.  
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===Architecture===
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Malé, the capital, has a maze of narrow streets with over 20 mosques and markets. Poor people live in thatched palm houses with tin roofs. The more prosperous have houses made of crushed coral with tile roofs.  
  
A unique feature of Maldivian society is a very high [[divorce]] rate by either South Asian or Islamic standards, which demonstrates the high degree of autonomy that Maldivian women have over their lives.
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===Education===
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Primary school education is for five years. Lower high school takes five years and higher secondary school takes two years. Education is not compulsory. There are traditional religious schools that teach the Koran (Qur'an), basic arithmetic, and the ability to read and write Divehi, there are modern Divehi-language primary schools, and there are modern English-language schools. Primary and secondary schooling is based on the British system.
  
The Maldives is an almost exclusively Islamic society. It is common to hear Maldivians refer to their country as a "100 percent Muslim country." But the isolation of Maldives from the historical centers of [[Islam]] in the Middle East and Asia has allowed some pre-Islamic beliefs and attitudes to survive.
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In 1998 there were 48,895 students enrolled in 228 primary schools, with 1992 teachers. In the same year, secondary schools had a total of 36,905 students.
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The Science Education Centre in Malé provides pre-university courses. Seven post-secondary technical training institutes provide work skill training. The World Bank committed $17-million for education development in 2000-04, and plans to commit further $15 million for human development and distance learning during this period.  
  
There is a widespread belief in jinns, or evil spirits. For protection against such evils, people often resort to various charms and spells. The extent of these beliefs has led some observers to identify a magico-religious system parallel to Islam known as [[fanditha]], which provides a more personal way for the islanders to deal with either actual or perceived problems in their lives. However this is a dying tradition that can be seen in only rural areas.
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Adult literacy stands at 99 percent. Combined school enrolment stands in the high 90s.
  
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===Music===
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The most popular form of indigenous music is called boduberu, which is usually said to have appeared in the Maldives in about the eleventh century, and may have East African origins.  It is a dance music, performed by about 15 people, including a lead singer and three percussionists, as well as a bell and a small stick of bamboo with horizontal grooves called an onugandu.
  
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Boduberu songs begin with a slow beat, which eventually enters a wild crescendo accompanied by frenetic dancing.  Lyrics can be about any number of subjects, and often include vocables (meaningless syllables). 
  
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Thaara music is performed by about 22 people seated in two rows opposite each other.  It is performed only be men and is somewhat religious in nature.  Like boduberu, thaara songs begin slowly and come to a peak.  Thaara is said to have arrived from [[Arab]]s who came from the [[Persian Gulf]] in the middle of the seventeenth century.
  
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Gaa odi lava is a special type of song performed after the completion of manual labor.  It was said to have been invented during the reign of Sultan Mohamed Imadudeen I (1620-1648), for the workers who built defenses for the city of Malé.
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In the early twentieth century, Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen III ruled the Maldives and the youth developed a form of music called langiri, using thaara as the major source and modifying its performance.
  
