Interesting facts about Maldives

If you’ve ever seen pictures of a tropical island with sparkling blue water that stretches as far as the eye can see, private beach huts on white sandy beaches, and coral reefs that teem with life, chances are they’re pictures of the Maldives. This tropical paradise sits in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and is made up of 1,190 coral islands and atolls that stretch over 90,000 square kilometers (35,000 sq mi). Ninety-nine percent of the nation of the Maldives is ocean water, but it still supports a rich, 3,000-year-old culture, an amazing educational system, and a ridiculously intolerant government.

For as long as there has been recorded history, the Maldives has been an incredibly important island chain due to its location along a number of trade routes. The first people to officially colonize the islands came from India; the real date is unknown, but it was thought to happen before 269 BC. Legends says that there was no government, only a peace-loving community of people who worshiped the Sun and the water.

The first actual kingdom was said to have been established by the son of the king of Kalinga in India. The king was greatly displeased with his son, so he was sent away to the Maldives—what was then known as Dheeva Maari. This prince, named Sri Soorudasaruna Adeettiya, was responsible for the establishment of the Maldives’ Adeetta Dynasty. Also known as the Solar Dynasty, this era ended with the marriage of a Solar Dynasty queen to a prince of Kalinga’s Lunar Dynasty.