Maldives — books & literature

The story of Maldives

The Maldives has been settled for well over two thousand years, with early Buddhist communities from Sri Lanka and southern India establishing island kingdoms governed from Malé by a long line of sultans. In 1153 CE the archipelago converted to Islam, a shift traditionally credited to the visiting scholar Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari, and Islam has remained the state religion ever since. The islands' strategic position on Indian Ocean trade routes drew Portuguese, Dutch and eventually British interest; a brief Portuguese occupation (1558-1573) ended when the national hero Muhammad Thakurufaanu led an uprising that restored the sultanate. The Maldives became a British protectorate in the late 19th century while retaining internal self-rule, then gained full independence on 26 July 1965. The sultanate was abolished in 1968 in favour of a republic, and for the next four decades Maldivian politics was dominated first by Ibrahim Nasir and then by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and a new democratic constitution in 2008 reshaped the nation, ushering in multi-party elections and a global voice on climate change. Today the Maldives is known worldwide for its coral atolls, luxury tourism, and its position on the front line of rising sea levels.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 5th century BCE

   Earliest settlement of the islands, likely by Buddhist communities from Sri Lanka and southern India.

2. 1153

   The Maldives converts to Islam under Sultan Muhammad ibn Abdullah, a shift traditionally credited to Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari.

3. 1558-1573

   Portuguese occupation of Malé, ended when Muhammad Thakurufaanu leads a successful uprising.

4. 1887

   The Maldives becomes a British protectorate while retaining internal self-government under its sultans.

5. 1965

   Independence from Britain (26 July).

6. 1968

   The sultanate is abolished; the Maldives becomes a republic under President Ibrahim Nasir.

7. 2004

   The Indian Ocean tsunami devastates low-lying islands, prompting a national rethink on climate vulnerability.

8. 2008

   A new constitution is adopted and Mohamed Nasheed wins the first multi-party presidential election.

Top 10 things to know about Maldives

1. The Maldives is widely cited as the world's lowest-lying country, with an average elevation of only about 1.5 metres above sea level.
2. It is made up of roughly 1,192 coral islands grouped into 26 natural atolls, only around 200 of which are inhabited.
3. Malé, the capital, is one of the most densely populated small cities in the world.
4. The Maldives is one of the most geographically dispersed countries on Earth, spread across a vast area of the Indian Ocean.
5. Sunni Islam is the state religion and the official faith of virtually the entire population.
6. Dhivehi, written in the right-to-left Thaana script, is the national language.
7. The country is a top global luxury tourism destination, known for overwater bungalow resorts.
8. Muhammad Thakurufaanu is celebrated as a national hero for ending Portuguese occupation in 1573.
9. In 2009 the Maldives held the world's first underwater cabinet meeting to highlight climate change risk.
10. The Maldives is among the nations most vulnerable to rising sea levels, giving it an outsized voice in global climate diplomacy.

Famous people from Maldives

Say it in Maldives's language

Did you know?

• ★The Maldives' highest natural point is only a few metres above sea level, making it one of the flattest countries on Earth.
• ★The archipelago has roughly 1,192 coral islands, but only around 200 are permanently inhabited.
• ★In 2009 President Mohamed Nasheed and his cabinet held a meeting underwater, in scuba gear, to draw world attention to sea-level rise.

Maldives culture

• Sunni Islam is the state religion and shapes daily life, dress codes, and law across the islands.
• Bodu Beru ("big drum") music and dance, blending African, Arab and South Asian rhythms, is the islands' signature performing art.
• Reef fishing, especially for skipjack tuna, and traditional boat-building have shaped Maldivian livelihoods for centuries.
• Local island life on guesthouse islands contrasts sharply with the separate resort-island economy that dominates national tourism income.

Why read Maldives's books

Maldivian literature grew from an oral tradition of raivaru verse and 12th-century copper-plate chronicles into a modern Dhivehi canon shaped by poets and statesmen alike , a small-island literary voice now reaching readers beyond the atolls.