The Maldives ( /ˈmɒldaɪvz/ (help·info) or /ˈmɒldiːvz/), (Dhivehi The Dhivehi, Divehi, or Mahl language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about 350,000 people in the Republic of Maldives and also in the island of Maliku (Minicoy) in Union territory of Lakshadweep, India: ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ Dhivehi Raa'je) or Maldive Islands, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island nation An island country is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands[citation needed]. As of 2008, forty-seven (appoximately 25%) of the world's countries are island countries in the Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian subcontinent; on the west by East Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean . It is the only ocean to be named formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls The Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus atolls in the form of a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10' North to 0 degrees 45' South stretching in a north-south direction off India Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four major religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam's Lakshadweep Lakshadweep ( listen ; Malayalam: ലക്ഷദ്വീപ് Lakṣadvīp, Mahl: ލަކްޝަދީބު Lakshadīb), traditionally called in English the Laccadive Islands, the smallest union territory of India, is a group of islands 200 to 300 km off of the coast of the South West Indian state of Kerala in the Laccadive Sea. Their total land islands, between Minicoy Island Maliku Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. It is 10 km in length, having a maximum breadth of about 6 km. There are only two islands in this atoll: and Chagos Archipelago The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean; situated some 500 kilometres (310 mi) due south of the Maldives, on the same submarine ridge along the boundary of the Indian plate joining the African plate, they are roughly halfway between Sri Lanka and Madagascar, or. It stands in the Laccadive Sea The Laccadive Sea is part of the northern Indian Ocean, bordering India , the Maldives and Sri Lanka, about seven hundred kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia.[citation needed] It has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times and is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia, including Ladakh, Bhutan and the Chittagong Hill.
The atolls An atoll is an island (or islands) of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely of the Maldives encompass a territory In international politics, a territory is a non-sovereign geographic area which has come under the authority of another government; which has not been granted the powers of self-government normally devolved to secondary territorial divisions; or both spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, making it one of the most disparate countries in the world. It features 1,192 islets As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability, of which two hundred are inhabited.[6] The Republic of Maldives's capital A capital city is the area of a country, province, region, or state, regarded as enjoying primary status; although there are exceptions, a capital is almost always a city which physically encompasses the offices and meeting places of the seat of government and is fixed by law. An alternate term is political capital, but this phrase has a second and largest city is Malé Malé , (pronounced: /məːle/) is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll (Kaafu Atoll). It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where the palace, with a population of 103,693 (2006). It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll Together with Kaashidhoo Island and Gaafaru, Malé Atoll forms the administrative division known as Kaafu Atoll, in the Kaafu Atoll Kaafu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives. It consists of Kaashidhoo Island, Gahaafaru Atoll, and Malé Atoll. It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives Geographically, the Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus a few islands and isolated reefs which form a pattern from North to South. For administrative purposes, the Country has been organized into seven provinces which consist of twenty one administrative divisions divided into 7 provinces. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where the palace was located.
The Maldives is the smallest Asian Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 4 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population. During the 20th century Asia's population nearly quadrupled country in both population and area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet.[7] It is also the country with the lowest highest point Categories: Lists of countries | Geography-related lists | Highest points | Superlatives | Extreme points by country in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in).[7]
Etymology of "Maldives"
