The country has a long and eventful history and has been an independent sovereign state except for a brief occupation by the Portuguese during the 16th century. Maldives became a British Protectorate in the mid-fifties

and gained full independence in July 26, 1965. That same year it also became a member of the United Nations. The country has a Republican government with an elected president as the head of the state. It was converted to Islam in the 12th century AD. Maldives has been a100% Muslim State for more than 800 years.

Although official Maldivian History only begins in the twelfth century, literary works and archeological remains provide clues to earlier pre-Islamic eras. Maldives was a port of call for many great sea faring civilizations that roamed the high seas, long before European Maritime History began. A roman coin dated 90 BC has been discovered in the Maldives, and since it Was the Egyptians who taught the Romans how to cross the Indian Ocean, it may not be fanciful to imagine the great Egyptian papyrus boats with their colorful square sails sailing towards the Maldives. Perhaps the Maldivians modeled the elegant curved bows of their boats from the Egyptians, and the Women, the beautifully embroidered collar pieces of their dresses.

Origin

The origin of the Maldivian people are shrouded in mystery. The faces of today’s Maldivians reflect the influence of Arabs, Africans, and Indonesians who have contributed to the racial and cultural melting pot of Maldives. 

Early Visitors

Pappus Alexandria who lived at the end of the 4th century mentions Taprobane and the 1370 adjacent islands.Scholasticus, the Theban who visited the Malabar Coasts mentions “a thousand islands and their treacherous nature since they had loadstone rocks which attracted iron-bound vessels to their destruction”.The Persian Merchant Suleiman (9th Century) who crossed the Indian Ocean, wrote: ” in the sea known as the sea of Herkend, there are nearly 1900 islands and the ruler is a woman, and that their wealth consisted of cowries”.Ma Huan who traveled with Cheng Ho’s great expedition to east Africa in 1433, identifies some of the islands and tells how foreign ships travel from afar to purchase ropes, in his Overall Survey of the Ocean’s Shores.

At the time of the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese were familiar with the islands and called it the submerged mountain chain (Liu Shan), and wrote aboute the climate, geography, and customs of these islands.