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Asia and Oceania
Maldives |
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Last reviewed: 27 October 2009 |
Country information
HISTORY
Maldives was an independent Sultanate from 1153 until the Portuguese invaded in 1558. They ruled for a short span of 15 years until overthrown in 1573. On December 16, 1887 the Sultan of the Maldives signed a contract with the British Governor of Ceylon turning the Maldives into a British protectorate. The Maldives gained independence on July 26, 1965 and became a republic on 11 November 1968. It joined the Commonwealth in 1982.