See also: Names of MaldivesThe name Maldives may derive from ދިވެހިރާއްޖެމާލެ Mahal'deeb, and the people were called Maldivian 'Dhivehin'. The word Dheeb/Deeb (archaic Dhivehi, related to Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism and Buddhism[note 1]. Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand dvīp (द्वीप)) means "island", and Dhives (Dhivehin) means "islanders" (in other words, the Maldivians). During the colonial era, the Dutch The Netherlands (pronounced /ˈnɛðɚləndz/ ; Dutch: Nederland, pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑnt] ( listen)) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in North-West Europe. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany referred to the country as Maldivische Eilanden in their documentation, while Maldive Island is the anglicized version of the local name used by the British, which later came to be written as Maldives.[citation needed]
The ancient Sri Lankan As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia.[citation needed] It has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times and is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia, including Ladakh, Bhutan and the Chittagong Hill chronicle, The Mahawamsa, refers to an island called Mahiladiva ("Island of Women", ंअहिलदिभ) in Pali Pāli (ISO 15919/ALA-LC: is a Middle Indo-Aryan language of India. It is best known as the language of many of the earliest extant Buddhist scriptures, as collected in the Pāḷi Canon or Tipitaka, and as the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism. The Mahawamsa is derived from an even older Sinhala Sinhala and also known as Helabasa is the native language of the island Sri Lanka, and the language of the Sinhalese, who make up the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages work dating back to the 2nd century BC.[citation needed]
Some scholars theorize that the name Maldives derives from the Sanskrit mālādvīpa (मालाद्वीप), meaning "garland of islands".[8] None of the names are mentioned in any literature, but classical Sanskrit texts dating back to the Vedic times mention the "Hundred Thousand Islands" (Lakshadweepa), a generic name which would include not only the Maldives, but also the Laccadives Lakshadweep ( pronunciation ; (Malayalam: ലക്ഷദ്വീപ്), (Mahl: ލަކްޝަދީބު) , [Lakshadīb]), [Lakṣadvīp]), the smallest union territory of India, is a group of islands 200 to 300 km off of the coast of Kerala in the Laccadive Sea. Their total land area is 11 sq mi or 32 km².Ten of the islands are inhabited, Amindivi Islands, Minicoy and the Chagos island The Chagos Archipelago is a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 individual tropical islands in the Indian Ocean; situated some 500 kilometres (310 mi) due south of the Maldives, on the same submarine ridge along the boundary of the Indian plate joining the African plate, they are roughly halfway between Sri Lanka and Madagascar, or groups.[9]
Some medieval Arab travelers such as Ibn Batuta Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Al Lawati Al Tanji Ibn Battuta Arabic: أبو عبد الله محمد ابن عبد الله اللواتي الطنجي بن بطوطة or simply Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan Berber Muslim scholar and traveler who is known for the account of his travels and excursions called the Rihla (Voyage) in Arabic. His called the islands "Mahal Dibiyat" (مهل دبيأت) from the Arabic Arabic (العربية al-ʿarabīyah, ( Arabic pronunciation ) or عربي ʿarabi) is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. Arabic has more speakers than any other language in the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million word Mahal ("place").[10] This is the name currently inscribed in the scroll of the Maldive state emblem The Maldivian National Emblem or Coat of Arms consists of a coconut palm, a crescent, and two criss-crossing National Flags with the traditional Title of the State. The classical Yemeni Yemen , officially the Republic of Yemen (Arabic: الجمهورية اليمنية al-Jumhuuriyya al-Yamaniyya) Ar-al Gumhuriyah al Yamaniyyah.ogg (help·info) is a country located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. It has an estimated population of more than 23 million people and is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to name for Maldives is Dibajat.[11][12]
Philostorgius Philostorgius was a Anomoean Church historian of the 4th and 5th centuries. Anomoeanism questioned the Trinitarian account of the relationship between God the Father and Christ and was considered a heresy by the Catholic Church, which adopted the term "homoousia" in the Nicene Creed. Very little information about his life is available, an Arian Greek historian who relates (circa AD 354) about a Divoeis (the Divaeans) hostage after fulfilling his mission to the Homerites, sailed to his island home known as Divus (Maldives).[13] The name Maldives also might have come from the Sinhalese word මාල දිවයින Maala Divaina ("Necklace Islands"), perhaps referring to the shape of the archipelago.[citation needed]
The local language of Maldives which is now called 'DHIVEHI' could be coming from the Sanskrit word 'DAIVEHI' meaning 'Godly'. As even after the development of Dhivehi and its Arabic look alike alphabets, most of its words are similar in pronunciation and meaning to words in 'Hindi' language which has its origin in 'Sanskrit' in turn.
