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Main
article: History
of the Maldives
The early history of the Maldives is obscure. According
to Maldivian legend, a Sinhalese
prince named Koimale was stranded with his bride--daughter
of the king of Sri
Lanka in a Maldivian lagoon and stayed on to rule
as the first sultan.
Over the centuries, the islands have been visited and
their development influenced by sailors from countries
on the Arabian
Sea and the Indian
Ocean littorals. Mopla pirates from the Malabar
Coast--present-day Kerala
state in India--harassed the islands. In the 16th
century, the Portuguese
subjugated and ruled the islands for 15 years (1558-1573)
before being driven away by the warrior-patriot and
later Sultan, Muhammad
Thakurufaanu Al-Azam.
Although governed as an independent Islamic
sultanate for most of its history from 1153
to 1968,
Maldives was a British protectorate from 1887
until July
25, 1965.
In 1953,
there was a brief, abortive attempt at a republican
form of government, after which the sultanate was reimposed.
Following independence from Britain in 1965, the sultanate
continued to operate for another 3 years. On November
11, 1968, it was abolished and replaced by a republic,
and the country assumed its present name. Tourism and
fishing are being developed on the archipelago.
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