All About the Maldives
History
First settled in 5th century BC, the Maldives (formerly called the Maldive Islands) were settled by Buddhist seafarers. The islands were first under the protection of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), then came under the protection of the British in 1887. An independence agreement followed in 1965, and the Maldives soon established a republican type of government.
Capital of the Maldives
Male (pronounced MAHL-EH) is the capital of the Maldives.
Maldives Flag
The Maldives flag was adopted on July 25, 1965
Food!!
Coconuts are a major part of many dishes in the Maldives, and can be served with almost anything! The most popular types of fish to eat is Skipjack tuna, yellowish tuna and frigate tuna.
NIYAMA Maldives Highlights HD Video
Event Information
Giant Tsunami
There were 82 deaths
Had a magnitude of 9.1-9.3
Had a maximum of Mercalli intensity of IX
When?
Sunday, Dec 26, 2004, 01:00 PM
Where?
Indian Ocean
Cultural Traits
Clothing
Women wear dresses that cover their whole body
Men wear trousers and a shirt
Language
Most Maldivians speak Divehi, (Sinhalese dialect) although government officials use English as their communication.
Music
Maldivians have a wide variety of music, but mostly includes folk music that many groups dance to, which is part of tradition.
Population Pyramid
Economics and Political effects
The Maldives in very dependent on two of their largest industries- fishing and tourism. But since the tsunami of 2004, 14/200 of the islands were destroyed, and 8% of the country`s fishing fleet was destroyed. The Reconstruction was $375 Million (50% of the country`s GDP) This lead to making the country very poor, and the political crisis of 2012 doesn`t help either.