==See also==
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The bolimalaafath neshun is a dance performed by women on special occasions or when giving gifts to the sultan.  These gifts, most often shells, are kept in an intricately-decorated box or vase called the kurandi malaafath.  About 24 women typically participate, in small groups of two to six.  They march towards the sultan singing songs of patriotism or loyalty.  Since becoming a republic in 1968, and without a sultan, this dance is no longer performed.
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Another woman's dance is called maafathi neshun, which is similar to langiri.  It is performed by women dancing in two rows of 10 each, carrying a semi-circular string with fake flowers attached.
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* [[2005 Maldives civil unrest]]
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A dance called fathigandu jehun is performed by either one person or a group of men, using two pieces of short bamboo sticks to accompany the dancers and a drummer, who also sings.  These songs are typically epics, most famously one called ''Burunee Raivaru''.
* [[Atolls in the Maldives]]
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* [[Communications in Maldives]]
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Bandiyaa jehun is perhaps related to the [[India]]n pot dance, and is performed by women.  Dancers mark the beat with a metal water pot, while wearing metal rings.  Modern groups perform either standing or sitting, and have added drums and harmonicas.
* [[Currency of Maldives]]
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* [[Economy of Maldives]]
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Kulhudhuffushi (on Haa Dhaalu Atoll) is known for kadhaamaali, which is performed with numerous drums and a kadhaa, which is made of a copper plate and rod.  About 30 men take part, dressed in costumes of evil spirits (''maali'').  Kadhaamaali is associated with a traditional walk around the island late at night by the elders, in order to ward of ''maali''.  This walk lasted for three days, and was followed by music and dancing.
* [[Education in Maldives]]
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* [[Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on the Maldives|Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake]]
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=== Celebrations ===
* [[Finance in Maldives]]
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Kudaeid celebrates the sighting of the new moon at the end of Ramadan, and the Prophet Mohamed's birthday is also celebrated. National Day, the day Mohammed Thakurufaan overthrew the Portuguese in 1573, occurs on first day of the third month of the lunar calender. Victory Day, on November 3, celebrates the defeat of the Sri Lankan mercenaries who tried to overthrow the government. Republic Day, on November 11, commemorates the foundation of the republic.
* [[Foreign relations of Maldives]]
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* [[Geography of the Maldives]]
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==References==
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* Adney, M., and W. K. Carr. "The Maldives." In J. M. Ostheimer, ed. The Politics of the Western Indian Ocean Islands, 1975.
* [[History of the Maldives]]
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* Anderson, R. C., and A. Hafiz. The State of the Maldivian Tuna stock: Analysis of Catch and Effort Data and Estimation of Maximum Sustainable Yield, 1985.
* [[Ibn Battuta]]
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* Cole, R. V. "The Island States of the Indian Ocean: A View from the South Pacific." Pacific Economic Bulletin 1 (2): 41–46, 1986
* [[Industries in Maldives]]
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* Fifth National Development Plan 1997–2000, 1998.
* [[List of birds of Maldives]]
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* Maniku, H. A. The Republic of Maldives, 1980.
* [[Military of Maldives]]
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* Ministry of Planning, Human Resources and Environment. Statistical Year Book of Maldives, 1998.
* [[President of the Maldives]]
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* Sathiendrakumar, S. Development of Resources of the Sea for Regional Cooperation and National Development, 1983.
* [[Tourism in Maldives]]
 
* [[Transportation in Maldives]]
 
* [[The Scout Association of Maldives]]
 
}}
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Maldives}}
 
 
* {{dv icon}} / {{en icon}} [http://www.maldivesinfo.gov.mv/ Information Ministry]
 
* {{dv icon}} / {{en icon}} [http://www.maldivesinfo.gov.mv/ Information Ministry]
 
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=3.405762,73.168945&spn=10.624878,15.425903&t=k Google Maps satellite image of the Maldives]
 
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=3.405762,73.168945&spn=10.624878,15.425903&t=k Google Maps satellite image of the Maldives]
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* [http://www.terranomada.com/maldives/maldives.html Pictures of the Maldives]
 
* [http://www.terranomada.com/maldives/maldives.html Pictures of the Maldives]
  
{{Countries of South Asia}}
 
 
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[[Category:Nations and places]]
 
[[Category:Indian Ocean atolls]]
 
[[Category:Island countries]]
 
[[Category:Archipelagoes]]
 
  
 
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Revision as of 00:23, 14 March 2007

ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމުހޫރިއްޔާ
Republic of Maldives
Flag of Maldives Coat of arms of Maldives
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Gavmii mi ekuverikan matii tibegen kuriime salaam
"In National Unity Do We Salute Our Nation"
Location of Maldives
Capital
(and largest city)
Malé
4°10′N 73°30′E
Official languages Dhivehi
Government Republic
 - President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom
Independence  
 - from UK 26 July 1965 
Area
 - Total 298 km² (204th)
115 sq mi 
 - Water (%) negligible
Population
 - July 2005 estimate 329,000
 - 2006 census 298,842 [1]
 - Density 1,105/km²
2,862/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
 - Total $2.569 billion
 - Per capita $7,675
HDI  (2004) Red Arrow Down.svg


0.739 (medium)

Currency Rufiyaa (MVR)
Internet TLD .mv
Calling code +960
1 Rank based on UN estimate for 2005.

Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean.

Maldives holds the record for being the flattest country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of only 7.5 feet, (2.3 meters).

Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of population. It is also the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world.

Over the last century, sea levels have risen about eight inches (20cm). Concerns over global warming and a possible long-term rise in sea level as a result of the melting of polar ice are important issues to the fragile balance between the people and the environment of Maldives in the early 2000s.

Geography

The country's name may stand for "Mountain Islands" (malai in Tamil, meaning "mountain" and teevu in Tamil meaning "island") or it may mean "a thousand islands". Some scholars believe that the name "Maldives" derives from the Sanskrit maladvipa, meaning "garland of islands", or from "mahila dvipa", meaning "island of women". Others believe the name means "palace" (from Mahal in Arabic).

The Maldives are located south of India's Lakshadweep islands, and about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south-west of Sri Lanka. The 26 atolls encompass a territory featuring 1192 islets, roughly 200 of which are inhabited. The land area is 116 square miles (300 square kilometres) or about 1.7 times the size of Washington DC in the United States.

Maldives pol98.jpg

Composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, the atolls are situated atop a submarine ridge 596 miles (960km) long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean and runs from north to south. Only near the southern end of this natural coral barricade do two open passages permit safe ship navigation from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other through the territorial waters of Maldives.

Most atolls consist of a large, ring-shaped coral reef supporting numerous small islands. Islands average only one to two square kilometers in area, and lie between one and 1.5 meters above mean sea level. Maldives has no hills or rivers. Although some larger atolls are approximately 30 miles (50km) long from north to south, and 19 miles (30km) wide from east to west, no individual island is longer than five miles (eight kilometres).

Each atoll has approximately five to 10 inhabited islands, and 20 to 60 uninhabited islands. Several atolls, however, consist of one large, isolated island surrounded by a steep coral beach, such as the large island of Fuvammulah in the middle of the Equatorial Channel.

The temperature of Maldives ranges between 75°F and 91°F (24°C and 33°C) throughout the year. Although the humidity is relatively high, the constant sea breezes help to keep the air moving. There is a dry season associated with the winter northeast monsoon and the rainy season brought by the summer southwest monsoon. The annual rainfall averages 100 inches (2540mm) in the north and 150 inches (3810mm) in the south.

Vegetation comprises groves of breadfruit trees and coconut palms towering above dense scrub, shrubs, and flowers. The soil is sandy and highly alkaline, and a deficiency in nitrogen, potash, and iron severely limits agriculture.. Ten percent of the land, or about 26 km², is cultivated with taro, bananas, coconuts, and other fruit. Only the lush island of Fuvammulah produces oranges and pineapples, partly because the terrain of is higher, leaving the groundwater less subject to seawater penetration.

North Miladhun madulu atoll, Maldives

Fresh water floats in a layer, or "lens," above the seawater that permeates the limestone and coral sands of the islands. These lenses are shrinking rapidly on Male and on islands where there are resorts. Mango trees on Male are dying because of salt penetration.

A tsunami in the Indian Ocean caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake caused parts of Maldives to be covered by sea water and left many people homeless. After the disaster, cartographers are planning to redraw the maps of the islands due to alterations by the tsunami. The people and government are worried that Maldives could be wiped from the map eventually.

Malé (pronounced: "Maa-lay"), with a population of 81,647 in 2004, is the capital. The city is located on Malé Island in the Kaafu Atoll. A commercial harbour is located in the island. It is the heart of all commercial activities in the country. Many government buildings and agencies are located on the waterfront. Malé International Airport is on adjacent Hulhule Island which includes a seaplane base for internal transportation.

History

Western interest in the archaeological remains of early cultures on Maldives began with the work of H.C.P. Bell, a British commissioner of the Ceylon Civil Service. Bell was shipwrecked on the islands in 1879, and he returned several times to investigate ancient Buddhist ruins. Historians have established that by the fourth century C.E. Theravada Buddhism originating from Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) became the dominant religion of the people of Maldives.

In the mid-1980s, Thor Heyerdahl, studied the ancient mounds, called hawitta by the Maldivians, found on many of the atolls. Some of his archaeological discoveries of stone figures and carvings from pre-Islamic civilizations are exhibited in a side room of the small National Museum in Male'.

