The Maldives converted to Islam in 1153 under Sultan Mohamed Bin Abdullah, replacing a Buddhist tradition that archaeological evidence confirms through stupa remnants scattered across several atolls. The conversion narrative centers on a Moroccan scholar named Abu al-Barakat Yusuf al-Barbari, though historical certainty about his identity remains disputed among scholars who have examined limited surviving records. Hukuru Miskiy, the Old Friday Mosque in Malé built in 1656 from coral stone, stands as the oldest mosque structure in the country, its interior walls covered in Arabic script carved directly into the coral. The Islamic Centre, also called the Grand Friday Mosque, opened in 1984 and remains the largest mosque in Malé, its golden dome visible across the capital.
The Portuguese occupied the Maldives from 1558 to 1573, establishing a garrison in Malé and attempting to control Indian Ocean trade routes. Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu led the resistance that expelled the Portuguese in 1573, an event commemorated annually on the first day of the third month in the Dhivehi calendar. Thakurufaanu became sultan after liberation and remains the most prominent figure in Maldivian historical memory, his legacy invoked in school curricula and national holidays. The British established a protectorate in 1887 under an agreement that allowed internal autonomy while Britain controlled foreign affairs and defense. The Maldives gained independence on July 26, 1965, a date now celebrated as Independence Day.
The sultanate system ended in 1968 through a referendum that established a republic. Ibrahim Nasir became the first president, serving from 1968 to 1978. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom held the presidency from 1978 to 2008, a period marked by single-party rule and limited political opposition. The country held its first multi-party democratic elections in 2008, bringing Mohamed Nasheed to office. Constitutional changes and political transitions since 2008 have involved multiple governments, judicial interventions, and shifts between presidential administrations.
The Dhivehin people form the indigenous population, with genetic and linguistic evidence pointing to settlement origins from South Asia, particularly Sri Lanka and southwestern India. Arab traders established routes through the Maldives during medieval centuries, contributing vocabulary and cultural elements that remain visible in Dhivehi language and Islamic practice. African ancestry markers in the population trace to East African maritime networks and the slave trade that operated across the Indian Ocean through the nineteenth century. Current citizenship law restricts nationality to Muslims, codified in the 2008 constitution.
Dhivehi, the national language, belongs to the Indo-Aryan family with the closest linguistic relationship to Sinhala spoken in Sri Lanka. Written Dhivehi uses Thaana script, which reads right to left and incorporates both Indic and Arabic numerals modified into alphabetic characters. The Maliku dialect spoken in the northernmost atolls shows distinct phonological differences from Malé Dhivehi, while the Addu dialect in the southern atolls diverges enough that mutual intelligibility requires adjustment. English serves as the language of government documentation, tourism operations, and secondary education, with proficiency rates highest in Malé and tourist-employed populations.
Approximately 200 of the 1,192 islands in the Maldives hold permanent populations. Malé, the capital, occupies less than six square kilometers and houses roughly one-third of the national population, estimated at 520,000 in 2023 census figures. Addu City in the southern atolls forms the only other urban center with a distinct economic base, historically linked to the British Royal Air Force base that operated on Gan Island until 1976. Fuvahmulah functions as a single-island administrative division, distinct from other inhabited islands because it does not form part of an atoll structure. Population density in Malé exceeds 65,000 people per square kilometer, making it one of the most densely populated urban areas globally.
The National Museum in Malé, housed in the former Royal Palace building within Sultan Park, holds pre-Islamic and Islamic artifacts including coral stone sculptures, royal regalia, and wooden lacquerwork. The museum's collection suffered damage in 2012 when intruders destroyed pre-Islamic Buddhist and Hindu statuary, eliminating several pieces that documented the islands' religious history before 1153. Mulee Aage Palace, built in 1906, served as the presidential residence until 1936 and currently functions as the official residence of the President of the Maldives. Esjehi Art Gallery in Malé displays contemporary Maldivian visual art, including works that incorporate traditional lacquerwork techniques and calligraphy.