Maldives: Kingdom of a Thousand Islands

Asia's smallest and least-known nation, the Republic of Maldives, lies scattered from north to south across a 750-kilometre sweep of the Indian Ocean, 500 kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka. More than 1000 islands, together with innumerable banks and reefs, are grouped in a chain of nineteen atolls which extends from a point due west of Colombo to just south of the equator.

The atolls, formed of great rings of coral based on the submarine Laccadive-Chagos ridge, vary greatly in size. Some are only a few kilometres square, but in the far south the great atoll of Suvadiva is more than sixty-five kilometres across, and has a central lagoon of more than 2000 square kilometres. The northern and central atolls are separated from each other by comparatively narrow channels of deep water, but in the south Suvadiva is cut off by the eighty-kilometre-wide One-and-a-half-Degree Channel. Addu Atoll, formerly the site of a British base at Gan, is still more isolated, being separated from the atoll of Suvadiva by the seventy-kilometre-wide Equatorial Channel.

Strung around the rims of the atolls like beads-or in some cases within the central lagoons-are the islands. Most of them are less than a square kilometre in area and are very low-lying. From the sea they appear as fragile groups of coconut palms apparently in permanent danger of being swept away by the sea, but this is an illusion. In fact most island have a protective coral reef, and the great outer reef which all but surrounds each atoll acts as a massive breakwater, shielding the islands from all but the worst storms. At various points in these outer reefs are narrow and treacherous passages which allow access to the lagoons. Early mariners likened the atolls to fortresses set in the midst of the ocean. Their structure becomes more apparent from the air-the islands, tiny specks of green coconut palm and white coral sand, are surrounded by massive coral reefs that appear in shades of aquamarine and emerald against the surrounding azure depths of the Indian Ocean.

The vegetation is luxuriant, and similar to that of coastal Sri Lanka or Kerala. The coconut palm predominates and provides the basic agricultural crop. The breadfruit tree is also common. In the north of the country some millet is grown, and yam grow well in the southern atolls. All rice has to be imported, and is therefore comparatively expensive. Other fruits and vegetables grow poorly, although the southern island-atoll of Fua Mulaku has a nation-wide reputation for citrus fruits-something the outsider might well consider an exaggeration. The real wealth of Maldives, now as always, lies in the rich fishing grounds which surround the country, as well as in the booming, high-end tourist industry.

The climate is tropical, with temperatures varying between 25°C and 32°C throughout the year. Humidity is high. Seasonal monsoon storms are more common in the north than the south. There are no rivers or hills, but an annual rainfall of more than 2,500 millimetres and a lens of fresh ground water several metres deep generally ensure a constant supply of well water.

Maldivians are staunchly Muslim, and have a strong sense of their cultural and national identity. They are renowned as hardy and skilled fishermen, and have a reputation for generosity and tolerance. Maldivian women do not go in purdah, although in the south they often wear a head-veil called a buruga. Polygamy is rare, and women occupy a respected position in society.

Of the current population of 275,000, around 75,000 live on the tiny island-capital of Malé which is little more than two square kilometres in area, whilst the rest live on the outlying atolls. All contact with the outside world is through Mal�, which is a typically Islamic town. Most houses are of dazzling white coral stone, although some of the poorer families live in cadjan houses of palm matting. Few houses have more than one storey. Most are inward-looking and present an anonymous, eyeless face to the passer-by. The streets, which are kept spotlessly clean, are of packed coral sand. The harbour is lined with identical administrative buildings, each with a neat departmental nameplate, and each flying the national flag-white crescent moon on green background with a red border.

Both Malé and the outlying atolls are studded with tiny mosques, although for a long time only the Malé Friday Mosque had a minaret-a cylindrical white tower, dating from 1674, which bears a strong resemblance to a lighthouse. Maldivian mosque architecture contains some fine examples of carved stone and lacquered wood, but the overall effect is often diminished by a functional but unattractive corrugated iron roof.

Adrian Neville / CPA

Ranveli, Ari Atoll, Maldives.

Among the remote archipelagos of the central Indian Ocean the Maldives have a unique history. Other island groups, including the Seychelles, remained uninhabited until recent times and have stronger ties with East Africa than with Asia. The Maldives, however, are thought to have been first settled by Dravidian people from the Indian mainland 2500 years ago and cultural links have been almost exclusively Asian. Practically nothing is known of these first Maldivians. They were submerged by two separate waves of influence-Sinhalese Buddhist and Arab Muslim-which swept over the Maldives 1000 years apart, and which have combined to give the Maldivians a unique homogeneous cultural identity.

During the first centuries of the Christian era the Sinhala people of Sri Lanka began a series of migrations to the Maldives. They brought with them Theravada Buddhism, the mediaeval Sinhala language and script, and many aspects of the political and social structure of mediaeval Sri Lanka.

