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The Maldives (or [ˈmɒldiːvz], or Maldive Islands), officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India's Lakshadweep islands between the Minicoy and the Chargos archipelagoes, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea of Indian Ocean. The twenty-six atolls of Maldives encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, of which two hundred and fifty islands are inhabited. The inhabitants were Buddhist, probably since Ashoka's period, in the 3rd century BC and possibly Hindu before that. Islam was introduced in 1153. The Maldives then came under the influence of the Portuguese (1558) and the Dutch (1654) seaborne empires. In 1887 it became a British protectorate. In 1965, the Republic of Maldives obtained independence from Britain (originally under the name "Maldive Islands"), and in 1968 the Sultanate was replaced by a Republic. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area; it is the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world. It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world. - Surfing In The Maldives
The Maldives is definitely a unique and spectacular destination for surfers. The ideal waves that characterise the sea around the resorts on the atoll edge, accompanied by the good facilities, on the resorts make the country a superb destination for surfers.
- Scuba Diving In The Maldives
The Maldives Islands is a paradise for the divers, every week new diving sites are discovered,(actually there are more than 250 referenced Dive sites) each with its own life and fish species: coral reefs (naturally) emerging from the deepest of the Ocean in thila, caves, wreck .... are the biotope of coral fishes like surgeon fish, Napoleon, Eagle Ray, Manta Ray, turtles, white tipped and hammer head sharks (inoffensive in the Maldives). - Fishing In The Maldives
If you have a fetish for fishing, you don’t have to think twice. Grab a fishing rod, get into a dhoni and off you go! In Maldives you are on the loose. The islands offer the best opportunities for the fishing buffs. - The Maldives Culture
Maldivian culture is derived from a number of sources, the most important of which are its proximity to the shores of Sri Lanka and South India. Thus the population is mainly Dravidian from the anthropological point of view. The language is from Indo-Iranian Sanskritic origin, which points at a later influence from the North of the Subcontinent.
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