an introduction
It is a group of small islands, consisting of twenty six islands, which includes one hundred and ninety two thousand after a thousand atolls (1192), two hundred of whom are inhabited, located in the Indian Ocean in the southwestern side of India in Asia, with an area of about three hundred and two square kilometers ( 302 km2), and its population is about (345,023) people, most of whom convert to the Islamic religion (this is the country’s law, which states that he does not have the nationality of non-Muslim countries), their official language is the “Dhivehi”, which contains many Arabic words, and its capital “Male”, and marked it red with a green rectangle in it Hilal, which is a symbol of Islam, and the country’s official currency is the “Maldives Rupee”, on the twenty-sixth of December of the year 2004 AD. After an earthquake that struck the Indian Ocean, a disaster occurred in the Maldives. The “tsunami” destroyed most of the Maldives, Only nine islands were spared from these waves, six islands were destroyed, and about fourteen islands were to evacuate completely, and twenty-four islands were partially damaged, and the country’s economy was dealt a painful blow, with losses estimated at four million dollars. One third of the GDP, equivalent to one hundred and eight people They died in this catastrophe, but the state rose again, and was able to overcome the crisis.
Etymology
In the ancient times the Maldives was called the “Dissolve of the Porridge”, and Ibn Battuta mentioned this name in describing his travels, and it is believed that it was misrepresented to “Mel Dhib” by the Franks, and then it was corrupted in English and became Maldives, and it was misrepresented, but it Its people and to this day use the name “Dhuh Al-Muhal”, and its inhabitants are fishermen who have reached it from India and Sri Lanka.
History of the Maldives
The government has taken care of it since the beginning of the seventh decade of the last century, and the location of the Maldives and its ancient history is considered the biggest attraction for tourists from all over the world. Islam spread in the Maldives thanks to the sheikh of the preacher (Hafez Bin Barakat Al-Barbari Al-Maghribi). In the year 1153 AD, the preacher That the king of the country was persuaded at the time, which is (Ahmed Shnuraza), to leave Buddhism and convert to Islam, and the inhabitants of that country became Muslim, and the Malabarians conquered it in AD 1752, and the British occupied it in AD 1887, annexing it to Sri Lanka, which was a colony of the British, and when I boarded CNN Sri Lanka from Britain in the year 1948 gave the Maldives my rule, and the Maldives attained full independence in the year 1968 AD, after which it joined the Organization of the Islamic Conference, in the seventies of the last century, and I put in your hands the history of the Maldives, and all the changes that occurred in the political conditions of the country :
- In the fifth century B.C., Buddhists from India and Sri Lanka managed to reach and build the Maldives.
- In the year 1153 AD, the Maldives entered Islam.
- In the year 1558 AD, the Portuguese occupied it.
- In the year 1654 AD, the Dutch occupied it.
- In the year 1796 AD occupied by the British.
- In the year 1887 AD, the Maldives became a British colony of Sri Lanka.
- In 1965 the Maldives gained independence.
- In 1968, governance in the Maldives became a Republic.
- In 1975 the Maldives joined the United Nations.
The most important cities in the Maldives
Male City
It is the capital of the Maldives, it is the most important city and island in the country, and despite its small size, it is the main port in the Maldives, distinguished from other cities by its markets, mosques and small interlocking streets, the length of the island of Malé is two square kilometers, and its width is two kilometers Square, inhabited by approximately sixty-five thousand people, and may reach one hundred thousand people if we take into account the presence of tourists and foreign workers, Malle Island is one of the most attractive islands for tourists.
Addo Atoll
Also called Addo, which is the second most important city in the country, with a population of about thirty-five thousand people, and that their language differs from that of other islands, Britain took it as a military base after the Second World War, and Britain has also established an air base, this matter gave it importance Great, and its inhabitants tried to independence from the country.
The most important sights in the Maldives
Economy in the Maldives
The Maldives has been famous since ancient times for amber, shells, dried tuna and coconuts, and these islands were known as the islands of money, in the second century AD, and they were called by the Arabs who were controlling the trade of the Indian Ocean at that time, and the shells produced by the Maldives were used International.
The Maldives government has worked to develop the economy, concerned itself with the country’s resources and its privileged location, and the government has allowed more foreign and foreign investment. The local economy in the Maldives is currently based on tourism as a primary source of income, then on fishing.
tourism
It constitutes about twenty-eight percent of the gross national product, and the government has taken care of it since the beginning of the seventh decade of the last century, and the location of the Maldives and its ancient history is considered the biggest attraction for tourists from all over the world. Tourism in the Maldives has pumped money and investments in the country, And the economic development was extensive and inclusive of all sectors.
Fisheries
Before the emergence of tourism in the country, fishing was the first source on which the economy of the Maldives depends, due to the location of the islands in the Indian Ocean, and the Maldives are famous for drying tuna.
Politics in the Maldives
The system used in the Maldives is the republican system. The president is the head of government, and he appoints the ministers. He is elected every five years once, and the constitution in the Maldives prevents non-Muslims from voting.
Sports in the Maldives
The government and people of the Maldives have taken care of sports, especially in football, so they participated in several sporting events, and there is the Maldives Football League, which is a regular league, and the Maldives hosted the 2014 Asian Challenge Cup, and here is a breakdown of this matter:
Host the Asian Challenge Cup
The Maldives hosted the fifth edition of the Asian Challenge Cup (2014), the cup that served as an opportunity to realize the dream of football countries in the AFC, and the importance of that tournament lies in the fact that whoever wins it qualifies directly to the 2015 Asian Nations for the first time in its history, and it has The competition was taking place between (the host country team – the Maldives – and the Palestine team, the Afghan team, the Philippines team, the Burma team, the Kyrgyzstan team, the Turkmenistan team, and the Laos team), and they won the history of the Palestinian championship, Thale, where the Palestine team won the final in the final of the Philippines with a clean goal, so the name of the Maldives will remain stuck in the minds of every Palestinian and Arab fan of sports, and the Maldives National Team won third place, after defeating Afghanistan with a penalty shootout, and it has created the Maldives in hosting This sporting event, it provided all facilities to the fans and athletes, which indicates the interest of the Maldives government in sport, practice and encouragement.