The Role of Local Food in Maldives Tourism - Scholarly Commons ...

was a British protectorate from 1887 until 1965. The Maldives became a republic and
assumed its present name in 1968, three years after independence from Britain
(Maumoon, 2002). Since 1978 President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has been ruling the
country. Politically, the Maldives is currently undergoing fundamental constitutional
changes. These have led to the country becoming a multi-party democracy in 2008
(BBC, 2008).
Islam is the official religion of the Maldives. However, archaeological evidence
suggests the existence of Hinduism and Buddhism before the country embraced Islam in
AD 1153 (Mohamed, 2002). The official and common language of the Maldivians is
Dhivehi, which has its roots in Sanskrit and Sinhalese, both spoken in Sri Lanka
(Maumoon, 2002). The Maldivian script known as thaana is written from right to left.
English is used widely in commerce and as the medium of instruction in schools.
The culture of the Maldives has developed over the years in accord with the island
environment. This is reflected in the construction of boats, house design, food and
cooking, rituals, music, dance and social practices (Maumoon, 2002). However, modern
developments have brought dramatic changes to all spheres of life. In Maumoon’s
(2000) words, the country now is “… at a crossroads where the people have to maintain
a delicate balance between their own unique cultural practices and a mass global culture
(p. 22).”
4.2.1 Population
The Maldives has a population of 298,968 (in 2006) spread among 196 islands. Strong
disparities are evident in the population distribution between the islands: Male’, the
capital island, has a population of 102,377, or nearly one-third of the total population,
whereas there are 142 islands with fewer than 1000 inhabitants and 76 islands with
fewer than 500 persons (MPND, 2007a). Only three islands have a population greater
than 5000 (Shareef, 2007). Hence, most of the inhabited islands are sparsely populated
while a small number of islands are heavily congested. The growth of Male’ is a result
of migration from the other islands as people seek better job and educational
opportunities, and an improved quality of life. However, this migration has resulted in
inequalities – both economic and social – between Male’ and the other atolls (Yahya,
Parameswaran & Sebastian, 2005). Youth unemployment, increasing crime rate, social
disharmony and drug abuse are all outcomes of the highly congested living conditions
prevalent in Male’ and some other islands (Latheef & Gupta, 2007).
65