Heyerdahl's research indicates that in 2000 B.C.E., Maldives lay on the trading routes of early Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Indus Valley civilizations. Heyerdahl believes that early sun-worshipping seafarers, called the Redin, first settled on the islands. Even today, many mosques there face the sun and not Mecca, lending credence to this theory. Because building space and materials were scarce, successive cultures constructed their places of worship on the foundations of previous buildings. Heyerdahl thus surmises that these sun-facing mosques were built on the ancient foundations of the Redin culture temples.

The capital of the Maldives, Malé.

Maldives had an abundant supply of cowrie shells, a form of currency that was widely used throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast since ancient times. Middle Eastern seafarers ventured out on the Indian Ocean trade routes in the tenth century C.E.

The last Buddhist king of Maldives converted to Islam in the year 1153. The king thereupon adopted the Muslim title and name (in Arabic) of Sultan (besides the old Divehi title of Maha radun or Ras Kilege), Muhammad al Adil, initiating a series of six islamic dynasties consisting of 84 sultans and sultanas that lasted until 1932 when the sultanate became elective.

The person responsible for this conversion was a Sunni Muslim visitor named Abu al Barakat. His tomb stands on the grounds of Hukuru Mosque, or miski, in the capital of Malé. Built in 1656, this is the oldest mosque in Maldives.

In 1558 the Portuguese established themselves on Maldives, which they administered from Goa on India's west coast. Fifteen years later, a local guerrilla leader named Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al-Azam organized a popular revolt and drove the Portuguese out of Maldives. This event is commemorated as National Day.

In the mid-seventeenth century, the Dutch, who had replaced the Portuguese as the dominant power in Ceylon, established hegemony over Maldivian affairs without involving themselves directly.

However, the British expelled the Dutch from Ceylon. The status of Maldives as a British protectorate was officially recorded in an 1887 agreement in which the sultan accepted British influence over Maldivian external relations and defense. The British had no presence, however, on the leading island community of Malé.

During the British era, which lasted until 1965, Maldives continued to be ruled under a succession of sultans. It was a period during which the sultan's authority and powers were increasingly and decisively 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 was proclaimed in 1932.

File:Mohamed Amin Didi.jpg
Mohamed Amin Didi

However, the new arrangements favoured neither the ageing sultan nor the wily chief minister, but rather a young crop of British-educated reformists. As a result, angry mobs were instigated against the constitution that was publicly torn up. 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 Muhammad Amin Didi.

This first elected president of the country introduced several reforms. While serving as prime minister during the 1940s, Didi nationalized the fish export industry. As president he is remembered as a reformer of the education system and a promoter of women's rights. Muslim conservatives in Malé eventually ousted his government, and during a riot over food shortages, Didi was beaten by a mob and died on a nearby island.

In 1954 the restoration of the sultanate perpetuated the rule of the past. Two years later, the United Kingdom obtained permission to re-establish its wartime airfield on Gan in the southernmost Addu Atoll. Maldives granted the British a 100 year lease on Gan that required them to pay £2000 a year, as well as some 440,000 square metres on Hitaddu for radio installations.

In 1957, the new prime minister, Ibrahim Nasir, called for a review of the agreement in the interest of shortening the lease and increasing the annual payment. But Nasir, who was theoretically responsible to then sultan Muhammad Farid Didi, was challenged in 1959 by a local secessionist movement in the southern atolls that benefited economically from the British presence on Gan. This group cut ties with the Maldives government and formed an independent state with Abdulla Afif Didi as president.

The short-lived state (1959-62), called the United Suvadive Republic, had a combined population of 20,000 inhabitants scattered in the atolls then named Suvadiva—since renamed North Huvadu and South Huvadu—and Addu and Fua Mulaku. In 1962 Nasir sent gunboats from Malé with government police on board to eliminate elements opposed to his rule. Abdulla Afif Didi fled to the then British colony of Seychelles, where he was granted political asylum.

Meanwhile, in 1960 Maldives allowed the United Kingdom to continue to use both the Gan and the Hitaddu facilities for a 30-year period, with the payment of £750,000 over the period of 1960 to 1965 for the purpose of Maldives' economic development.