The sophisticated Arab navigators who dominated Indian Ocean trade before the coming of the Portuguese also made early contact with the Maldive islanders. Individual Arab traders settled peacefully in the country and intermarried with local women. The Arabs also brought a few African slaves with them, and in time they too were absorbed in the population. In 1153, a Moroccan Arab, Abu al-Barakat, converted the king of the Maldives to Islam. The king took the name Muhammad ul-Adil, and established an Islamic Sultanate that was to endure, almost without interruption, until 1968.

The present inhabitants of the Maldives owe their predominantly Indo-European ethnic origins and their language, Dhivehi, to their Sinhala ancestors. To the Arabs they owe their religion, and also their distinctive script, Thaana, which is based on Arabic numerals. Maldivian society is a product of the blending of these two cultures-for example Maldivian law is based on Islamic Shari'a law, whilst the uniquely Maldivian punishment of banishment to a remote island is probably derived from the early Sinhala custom of exiling offenders to fever areas.

European influence has been slight. The Portuguese occupied Malé in 1558. Intolerance and cruelty marked their rule, and the Maldivians responded with guerrilla warfare. In 1573 the Maldivian national hero Muhammad Thakurufaan liberated Malé after the Portuguese garrison had been killed to a man.

After the Portuguese debacle the isolated Sultanate was left alone by the European powers until1877, when the Maldives became a British Protectorate. Under the terms of this agreement Britain assumed responsibility for external affairs, but the country remained internally self-governing. Thus the humble Maldives, alone in South Asia, were able to retain a high degree of independence throughout the colonial period.

Throughout the period of British hegemony in the Indian sub-continent the Maldives remained an imperial afterthought, but with Indian Independence in 1947 Britain became seriously interested in the Maldives. At the southern tip of the country, in Addu Atoll, lies the island of Gan. In the cold war climate of the mid-1950s it was decided to develop Gan as a staging post strategically located between Masirah and Singapore. The Maldivian government failed to agree on terms for the development of the Gan base, so Britain went ahead unilaterally with its construction. As a result, Anglo-Maldivian relations reached an all-time low from which they have now fully recovered. As part of an overall settlement of the Gan question in 1965, Britain recognised the Maldives Sultanate as an independent and sovereign nation. But it was not until the last Briton left Gan in March 1976 that, after ninety-nine years, British interests in the country were finally ended.

The Impact of Tourism

Until the development of tourism, the mainstay of the Maldivian economy, providing more than 90 percent of export earnings, was the fishing industry. Even today a large part of the population remain dependent on fishing for their livelihood. Fishing is carried on from tiny sailing craft called dhoni, many of which are now motorised. In the past fish, primarily dried bonito, was exported almost exclusively to Sri Lanka. Traditional agricultural exports including coir, or coconut fibre, and copra, or dried coconut meat, are now almost entirely consumed domestically and make a minimal contribution to export earnings.

Adrian Neville / CPA

Maldives air taxi comes ashore.

Things began to change in 1972 when the first "tourist island" was opened. Today there are at least 87 tourist resorts scattered across the central atolls and at Gan in the far south. The Maldives designated 2000 as "Visit Maldives" year, bringing in almost 450,000 tourists and generating no less than 72 percent of the country's foreign exchange earnings. Within a few short years it seems certain that annual numbers of foreign visitors to Maldives will outnumber the indigenous inhabitants by more than 200 percent.

None of this really need bother the average tourist, who only needs to know one or two things about the country-that it has the most beautiful tropical scenery, graceful coconut palms leaning over crystal-clear lagoons, coral reefs promising great snorkelling and scuba diving, friendly people and lots of sunshine.

Adrian Neville / CPA

Olhuveli Resort, Maldives.

The Maldives attracts almost half a million tourists a year, of whom roughly a quarter are Germans, 20 percent Italians, 9 percent Japanese, 8 percent British, and a slightly smaller number of Swedes, Swiss and French. Only a few Americans and Australians make it to these isolated islands. The tourist industry appeals chiefly to affluent visitors who don't mind the lack of nightlife and who value seclusion. Scuba divers praise the Maldives as a serious rival to the Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea. Its transparent waters are a comfortable 27°C (81°F) all year round, and shifting currents open up fresh dive sites throughout the year.

Almost all tourists are housed in self-contained resorts, carefully distanced by the wide blue coral seas from the indigenous population. Away from the resorts, it is obvious that geographical and cultural isolation has kept the Maldives in a state of considerable cultural isolation, somehow barely connected to the rest of the world. Traditionally, prisoners found guilty of serious crimes are punished by being sent to a remote island for long periods, to serve a sentence of separation from their families and from the community at large. International tourists in search of their idea of paradise, however, willingly pay hundreds of dollars a day for basically the same surroundings-a voluntary self-exile amongst swaying palm trees and pristine white beaches which they may leave at will-though given the choice many would opt to linger.

This article is taken from Andrew Forbes' forthcoming book The Maldives: Kingdom of a Thousand Islands published by Odyssey Publications.

If you are interested in publishing this article please contact info@cpamedia.com (or use this page) for pricing and additional images. Should you wish simply to quote from the article or to use it for strictly non-commercial purposes please be sure to acknowledge CPAmedia copyright together with a link to our website at www.cpamedia.com.