Hello!
My name is Stella Fetherston, I’m a first year at the University of Oregon, an Environmental Science major, and I’m also in the Global Engagement Academic Residential Community! I have a few pets, like
my dog Kipper, my cat Sagwa, and my snakes: Lucy, Zelda, and Opal. I love playing volleyball, drawing, and taking care of my houseplants (a few of which I brought to my dorm room).
Through my ARC, I’m going to be blogging about the Maldives as I educate myself on the region. I’m particularly interested in the way that a nation like the Maldives — which is the most low-lying country in the world — is coping with climate change.
For starters, the Republic of Maldives is an archipelago located in the Indian Ocean. It is a collection of over 1,100 islands which are made up of atolls, sandbars, and coral beliefs. The length of the islands reach about 510 miles across the north-central Indian Ocean, but they sit above the ocean at about 1.3 meters on average.
The language spoken in the Republic of the Maldives is Dhivehi, or Maldivian. This language is most similar to the language spoken in Sri Lanka. In fact, many of their cultural traditions are influenced by their neighbors; Sri Lanka, India, Persia, and Indonesia are all examples.
Due to their proximity to the equator, there is a tropical monsoon climate which allows for warm weather all year-round. That being said, there is a monsoon season and a drier season. Because of its beautiful landscape, the Maldives are also a popular and luxurious tourist destination spot, and it boasts many resorts to host visitors.
Let’s look into the history of this nation. At around 5 BC, people began migrating from India and Sri Lanka to the islands, and it is believed that Buddhism was practiced until around 1153 CE when the nation became Islamic. Its constitutional principles now are based in Islam, and non-Muslims cannot claim citizenship as a result.
The Maldives was a valuable position in the Indian Ocean for trade. There has been proof of relationships between the Maldives and their proximate countries spanning back centuries. However, starting in the 16th century, the French, Dutch, and Portuguese for example started involving themselves in trade. In the early 19th century, the Maldives was self-governed underneath ultimately underneath British rule. In July 26, 1965, complete independence was achieved by the Maldives.
Now that’s just a brief introduction to the Republic of the Maldives, but I’m so excited to learn more!
