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 Maléin 1966. The Embassy of the People's Republic of China has since replaced this office.
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian politician,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.
Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan,,commonly known as Ibrahim Nasir,was a Maldivian politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Maldives from 1957 to 1968 under the monarchy,and later the first President of the Second Republic of Maldives from 1968 to 1978. Nasir served two terms,then he decided to retire,even though the People's Majlis voted him in for a third term. Nasir adhered to the non-aligned ideology and was a staunch anti-imperialist. Nasir is remembered as an independence hero for guiding the Maldives to independence from the British Empire,he is also credited for establishing the tourism industry in the Maldives,as well as rapidly modernizing and developing the country and economy.
Fathulla Jameel,was a Maldivian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives from 1978 to 2005.
Dunya Maumoon is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2013–2016) of the Government of Maldives.
Nasreena Ibrahim is a Maldivian activist who was the first lady of the Maldives from November 1978 to November 2008,as the wife of president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. She is the longest tenured first lady in history of the Maldives.
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.
Ilyas Ibrahim,is the brother-in-law of the former President of the Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom. He was a minister in Maumoon's cabinet for a long time and served as an MP for the capital city Maléfrom 1980 to 1995. He also served as the MP for Laamu Atoll,&a member of People's Special Majilis,from 2003 to 2008.
The Progressive Party of Maldives,is a political party in the Maldives with a total membership of 35,044 as of 25 April 2024. The stated goal of the party is driving Maldives towards an independent and democratic,safe and secure,high income,high human capital,developed nation state with a diversified and robust economy whilst preserving its Islamic heritage. The party is to be dissolved.
The Maldives Reform Movement is a political party in the Maldives officially founded on 20 November 2019. The Elections Commission (EC) authorized the formation on 2 October 2019. The party was registered by Yumna Maumoon but was founded by former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom after disagreements with Abdulla Yameen about the direction of the Progressive Party of Maldives.
Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018.
Umar Zahir,was a Maldivian politician. He was the first sports minister of the Maldives,serving from 1988 to 1993. As public works minister from 1993 to 2004,he oversaw the first construction phase of Hulhumalé,as well as the construction of Thilafushi and the Maléseawall.
Ahmed Faris Maumoon,commonly known as Faris,is a Maldivian politician who currently serves as the President of the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM),a political party established in 2019 by his father and former president,Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. He has served as Minister of State for Economic Development from November 2013 to June 2015. He was also elected as a Member of Parliament from June 2015 to May 2019 for Dhiggaru constituency.
Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon is a Maldivian politician and incumbent Minister of Defence of the Maldives. He has held many ministerial positions in past administrations of the government. He is member of Parliament from Guraidhoo constituency. He is serving as Vice President of the Progressive Party of Maldives.
Maldivian presidential assassination attempts have been numerous,ranging from the early twentieth century since the establishment of the first republic of the Maldives. In 1980,President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was first Maldivian president to experience an assassination attempt,when three attempts were made to overthrow Maumoon's government and assassinate the president.
Sheikh Abdul Gayoom Ibrahim,commonly known as Maafaiygey Dhon Seedhi,was a Maldivian politician and judge who served as Attorney General of the Maldive Islands from 1950 to 1951.
Ameena Mohamed Amin was a Maldivian parliamentarian who is the daughter of former president,Mohamed Amin Didi,and former poet,Fathimath Saeed.
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.