Geography
Main article: Geography of the Maldives Maldives is a country of South Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India. It consists of approximately 1,190 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, making this one of the most disparate countries in the world. Composed of live coral reefs and sand bars, the atolls are See also: Atolls of the Maldives The Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus atolls in the form of a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10' North to 0 degrees 45' South and List of islands of the Maldives This is a list of islands of the Maldives. There are around 1,192 in total. They are listed by administrative division/atoll. The islands are divided into: Malhosmadulhu Atoll seen from space. "Fasdutere" and Southern Maalhosmadulhu Atoll can be seen in this picture A view of an island in the Maldives. Cross section of a coral reef in the Maldives.The Maldives consists of approximately 1,190 coral Corals are marine organisms in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans, which secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton islands An island or isle (/ˈaɪl/) is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, /ˈaɪ.ət/. A grouping of geographically or geologically related islands is called an archipelago grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls An atoll is an island (or islands) of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely, along the north-south direction, spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, making this one of the most disparate countries in the world. The atolls are composed of live coral reefs Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Corals are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters containing few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, and are formed by polyps that live together in groups. The polyps secrete a hard carbonate exoskeleton which provides support and sand bars A shoal, sandbar , or gravelbar is a somewhat linear landform within or extending into a body of water, typically composed of sand, silt or small pebbles. A spit or sandspit is a type of shoal. Shoals are characteristically long and narrow (linear) and develop where a stream or ocean current promotes deposition of granular material, resulting in, situated atop a submarine ridge 960 kilometers long that rises abruptly from the depths of the Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian subcontinent; on the west by East Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean . It is the only ocean to be named 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. For administrative purposes the Maldives government organized these atolls into twenty one administrative divisions Geographically, the Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus a few islands and isolated reefs which form a pattern from North to South. For administrative purposes, the Country has been organized into seven provinces which consist of twenty one administrative divisions divided into 7 provinces. The largest island of Maldives is Gan, which belongs to Laamu Atoll or Hahdhummathi Maldives. In Addu Atoll Addu Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives the westernmost islands are connected by roads over the reef and the total length of the road is 14 km (9 mi).[citation needed]
The Maldives is the lowest country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of only 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in), with the average being only 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, although in areas where construction exists, this has been increased to several metres. More than 80 per cent of the country's land, composed of coral islands scattered over an area about 850 km across the equator, is less than one metre above sea level.[14]
The reef is composed of coral Corals are marine organisms in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans, which secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton debris and living coral. This acts as a natural barrier against the sea, forming lagoons. Other islands, set at a distance and parallel to the reef, have their own protective fringe of reef. An opening in the surrounding coral barrier allows access to the calmer lagoon waters. The barrier reefs of the islands protect them from the storms and high waves of the Indian Ocean.[citation needed]
A layer of humus In soil science, humus refers to any organic matter that has reached a point of stability, where it will break down no further and might, if conditions do not change, remain essentially as it is for centuries, if not millennia 15 centimetres (6 in) thick forms the top layer of soil on the islands. Below the humus layer are 60 centimetres (2 ft) of sandstone, followed by sand and then fresh water. Due to high levels of salt in the soil near the beach, vegetation is limited there to a few plants such as shrubs, flowering plants, and small hedges. In the interior of the island, more vegetation such as mangrove Mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes 25° N and 25° S. The saline conditions tolerated by various species range from brackish water, through pure seawater , to water of over twice the salinity of ocean seawater, where the salt becomes concentrated by and banyan A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree (or on structures like buildings and bridges). "Banyan" often refers specifically to the Indian Banyan or Ficus benghalensis, the National tree of India, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that grow. Coconut palms, the national tree, are able to grow almost everywhere on the islands and are integral to the lifestyle of the population.[citation needed]
The limited vegetation and land wildlife is supplemented by the abundance of marine life. The waters around the Maldives are abundant in rare species of biological and commercial value, with tuna fisheries being traditionally one of the main commercial resources of the country. The Maldives have an amazing diversity of sea life, with corals and over 2,000 species of fish, ranging from reef fish Reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Marine fishes are at their most diverse in coral reef ecosystems. However, increasing pollution and destructive fishing practices are threatening the survival of the coral reefs and the associated reef fish to reef sharks, moray eels, and a wide variety of rays: Manta rays; Stingray; and Eagle ray. The Maldivian waters are also home for the whale shark The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is a slow moving filter feeding shark, the largest living fish species. The largest confirmed individual was 12.65 metres in length. The heaviest weighed more than 36 tonnes (79,000 lb), but unconfirmed claims report considerably larger whale sharks. This distinctively-marked fish is the only member of its genus.[citation needed]
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Minivan News Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) media coordinator Major Abdul Raheem confirmed that Chief of Defence Forces Major General Moosa Jaleel had been ... Government takes terrorism tip-off letter serious: Press Secretary Haveeru Online Government to discuss with DRP on consolidating islands Haveeru Online
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by Woody on September 2 2009 A couple weeks back I got an email name checking Gram Parsons Crazy Horse and The Band And then as if my interest wasn t already piqued they said the band was from Seattle and along with
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One year after Mohamed Nasheed's historic win in the Maldives' first presidential elections, 101 East returns to ask if he has lived up to ... youtube.com.
