The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is a country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.
The history of the Maldives is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of South Asia and the Indian Ocean. The modern nation is formed of 26 natural atolls, comprising 1194 islands. Historically, the Maldives has held strategic importance due to its location on the major marine routes of the Indian Ocean. The Maldives's nearest neighbors are the British Indian Ocean Territory, Sri Lanka and India. The United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, and some Indian kingdoms have had cultural and economic ties with the Maldives for centuries. In addition to these countries, Maldivians also traded with Aceh and many other kingdoms in what is today Indonesia and Malaysia. The Maldives provided the primary source of cowrie shells, which were then used as currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast. Most likely, the Maldives were influenced by the Kalingas of ancient India. The Kalingas were the earliest region of India to trade with Sri Lanka and the Maldives and were responsible for the spread of Buddhism. Stashes of Chinese crockery found buried in various locations in the Maldives also show that there was direct or indirect trade contact between China and the Maldives. In 1411 and 1430, the Chinese admiral Zheng He (鄭和) visited the Maldives. The Chinese also became the first country to establish a diplomatic office in the Maldives when the Chinese nationalist government based in Taipei opened an embassy in Malé in 1966. The Embassy of the People's Republic of China has since replaced this office.
The Maldives has remained an independent nation throughout its recorded history, save for a brief spell of Portuguese occupation in the mid-16th century. From 1900 to 1965, the country was a British protectorate while retaining full internal sovereignty. At its independence in 1965, the Maldives joined the United Nations on 20 September.
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian statesman, diplomat and scholar who served as the 3rd president of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. He previously served as the Minister of Transport from 1977 to 1978, and as the Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations from 1976 to 1977. The longest-serving Maldivian president, Gayoom was the longest-serving leader in Asia.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area, 21% of the world's population and 5.21% of the global economy, as of 2021.
The Maldives national football team represents the Maldives in international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Maldives. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The Constitution of the Maldives is the supreme law of the country of Maldives. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the Republic of Maldives, sets out the rights and duties of the citizens of the Maldives, and defines the structure of the Government of the Maldives. The current Constitution of the Maldives was ratified by the then president, Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, on 7 August 2008, and came into effect immediately, replacing and repealing the Constitution of 1998.
The president of the Republic of Maldives is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Maldives and the commander-in-chief of the Maldives National Defence Force.
Mohamed Zahir Hussain, is a Maldivian politician and former teacher who is currently the chancellor of the Islamic University of Maldives.
Maldives–Sri Lanka relations, or official and economic relations between the neighbouring Indian Ocean countries of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, have been positive since the Maldives became independent in 1965. The Maldives first established a mission in Sri Lanka in July 1965, and today has a High Commission in Colombo. Sri Lanka has a High Commission in Malé. Both countries were founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in December 1985.
The Ministry of Defence is the Maldivian government agency responsible for protecting the independence and the integrity of the Maldivian citizenry.
The 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election was the ninth presidential election in the country’s history and was held on 21 September 2024. Incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe ran for re-election as an independent candidate, making him the first sitting president to run for re-election since Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2015. Other prominent candidates included Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the NPP, and Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Hussain Mohamed Latheef, commonly known as Sembe, is a Maldivian politician who is the 13th and incumbent vice president of the Maldives since 2023. He was a member of the People's Majlis for Fares-Maathodaa from 2014 to 2023. He was elected vice president as the running mate of Mohamed Muizzu in the 2023 presidential election.
Second Lady of the Maldives is the title attributed to the wife of the vice president of the Maldives. The title of second lady is utilized by the government and official publications.
The family of Mohamed Muizzu, the 8th and current president of the Maldives is a Maldivian descended family. they are active in law, education, activism and politics. the immediate family of Mohamed Muizzu is the current first family of the Maldives since his inauguration on November 17, 2023.
Aishath Afreen Mohamed is a Maldivian public figure and former human rights worker, who is the spouse of the vice president of the Maldives since November 2024, as the wife of vice president Hussain Mohamed Latheef.
Mohamed Hussain Shareef, commonly known as Mundhu, is an Maldivian politician who from February 2012 to November 2013 served as the Minister of Human Resources, Youth and Sports, under president Mohamed Waheed Hassan, and as the Ambassador of the Maldives to Japan from 2016 to 2017. He further served as the Ambassador of the Maldives to Sri Lanka, and is currently serving as the Ambassador of the Maldives to the United Arab Emirates since 2023.
Mariyam Saeed was a Maldivian poet who was the first lady of the Maldives as the second wife of president Ibrahim Nasir from November 1968 until her husband handed the role to his third wife Naseema Mohamed. From 1954 to 1968, Saeed was also the spouse of the prime minister of the Maldives. Referred to be one of the greatest poets in Maldivian history, she was the daughter of the greatest poet in Maldivian history Hussain Salahuddin.
