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Article: National Day of Maldives.(Opinion)
- Article from:
- Manila Bulletin
- Article date:
- July 25, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Maldives is an island nation consisting of a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives are located south of India’s Lakshadweep islands, about 700 kilometers southwest of Sri Lanka. The name “Maldives’’ is derived from the Sanskirt maladvipa, meaning “garland of islands,’’ or from mahila dvipa, meaning “island of women.’’ Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area. It is also the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world.Islam was introduced in 1153 to Maldives, which was originally a Buddhist nation. It became successfully a Portuguese (1558), Dutch (1654), and ...