WWW.GOODNEWS.WS Republic of Maldives

goodnews.ws The Maldives or Maldive Islands, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island country consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India's Lakshadweep islands between Minicoy Island and the Chagos Archipelago, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea of Indian Ocean. The twenty-six atolls of Maldives encompass a territory featuring 1192 islets, of which two hundred islands are inhabited. The original inhabitants were Buddhist, probably since Ashoka's period,[citation needed] in the 3rd century BC. Islam was introduced in 1153 and has remained dominant since. During the period of European exploration and colonialism, the Maldives came under the influence of the Portuguese (1558) and then the Dutch (1654) seaborne empires. In 1887 the islands became a British protectorate, then obtained independence from Britain (originally under the name "Maldive Islands") in 1965. Three years later the reigning Islamic Sultanate was replaced by a quasi-Islamic presidential Republic; in 2008, submission to the Islamic faith became a legal requirement for citizens. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area; it is the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in). The name "Maldives" may derive from Maale Dhivehi ...

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