History

Originally settled by Buddhists and Hindus from India around 500BC, the Maldives was eventually converted to Islam in 1153 and resisted all subsequent attempts to convert it to Christianity by the Portuguese, who controlled the islands on and off in the 16th century. The Maldives became a British Protectorate during the 20th century, until becoming independent in 1965.

The country’s modern history was largely shaped by dictator Maumoon Gayoom, who was president from 1978 until 2008, during which time the country suffered terrible police abuse and human rights abuses. Gayoom, who ruled the country virtually unchallenged, finally made concessions to allow for free and democratic elections in 2008. When no candidate gained a 50% share of the votes, a run-off was held, which was narrowly won by Mohamed Nasheed, long time political dissident and opposition leader, who became the country’s first democratically elected leader.

Gayoom stepped down and Nasheed was sworn in as president in November 2008. Despite having been imprisoned on multiple occasions by Gayoom’s police, Nasheed signalled that his government would not prosecute any member of the previous administration and the new government has since focused on much needed reforms such as improving education, health care, social security and environmental protection.

In recent years successive natural disasters threatened to damage the tourism industry, which in fact bounced back remarkably quickly. In 1998 El Nino caused widespread coral bleaching, and in 2004 the tsunami devastated 21 of its islands. In acknowledgement of the potential global warming has to destroy, or even engulf on the islands, which are at their highest point a mere 5 metres above sea level, in March 2009 the government announced plans to make Maldives the world’s first carbon-neutral country.