Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south of Lakshadweep group of islands of India, about 700 kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The 26 atolls encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly 200 of which are inhabited by people. The country's name may stand for "Mountain Islands" (from mala in Malayalam / malai in Tamil, meaning "mountain" and dtivu in Tamil meaning "island"). It might mean "a thousand islands." Some scholars believe that the name "Maldives" derives from the Sanskrit maladvipa, meaning "garland of islands". Others believe the name means "Palace" (from al-Mahal in Arabic). Following the introduction of Islam in 1153, the islands later became a Portuguese (1558), Dutch (1654), and British (1887) colonial possession. In 1965, Maldives declared its independence from Britain, and in 1968 the Sultanate was replaced by a theoretical Republic. However, in 38 years, the Maldives have had only two Presidents, though political restrictions have loosened somewhat recently.

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Get the best of both worlds with our new for S10 twin centre hols in Dom Rep (Samana & North) & Maldives/Kerala: http://www.thomson.co.uk/
thomsonholidays (Thomson Holidays) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:45:10 -0000
Get the best of both worlds with our new for S10 twin centre hols in Dom Rep (Samana & North) & Maldives/Kerala: http://www.thomson.co.uk/
#fb Scuba Dive Maldives Happy Thanksgiving to all my Facebook friends... don't eat too much turkey!!!: Happy Thanks... http://bit.ly/6eaKXf
bottomtimescuba (bottomtimescuba) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:35:27 -0000
#fb Scuba Dive Maldives Happy Thanksgiving to all my Facebook friends... don't eat too much turkey!!!: Happy Thanks... http://bit.ly/6eaKXf
Maldives Surfing {blog}: Maldives Surfing Waves. Waves in the Maldives are usually between 4 and 8 feet high, but someti http://url4.eu/pfzJ
shredthepipe (Shred the Pipe) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:10:21 -0000
Maldives Surfing {blog}: Maldives Surfing Waves. Waves in the Maldives are usually between 4 and 8 feet high, but someti http://url4.eu/pfzJ
Dubai & Maldives for Xmas & new years? This might just do it
NancyChloe (Nancy) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:08:25 -0000
Dubai & Maldives for Xmas & new years? This might just do it
crowding and mass gathering to celebrate EID should be discouraged in the Maldives..we are battling with a highly contagius disease
ThemeLatheef (ThemeLatheef) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:00:58 -0000
crowding and mass gathering to celebrate EID should be discouraged in the Maldives..we are battling with a highly contagius disease
SMS offer from Txtworks (Oh how I wish..) Crazy Maldives Sale http://bit.ly/7lqtTY
Txtworks (Stephen) Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:29:29 -0000
SMS offer from Txtworks (Oh how I wish..) Crazy Maldives Sale http://bit.ly/7lqtTY

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