Maldives
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Official name: Republik Malediven (English), Divehi Rãjjãë ge Jumhüriyyã (Dhivehi) |
DEMOGRAPHY
ECONOMY |
LIFE & LIBERTY |
Contents |
[edit] Geography
- Maldives holds the record for being the flattest country in the world, with a maximum natural ground level of only 2.3 m (7½ ft), though in areas where construction exists this has been increased to several metres. Over the last century, sea levels have risen about twenty centimeters (8 in). The ocean is likely to continue rising and this threatens the existence of Maldives.
- 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 the Maldives could be wiped from the map eventually.
[edit] Location
- The Maldives (or Maldive Islands) is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is located south of India's Lakshadweep islands, and about 435 miles southwest of Sri Lanka. The Maldives' twenty-six atolls encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited by local communities.
[edit] Climate
- Global warming threatens the survival of the Islands through rising sea levels, that could flood and destroy them. Coral mining and a recent rise in sea temperature resulting from el Niño has killed much of the coral that is the foundation of these islands. Pray that this doomsday challenge may cause many to seek the caring God who sent Jesus.
[edit] Natural Resources
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Peoples
The Maldivian ethnic identity is a blend of the cultures reflecting the peoples who settled on the islands, reinforced by religion and language. The earliest settlers were probably from Southern India. Indo-Aryan speakers followed them from Sri Lanka in the fourth and fifth centuries. In the 12th century, sailors from the Malayan Archipelago, East Africa and Arab countries inhabited the islands, creating the present heterogeneous blend of ethnicity amongst Maldivians.
Originally Buddhist[3], Maldivians were converted to Sunni Islam in the mid-twelfth century. Islam is the official religion of the entire population, as adherence to it is required for citizenship.
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.
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, wealth, Islamic virtue, and family ties. 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.
Census has been recorded since 1905, which shows that the population of the country remained around 100,000 for the first 7 decades of the last century. Following independence in 1965, the health status of the population improved so much that the population doubled by 1978, and the population growth rate peaked at 3.4% 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 it has now risen to 72 years. Infant mortality has declined from 127 per thousand in 1977 to 12 today, and adult literacy stands at 99%. Combined school enrolment stands in the high 90s.
In addition to the ethnic Maldivians, more than 50 000 (2006 july ) foreign employees live in the country. They comprise mainly of people from the neighbouring South Asian countries of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
[edit] Provinces
- Male'
[edit] 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 returned several times to investigate ancient Buddhist ruins.
By the fourth century AD, Buddhism came from India or Ceylon and became the dominant religion of the people of Maldives. Even though H.C.P. Bell mentioned that the ancient Maldivians followed Teravada Buddhism, many Buddhist archaeological remains now in the Male' Museum display in fact Mahayana and Vajrayana iconography.
In the mid-1980s, the Maldivian government allowed the noted explorer and expert on early marine navigation, Thor Heyerdahl, to excavate ancient sites. Heyerdahl studied the ancient mounds, called hawitta or ustubu(Buddhist chaitiya or stupa) (Dhivehi: ހަވިއްތަ) by the Maldivians, found on many of the atolls. Some of his archaeological discoveries of stone figures and carvings from the Maldivian Buddhist period are today exhibited in a side room of the small National Museum in Male'.
According to Maldivian legend, a prince named Koimala (it is not clear whether he came from India or Sri Lanka) entered the Maldives from the North (Ihavandhu); and stayed on to rule as the first king from the House of Theemuge. Prior to that the Maldives had been settled by people of Dravidian origin from the nearest coasts, like the group today known as the Giraavaru who claim ancestry from ancient Tamils.
The Maldivians followed Buddhism before they converted to Islam and the conversion is mentioned in the ancient edicts written in copper plates from the end of the 12th century AD. There is also a locally well-known legend about a foreign saint (Persian or Moroccan according to the versions) who subdued a demon known as Rannamaari.
Over the centuries, the islands have been visited and their development influenced by sailors from countries on the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean littorals. Mappila pirates from the Malabar Coast – present-day Kerala state in India – harassed the islands.
Although governed as an independent Islamic sultanate for most of its history from 1153 to 1968, Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887 until July 25, 1965. In 1953, there was a brief, abortive attempt to form a republic, but the sultanate was re-imposed. In 1959, objecting to Nasir's changes, the inhabitants of the three southernmost atolls protested against the government. They formed the United Suvadive Republic and elected a president, Abdullah Afeef.
After independence from Britain in 1965, the sultanate continued to operate for another three years under King Muhammad Fareed. On November 11, 1968, it was abolished and replaced by a republic, and the country assumed its present name. Tourism and fishing are now being developed on the archipelago.
In November 1988, Tamil mercenaries from Sri Lanka invaded the Maldives. After an appeal by the Maldivian government for help, India launched a military campaign to throw the mercenaries out of Maldives. On the night of November 3, 1988, the Indian Air Force airlifted a parachute battalion group from Agra and flew them non-stop over 2,000 kilometres (1,240 mi) to Maldives. The Indian paratroopers landed at Hulule and secured the airfield and restored the Government rule at Malé within hours. The brief, bloodless operation, labelled Operation Cactus, also involved the Indian Navy.
On 26 December 2004 the Maldives were devastated by a tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Only 9 islands were reported to have escaped any flooding, while 57 islands faced serious damage to critical infrastructure, 14 islands had to be totally evacuated, and 6 islands were decimated. A further 21 resort islands were forced to shut down due to serious damage. The total damage was estimated at over 400 million dollars or some 62% of the GDP. A total of 108 people, including 6 foreigners, reportedly died in the tsunami. The destructive impact of the waves on the low-lying islands was mitigated 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.
[edit] Life
[edit] Economy
[edit] Government
- The 1997 Constitution designates Islam as the official state religion. Islam is the only recognized religion and all other religions are totally forbidden.
[edit] Religion
- Islam 99.4%, Buddhism 0.5%, Christianity 0.1%
[edit] Islam
- 99,9 %.
- All citizens must be Muslim. Shariah law is observed. Islam is considered to be an important tool in stimulating national unity and maintenance of the government's power. Conversion from Islam is prohibited.
[edit] Buddhism
[edit] Christianity
- This multitude of tiny islands is one of the least evangelised countries on earth. Converts can lose citizenship. No churches can be opened, though foreigners are allowed to practise their religion in private as long as they do not encourage citizens to participate.
[edit] History
[edit] Churches
- The few Christians in the Maldives are continually watched―they can't meet together and have to secretively read the Bible. Pray that their faith would be strong and that their relationship with God would be blessed. No Christian missionaries have ever been allowed into the Maldives. In 1998, 50 Maldivians suspected of being Christian were imprisoned and tortured.
[edit] Church and State Relations
[edit] Mission
[edit] Broadcasting
[edit] Persecution
- No Christian mission work has ever been permitted, yet some Maldivians came to faith during the 1990s. There was a severe crack-down by the authorities in 1998 resulting in the imprisonment and torture of 50 Maldivians suspected of being Christian. It is still illegal to import Bibles.
[edit] Councils and Networks
[edit] Future Trends
[edit] For More Reading
