Skip to main content
Like
Create new Glog
previous
next
Email share
45 views | 0 likes | 0 reposts
The Republic of Maldives
The Republic of Maldives is and archipelago southwest of India in the Indian Ocean. It is made up of about 1,3OO islands though only 2OO islands are occupied. The official language in Maldives is Divehi, which originated from Sinhala, the original language in Sri Lanka. The estimated population is 396,334 people total on all islands. Their capital city is Male, located on the Hulule Island.
The people of Maldives have most cafs and restaurants in their capital, Male. Some of their dishes include some western foods, Indian, and Sri Lankian foods. Being a small island country, most of their food is imported. But they also live in around oceans with a good supply of fish and seafood.
FOOD
The Republic of Maldives gained independence on July 26th, 1965 from British Rule. The President of the country serves a 5 year term in office. The voting age is 21. Under their new constitution, 42 representatives are chosen by vote, while the remaining 8 are selected by the president. They also serve a 5 year term as representatives of an individual community. At the moment, tourism is the main stability of their economy, due to the beautiful scenes, but small land area. An average of 500,000 tourists visit the islands yearly. It counts for 1/3 of the country’s GDP and 40% of their export earnings.
Among boys, soccer is a popular sport and pastime. Matches are often held against other neighboring islands. Among the girls, a unique sport called bashi is played. The play is in a way similar to softball, but used a tennis racket and tennis ball instead. Their most popular music at the time is a dance style called bodu beru which means big drum. The dance got its name from a big drum made from a hollow coconut trunk. This dance is mostly played during celebrations, and sometimes just for fun.
Farming and agriculture have little part in the Republic of Maldives. Tourism is the main attraction and industry. They have a tropical, humid climate, which causes for a good supply of plants to grow. Some of the agriculture grown there include coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes, and fish.
Geography
The are around 1,300 islands which stretch south for about 400 miles. They lay on approximately 26 close-ringed coral reefs called atolls. All of these islands are low-landed, and lie close to sea level. The barrier reefs around them help protect the area from monsoons. Being an island, they have many beaches. Many fish, dolphins, and turtles swim around in the clear ocean water. The closest land masses are Sri Lanka, and Cape Comorin, India.
The people of Maldives are Islamic, but mainly follow a certain branch of Islam called shari’a. Any other practice of religion is forbidden, and any alcohol or pork is illegal. But those privileges are allowed for tourists and visitors. And like most Islamic followers, they attend mosque on Fridays. But other Maldivians who are not Islamic followers, meet secretly in private capital homes. Their Muslim society is very important in their country. They do their best to block outside influences that may be brought by tourists, which is why they build resorts on uninhabited islands which they call tourist zones.
Religion
Education in Maldives is required from ages 6-12. Primary schools are usually located on every island. They study Quar’an, the religious text if Islam. The schools in Maldives still follow the former British example, where a certain age group takes a certain level of exam. Most teenagers work to help support their family, rather than get a secondary education. But those who still want to continue their education, may have to live with another family member while attending a college nearby.
National Anthem
The flag of the Republic of Maldives was considered theirs in 1968. The Red color of the back rectangle stands for the blood of their nation’s heroes. The green behind the crescent stands for Maldives’ palm trees, one of their natural resources. The crescent on the center of the flag stands for their Islamic religion and faith.
Government
Arts
Education
Natural Resources