On July 26, 1965, Maldives gained independence under an agreement signed with United Kingdom. The British government retained the use of the Gan and Hitaddu facilities. In a national referendum in March, 1968, Maldivians abolished the sultanate and established a republic.

After independence from Britain in 1965, the sultanate continued to operate for another three years.

The Second Republic was proclaimed in November 1968 under the presidency of Ibrahim Nasir, who had increasingly dominated the political scene. Under the new constitution, Nasir was elected indirectly to a four-year presidential term by the Majlis (legislature). He appointed Ahmed Zaki as the new prime minister.

In 1973 Nasir was elected to a second term under the constitution as amended in 1972, which extended the presidential term to five years and which also provided for the election of the prime minister by the Majlis. In March 1975, newly elected prime minister Zaki was arrested in a bloodless coup and was banished to a remote atoll. Observers suggested that Zaki was becoming too popular and hence posed a threat to the Nasir faction.

During the 1970s, the economic situation in Maldives suffered a setback when the Sri Lankan market for Maldives' main export of dried fish collapsed. The the British decided in 1975 to close its airfield on Gan in line with its new policy of abandoning defense commitments east of the Suez Canal. A steep commercial decline followed the evacuation of Gan in March 1976. As a result, the popularity of Nasir's government suffered. Maldives's 20-year period of authoritarian rule under Nasir abruptly ended in 1978 when he fled to Singapore. A subsequent investigation revealed that he had absconded with millions of dollars from the state treasury.

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, a former university lecturer and Maldivian ambassador to the United Nations was elected to replace Nasir for a five-year presidential term in 1978.

Despite the popularity of Gayoom, those connected to the former President hired ex-SAS mercenaries in 1980 to carry out a coup to oust him. The attempt was sponsored by Ahmed Naseem, brother-in-law of Nasir and former junior Minister and was supported by a handful of Nasir loyalists. A further coup was attempted in 1983.

In November 1988, Tamil mercenaries from Sri Lanka invaded , and were evicted with from India.

On 26 December 2004 the Maldives were devastated by a tsunami following an Indian Ocean earthquake. Only nine islands were reported to have escaped any flooding, while 57 islands faced serious damage to infrastructure, 14 islands had to be evacuated, and six islands were decimated. A further 21 resort islands closed because of damage. The total damage was estimated at over $400-million dollars or some 62 percent of the GDP. A 108 people, including six foreigners died.. The destructive impact of the waves on the low-lying islands was reduced by the fact there was no continental shelf or land-mass upon which the waves could gain height. The tallest waves were reported 14 feet high.

File:Balck friday anniversary1.jpg
Members of Maldivian Democratic Party, with Mohamed Nasheed, sitting in Republican Square, shortly before being "dragged" into NSS headquarters, August 12, 2005

Government and politics

Politics in the Maldives takes place in the framework of a presidential republic. For the executive, the president is both the chief of state and head of government, and appoints a cabinet. The president is nominated to a five-year term by a secret ballot of the Majlis (parliament) with at least 51 percent support. The nomination must be ratified by a national referendum.

The legislature comprises unicameral people’s Council or Majlis of the Maldives is composed of 50 members — 42 are elected by popular vote, while the president. appoints by eight. The members serve five-year terms.

The legal system is based on Islamic law mixed with English common law primarily in commercial matters. It has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction. The president appoints all judges. The Maldives have, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), undertaken to write the first Muslim criminal code.

The country introduced political parties in July 2005, six months after the last elections for the parliament. Nearly 36 members of the existing parliament joined the Dhivehi Raiyyathunge Party (which translates to Maldivian People's Party) and elected President Gayoom as its leader. Twelve members of parliament became the Opposition and joined the Maldivian Democratic Party. Two members remained independent. In March 2006, President Gayoom published a detailed Roadmap for the Reform Agenda, providing measures to write a new constitution, and modernise the legal framework. Under the Roadmap, the government has submitted to the Parliament a raft of reform measures. The most significant piece of legislation passed so far is the Amendment to the Human Rights Commission Act, making the new body fully compliant with the Paris Principles.

Since 1996, Maldives has been the official progress monitor of the Indian Ocean Commission, is a founder member of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation, SAARC, and as former protectorate of Great Britain, joined the Commonwealth in 1982, some 17 years after gaining independence from Great Britain. The Maldives has close ties with Seychelles and Mauritius.

