Skorpion Travel Maldives

Destination
Language

The language of the Maldives is Dhivehi and displays great resemblance to several other languages from Sri Lanka, South East Asia and North India. It also contains many Arabic, Hindi and English words.

Historically speaking, the early people spoke Elu, a form of ancient Sinhalese. The language has undergone many transformations, and the present-day Dhivehi is written from left to right, probably to incorporate many of the Arabic words used. Modern Thaana script was invented in the 16th century, following the overthrow of the Portuguese. The earliest Dhivehi is inscribed on copper plates known as the Loamaafaanu.

The script is written with consonants in the middle, and vowels either on top or below the letters, depending on the sound.

Dhivehi is used equivocally in the administration of the country. Until the 1960s, Dhivehi was also the medium of instruction in all schools, but with the need for further education, Dhivehi-medium syllabuses have given way, to a large extent, to English-medium teaching. For this reason, English is widely understood, spoken and written by the locals.



	Introduction
	Facts and figures
	Language
	Sunshine and Rainfall
	Useful Dhivehi phrases
	History
	Malé - the capital
	People

	Visa Requirments
	International Airline
	Travel Advisory