Information about Maldives About: Maldives, officially the Republic of the Maldives and also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area.Maldivian culture is heavily influenced by geographical proximity to Sri Lanka and southern India. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. Language: The official and common language is Dhivehi, an Indo-European language having some similarities with Elu, the ancient Sinhalese language. The first known script used to write Dhivehi is Eveyla akuru script which is found in historical recording of kings (raadhavalhi). Later a script called Dhives akuru was used for a long period. The present-day script is called Thaana and is written from right to left. Thaana is said to have been introduced by the reign of Mohamed Thakurufaanu. English is used widely in commerce and increasingly in government schools. Religion: After the long Buddhist period of Maldivian history, Muslim traders introduced Sunni Islam. Maldivians converted to Islam by the mid-12th century. The island has a long history of Sufic orders, as can be seen in the history of the country such as the building of tombs. They were used until as recent as the 1980s for seeking the help of buried Saints. They can be seen today next to some old mosques and are considered today as cultural heritage. Cuisine: Traditional Maldivian cuisine is based on three main items and their derivatives: Coconuts, fish and starches. The favourite fish is skipjack tuna, either dried or fresh. These are starches like rice, which is eaten boiled or ground into flour, tubers like taro (ala), sweet potato (kattala). Festivals: Most of the Maldivian festivals are related to Islam, however there are some festivals which belongs to old Maldivian traditions, like kite flying festival. Naming a newborn child, Mauloodhu (a prayer accompanied with festive meal), Eid festival and circumcision of male child are few events that take place where the taste of rich cultural 'cocktail' can be experienced. A traditional meal called Keyn is prepared for the above Mauloodhus consisting of a number of courses. A single Keyn would serve 10 – 12 people and includes rice, curries, salads, grilled fish, coconut cream, coconut syrup, bananas, puddings and other delights. .