Country history · Seven seas (open ocean)

History of the Maldives

5 recorded states lay in what is now the Maldives, from the Chola Empire (848 CE) to the Republic of Maldives. 2 outside powers ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)Open in the atlas →

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

9th century

  1. Chola Empire848 CE – 1279 CE · kingdom

12th century

  1. Sultanate of the Maldives1153 CE – 1968 CE · sultanate

20th century

  1. First Maldivian Republic1953 CE – 1954 CE · republic
  2. United Suvadive Republic1959 CE – 1963 CE · republic
  3. Republic of Maldives1968 CE – present · republic

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of South Asia → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of the Maldives. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/maldives
MLA
“History of the Maldives.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/maldives. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of the Maldives.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/maldives.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of the Maldives’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/maldives (Accessed: ).