Maldives has 26 natural atolls which have been divided into 20 administrative atolls and one city. Each atoll is administered by an atoll chief appointed by the president. (Maumoon Abdul Gayoom). Atoll chiefs administer as directed by the president.

Economy

A Dhoni with lateen sails.

Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 28 percent of GDP and more than 60 percent of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. With eighty-six tourist resorts in operation, the year 2000 recorded 467,154 tourist arrivals. Over 90 percent of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. The development of the tourism sector gave a major boost to the country's fledging traditional cottage industries such as mat weaving, lacquer work, handicraft, and coir rope making. New industries that have since emerged include printing, production of PVC pipes, brick making, marine engine repairs, bottling of aerated water, and garment production.

Fishing is the second leading sector, contributing over 15 percent of the GDP and employing about 30 percent of the country's work force.. The Maldivian economy was entirely dependent on fishing and other ocean activities for many centuries. Fishing remains the main occupation of the people and the government gives special priority to the development of the fisheries sector.

The mechanization of the traditional fishing boat called "Dhoni" in 1974 was a major milestone in the development of the fisheries industry and the country's economy in general.

A fish canning plant was installed in the island of Felivaru in 1977, as a joint venture with a Japanese firm. In 1979, a Fisheries Advisory Board was set up with the mandate of advising the government on policy guidelines for the overall development of the fisheries sector. Manpower development programs were begun in the early 1980s, and fisheries education was incorporated into the school curriculum. Fish aggregating devices and navigational aids were located at various strategic points. Moreover, the opening up of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Maldives for fisheries has further enhanced the growth of the fisheries sector.

Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 7 percent of GDP.

The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Real GDP growth averaged over 7.5 percent per year for more than a decade.

In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300-million. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 3.6 percent in 2005. A rebound in tourism, post-tsunami reconstruction, and development of new resorts helped boost GDP by nearly 18 percent in 2006. The trade deficit has expanded sharply as a result of high oil prices and imports of construction material.

Diversifying beyond tourism and fishing is the major challenge facing the government. Exports totalled $214-million in 2006. Fish was the only export commodity. Export partners were Japan 22.8 percent, Thailand 22.7 percent, Sri Lanka 16.4 percent, UK 12.6 percent, Singapore 5.8 percent, Germany 4.8 percent, and France 4.3 percent.

Imports totalled $832-million in 2006. Import commodities were petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, clothing, intermediate and capital goods. Import partners were Singapore 24.1 percent, UAE 15.7 percent, India 11.3 percent, Malaysia 7.2 percent, Sri Lanka 5.7 percent, and the UK 4.5 percent.

Per capita GDP was $7675 in 2005, ranking the Maldives at 79th place on a list of 181 nations.

Demographics

File:Mosque Maldives.JPG
The Islamic Centre, housing the mosque Masjid-al-Sultan Mohammed Thakurufaanu-al-A'z'am

The population of the country remained around 100,000 for the first 70 years of the twentieth century. Following independence in 1965, the population doubled by 1978, and the population growth rate peaked at 3.4 percent in 1985. By 2005, the population had reached 300,000, although the census in 2000 showed that the population growth rate had declined to 1.9%. Life expectancy at birth stood at 46 years in 1978, while by 2005 it rose to 72 years. Infant mortality has declined from 127 per thousand in 1977 to 12 today,

Ethnicity

The earliest settlers were probably Tamils from southern India. Indo-European speakers followed them from Sri Lanka in the fourth and fifth centuries C.E. In the twelfth century, sailors from East Africa and Arab countries came to the islands. Today, the Maldivian ethnic identity is a blend of people of South Indian, Sinhalese, Arab ethnicity. More than 50,000 foreign employees, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, lived in the country in 2006.

Religion

Originally Buddhist, Maldivians were converted to Sunni Islam in the mid-twelfth century. Islam is the official religion. Adherence to it is required for citizenship, and property ownership. The Maldives is an almost exclusively Islamic society. But isolation from the historical centers of Islam in the Middle East and Asia has allowed some pre-Islamic beliefs and attitudes to survive.

