Maldives or Maldive Islands, officially the Republic of 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, and about seven hundred kilometers (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka. The twenty-six atolls including Addu Atoll,former RAF base,encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, roughly two hundred of which are inhabited by local communities. Islands housing hotels, antennae, fuel tanks, and other such premises, are not counted as inhabited islands by the administration.
   The name "Maldives" derives from Maale Dhivehi Raajje ("The Island Kingdom [under the authority of] Malé")". Some scholars believe that the name "Maldives" derives from the Sanskrit maladvipa, meaning "garland of islands", or from mahila dvipa, meaning "island of women", but these names are not found in ancient Sanskrit literature. Instead, classical Sanskrit texts mention the "Hundred Thousand Islands" (Lakshadweep); a generic name which would include not only the Maldives, but also the Laccadives and the Chagos island groups. Some medieval Arab travellers such as Ibn Batuta called the islands "Mahal Dibiyat" from the Arabic word Mahal ("palace"). This is the name presently inscribed in the scroll of the Maldive state emblem.
   Originally a Buddhist nation, Islam was introduced in 1153. It later became a Portuguese (1558), Dutch (1654), and British (1887) colonial possession. In 1965, Maldives obtained independence from Britain (originally under the name "Maldives Islands"), and in 1968 the Sultanate was replaced by a Republic. However, in thirty-eight years, the Maldiveshave seen only two Presidents, though political res

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