1. The Maldives ( Accomoddations ) Research Triangle Park : Marriott Research Triangle Park Cost : $89

2. Attractions

3. Natural Sites

4. Activities

5. Island Biography Country Flag

6. Island Biography is an island nation in the Indian Ocean– Arabian Sea area, consisting of a double chain of twenty-six atolls, oriented north-south, that lie between Minicoy Island (the southernmost part of Lakshadweep, India) and the Chagos Archipelago. The chains stand in the Laccadive Sea, about 700 kilometres (430 mi) south- west of Sri Lanka and 400 kilometres (250 mi) south-west of India.

7. Island Biography The Maldives has been an independent polity for the majority of its history, except for three periods in which it was ruled by outside forces. In the mid-16th century, for fifteen years, the Maldives was dominated by the Portuguese Empire. The Maldives archipelago is located on top of the Chagos-Maldives-Laccadive Ridge, a vast submarine mountain range in the Indian Ocean. Maldives also form a terrestrial ecoregion together with the Chagos and the Lakshadweep.

8. Music of the Maldives The Maldives are an island nation in the Indian Ocean, and its music is marked mainly by Indian, East African, and Arab influences. Traditional performances : The most widely known form of indigenous music is called boduberu. It is also the most popular, especially in the Northern Atolls. It is said to have appeared in the Maldives in about the 11th century, and that it may have East African origins. It is a dance music, performed by about fifteen people, including a lead singer and three percussionists, as well as a bell and a small stick of bamboo with horizontal grooves called an onugandu.

9. Music of the Maldives Religious songs : Formerly in the islands of Maldives, there was a festival called Maulūdu, where religious songs were sung by groups of males within a pavilion (haruge) specially built for the occasion. When a Maulūd was arranged, local islanders had to build a large, open-sided pavilion with wooden poles. They would thatch it with coconut-palm fronds, and decorate it with oil lamps and special patchwork draperies. The day of the event, special food would be prepared, and beautifully displayed for the benefit of the Maulūd singers and a great number of guests coming from their rival island (or village), in their best dresses, on festively decorated boats. Here the host islanders had to prove themselves hospitable in the preparations and accommodation, in order to be able to compare favorably when it was their own turn to receive hospitality in the rival island on a similar occasion. Another name for religious songs is madaha

10. Music of the Maldives Modern Music : Hussain Shihab, formerly a musician and now the minister of state for arts, wrote a song to a foreign tune. This song was named hiy Adhu Roneeyey Nudhashey, which he admitted in a program broadcast on the anniversary of Television Maldives (TVM). Western music is more popular in the capital, as in any global city. However, popular music has shifted from plagiarizing to more original concepts. The Dhivehi band Zero Degree Atoll released an album named Dhoni ("Traditional Maldivian Boat"). This album had roots in folk and ancient arts such as Raivaru, a type of traditional poetry, where letters are swapped to be sung in a certain melody. The album was a huge success, followed by its remake with few new songs in 1997, the album titled Island Pulse recorded in France.