There is a widespread belief in jinns, or evil spirits. For protection against such evils, people often resort to various charms and spells. The extent of these beliefs has led some observers to identify a magico-religious system parallel to Islam known as fanditha, which provides a more personal way for the islanders to deal with either actual or perceived problems in their lives. However this is a dying tradition that can be seen in only rural areas.

The political, judicial, and religious systems are so closely linked that the political leaders and judges are the country's religious leaders. The president is the top religious leader. Judges are responsible for interpreting Islamic law in the courts.

On the inhabited islands, the miski, or mosque, forms the central place where Islam is practiced. Because Friday is the most important day for Muslims to attend mosque, shops and offices in towns and villages close around 11 am, and the sermon begins by 12:30 pm. Prayer sessions are held five times daily. Mudimu, the mosque caretakers, make the call. Most shops and offices close for 15 minutes after each call. During the ninth Muslim month of Ramadan, cafés and restaurants are closed during the day, and working hours are limited.

Most inhabited islands have several mosque. Malé has more than 30. Most mosques are whitewashed buildings constructed of coral stone with corrugated iron or thatched roofs. In Malé, the Islamic Center and the Grand Friday Mosque, built in 1984 with funding from Pakistan, Brunei, and Malaysia, are imposing elegant structures. The gold-colored dome of this mosque is the first structure sighted when approaching Malé. In mid-1991 Maldives had a total of 724 mosques and 266 women's mosques.

Holidays are based on the Islamic lunar calendar. In addition to the Golden Grand Friday mosque, 20 other mosques are scattered around Malé. Mosques are located on each of the islands. People believe they go to heaven or hell after death, depending on how faithfully they adhered to the five tenets of Islam while alive.

Marriage and the family

The legal age for marriage is 18, although most women marry by age 15. Marriages are not arranged. A man can have four wives at any time if he can support them financially, but polygamy is not common. Sex before marriage is an offense. Only Muslims can marry. With one of the highest divorce rates in the world, a 1977 census recorded 50 percent women over the age of 30 had been married at least four times. This could demonstrate the high degree of autonomy that Maldivian women have over their lives.

Nuclear families consisting of a married couple and their children comprise 80 percent of the households. The father is recognized as the head of the family. Unmarried persons live with their families.

Maldivians are brought up to respect elders and those who are educated while conforming to an Islamic code of conduct. Strong loyalties tie the individual to the extended family.

Ownership

Land belongs to the state and is given to families in their home island to build houses upon. Public servants lease land where they work. Employees are provided with temporary accommodation. Both men and women may inherit property.

Language

The official and common language is Dhivehi, an Indo-European language related to Sinhalese, the language of Sri Lanka. The written script is called Thaana and is written from right to left. English is used widely in commerce and increasingly as the medium of instruction in government schools.

Class and caste

Some social stratification along lines similar to the Indian caste system exists on the islands. It is not rigid, since rank is based on varied factors, including occupation (especially with the government), wealth, Islamic virtue, and family ties. A big share of government expenditure ensures residents of Malé a higher standard of living. Members of the social elite are concentrated in Malé. Outside of the service industry, this is the only location where the foreign and domestic populations are likely to interact. The tourist resorts are not on islands where the natives live, and casual contacts between the two groups are discouraged.

Culture

Rice and fish are the staple foods, fish being the most important source of protein for the people of Maldives. Few vegetables are eaten. Betel leaf with arecanut, cloves, and lime, is chewed after meals. Old people smoke an elongated pipe that goes through a trough of water. Meat other than pork is eaten only on special occasions. Alcohol is not allowed, except in tourist resorts. The local brew is a sweet toddy made from the crown of the coconut palm.

Architecture

Malé, the capital, has a maze of narrow streets with over 20 mosques and markets. Poor people live in thatched palm houses with tin roofs. The more prosperous have houses made of crushed coral with tile roofs.

Education

Primary school education is for five years. Lower high school takes five years and higher secondary school takes two years. Education is not compulsory. There are traditional religious schools that teach the Koran (Qur'an), basic arithmetic, and the ability to read and write Divehi, there are modern Divehi-language primary schools, and there are modern English-language schools. Primary and secondary schooling is based on the British system.

