v23_2193 - MALDIVES - RÉPUBLIQUE 1.000 rufiyaa 1990

THE MALDIVES - REPUBLIC

(since 1968)

The Maldives Islands are located in the Indian Ocean more than 600 kilometers from the Sri Lankan and Indian coasts. Visited by Arab sailors, the inhabitants of the Maldives converted to Islam. Refuges of pirates, the islands became a British protectorate in 1887, attached to the island of Ceylon, and led by local sultans. A first short-lived republic was proclaimed in 1953-1954. Independence was gained on July 26, 1965 and the republic was established on November 11, 1968..