Sultanate of the Maldive Islands
Sultanate of the Maldive Islands
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| 1153–1953 1954–1968 | |||||||||||
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Flag (1926–1953) | |||||||||||
| Motto: الدولة المحمية المحلديبية (Arabic) Ad-Dawlat Mahmiyyatul Mahaldibiyya "The Protected State of Mahal Dibiyat" | |||||||||||
| Anthem: ސަލާމަތީ Salaamathi (1940–1968) "Safety" | |||||||||||
| Capital | Malé 4°10′31″N 73°30′32″E / 4.17528°N 73.50889°E | ||||||||||
| Official languages | Dhivehi | ||||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Maldive | ||||||||||
| Government | Hereditary absolute monarchy (1153–1932) Elective constitutional monarchy (from 1932) | ||||||||||
| Sultan | |||||||||||
• 1153–1165 | Adil I | ||||||||||
• 1954–1968 | Mohamed Fareed I | ||||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||||
• 1774 (first) | Ali Ranna Bandeyri Kilegefan | ||||||||||
• 1957–1968 (last) | Ibrahim Nasir | ||||||||||
| Legislature | Hakuraa Gan'duvaru | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| 1153 | |||||||||||
| 1573 | |||||||||||
| 1 January 1953 | |||||||||||
| 6 March 1954 | |||||||||||
| 26 July 1965 | |||||||||||
| 11 November 1968 | |||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||
• 1960 census | 91,650 | ||||||||||
| Currency | Cowries (until the 14th century) Larin (17th to 20th centuries) Ceylonese rupee and sterling (until 1947) Maldivian rupee (1947–1968) | ||||||||||
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The Sultanate of the Maldive Islands was an Islamic monarchy that controlled the Maldives for over eight centuries (1153–1968), with one interruption from 1953–1954.
Maldives was a Buddhist kingdom until its last monarch, King Dhovemi, converted to Islam in the year 1153; thereafter he also adopted the Muslim title and name of Sultan Muhammad al-Adil. Six dynasties would rule over the Maldives until the Sultanate become elective in 1932.
From the 16th century, the Sultanate increasingly came under European influence, starting with a 15-year period of Portuguese rule. After the expulsion of the Portuguese, the Maldives became subject to Dutch hegemony before finally becoming a British protected state in 1796. Following an abortive attempt at forming a republic in 1953, the emergence of a short-lived breakaway state, and the establishment of independence from the United Kingdom, the Sultanate was abolished following a successful referendum in 1968, and the Maldives became a republic.