In 1998 there were 48,895 students enrolled in 228 primary schools, with 1992 teachers. In the same year, secondary schools had a total of 36,905 students. The Science Education Centre in Malé provides pre-university courses. Seven post-secondary technical training institutes provide work skill training. The World Bank committed $17-million for education development in 2000-04, and plans to commit further $15 million for human development and distance learning during this period.

Adult literacy stands at 99 percent. Combined school enrolment stands in the high 90s.

Music

The most popular form of indigenous music is called boduberu, which is usually said to have appeared in the Maldives in about the eleventh century, and may have East African origins. It is a dance music, performed by about 15 people, including a lead singer and three percussionists, as well as a bell and a small stick of bamboo with horizontal grooves called an onugandu.

Boduberu songs begin with a slow beat, which eventually enters a wild crescendo accompanied by frenetic dancing. Lyrics can be about any number of subjects, and often include vocables (meaningless syllables).

Thaara music is performed by about 22 people seated in two rows opposite each other. It is performed only be men and is somewhat religious in nature. Like boduberu, thaara songs begin slowly and come to a peak. Thaara is said to have arrived from Arabs who came from the Persian Gulf in the middle of the seventeenth century.

Gaa odi lava is a special type of song performed after the completion of manual labor. It was said to have been invented during the reign of Sultan Mohamed Imadudeen I (1620-1648), for the workers who built defenses for the city of Malé.

In the early twentieth century, Sultan Muhammad Shamsuddeen III ruled the Maldives and the youth developed a form of music called langiri, using thaara as the major source and modifying its performance.

The bolimalaafath neshun is a dance performed by women on special occasions or when giving gifts to the sultan. These gifts, most often shells, are kept in an intricately-decorated box or vase called the kurandi malaafath. About 24 women typically participate, in small groups of two to six. They march towards the sultan singing songs of patriotism or loyalty. Since becoming a republic in 1968, and without a sultan, this dance is no longer performed.

Another woman's dance is called maafathi neshun, which is similar to langiri. It is performed by women dancing in two rows of 10 each, carrying a semi-circular string with fake flowers attached.

A dance called fathigandu jehun is performed by either one person or a group of men, using two pieces of short bamboo sticks to accompany the dancers and a drummer, who also sings. These songs are typically epics, most famously one called Burunee Raivaru.

Bandiyaa jehun is perhaps related to the Indian pot dance, and is performed by women. Dancers mark the beat with a metal water pot, while wearing metal rings. Modern groups perform either standing or sitting, and have added drums and harmonicas.

Kulhudhuffushi (on Haa Dhaalu Atoll) is known for kadhaamaali, which is performed with numerous drums and a kadhaa, which is made of a copper plate and rod. About 30 men take part, dressed in costumes of evil spirits (maali). Kadhaamaali is associated with a traditional walk around the island late at night by the elders, in order to ward of maali. This walk lasted for three days, and was followed by music and dancing.

Celebrations

Kudaeid celebrates the sighting of the new moon at the end of Ramadan, and the Prophet Mohamed's birthday is also celebrated. National Day, the day Mohammed Thakurufaan overthrew the Portuguese in 1573, occurs on first day of the third month of the lunar calender. Victory Day, on November 3, celebrates the defeat of the Sri Lankan mercenaries who tried to overthrow the government. Republic Day, on November 11, commemorates the foundation of the republic.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Adney, M., and W. K. Carr. "The Maldives." In J. M. Ostheimer, ed. The Politics of the Western Indian Ocean Islands, 1975.
  • Anderson, R. C., and A. Hafiz. The State of the Maldivian Tuna stock: Analysis of Catch and Effort Data and Estimation of Maximum Sustainable Yield, 1985.
  • Cole, R. V. "The Island States of the Indian Ocean: A View from the South Pacific." Pacific Economic Bulletin 1 (2): 41–46, 1986
  • Fifth National Development Plan 1997–2000, 1998.
  • Maniku, H. A. The Republic of Maldives, 1980.
  • Ministry of Planning, Human Resources and Environment. Statistical Year Book of Maldives, 1998.
  • Sathiendrakumar, S. Development of Resources of the Sea for Regional Cooperation and National Development, 1983.

External links


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