Sunday, May 15, 2016

Maldives Flag History

By Joana Farrel


The history of the Maldives is that of a small, isolated and peaceful nation constantly trying to contain the desires of its powerful neighbors and would-be colonizers. It's also an incredibly hazy history for the most part - of which little before the conversion to Islam in 1153 is known. Indeed, the pre-Muslim period is full of heroic myths, mixed with conjecture based on inconclusive archeological discoveries.

The islands are really the peaks of a huge underwater sierra standing at the bottom of the Indian Ocean and the Arabic Sea. The archipelago has a territory of approximately 90,000 square kilometers and the islands are very geographically spread. The capital of Maldives is the city of male and is found in the south of North Male Atoll. This is the seat of government and traditionally called the King’s island because the palace of the royal dynasties who first ruled it was built there.

The Portuguese attacked several more times, and the rajahs of Cannanore, South India, (who had helped Thakurufaanu) also attempted to gain control. In the 17th century, the Maldives accepted the protection of the Dutch, who ruled Ceylon at the time. They also had a short-lived defense treaty with the French, and maintained good relations with the British, especially after the British took possession of Ceylon in 1796. These relations enabled the Maldives to be free of external threats while maintaining internal autonomy.

Once Maldives became a republic in the year 1953, the country then again restructured their flag. The crescent was turned towards the fly of the flag and this then became the new flag of the country.

The national flag has its opening facing the hoist side while the state flag’s crescent faces the opposite direction. In 1953 to 1965, Maldives was made a republic and the flag has undergone another change. The national flag ceased to be used and the new flag featured a five-pointed white star beside the crescent moon.

The current national and presidential flags of Maldives were introduced officially on July 26, 1968. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Maldives Flag for the future.




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