Maldives / History / Early Settlers

Legend has it that a prince and his wife, the daughter of the King of today's Sri Lanka, stopped at Raa Atoll during a voyage and were invited to stay as rulers.

Later King Koimala and his wife settled in Malé with permission of the Giraavaru tribe, the aboriginal tribe of Kaafu atoll. Nowadays Giraavaru people are still easily recognisable through their clothes and hairstyle, but only a few hundred of them are left and were resettled in Malé in 1978. Their island, Giraavaru has been transformed into a tourist resort.

Aryans from India and Sri Lanka are believed to have settled in the Maldives from 1500 BC onwards - according to latest archaeological findings. "Elu", an archaic form of Sinhala (spoken in Sri Lanka) shows great similarities to Dhivehi.

As a favourite stop-over on the busy trade routes, the Maldives have had many visitors and influences, trading with Arabia, China and India with coconut, dried fish and above all the precious cowry shell, a small white shell found on the beach, used as currency in countries near the Indian Ocean. These shells were found as far away as Norway or West Africa showing the extent of the trade relations of the Maldives.

More on history:

• Conversion to Islam

• Maldivian Heroes

• The British Protectorate

• Independence

More information on the country and its people:

• Geography
• Climate
• People
• Language
• Economy