Maldives - Paradise Islands Kuredu 1990s postcard

Postcard

 

• Picture / Image:  'Maldives Paradise Islands'
• Publisher:  Kuredu Maldives
• Postally used:   yes, in the UK
• Stamp:  Great Britain 26p brown Machin
• Postmark(s):  place illeg but 28 Apr 1998 'Men In Black' video advert slogan
• Sent to:  Chorley, Lancashire
• Notes & Key words: 

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Postage & Packing:

UK (incl. IOM, CI & BFPO): 99p

Europe: £1.60

Rest of world (inc. USA etc): £2.75

No additional charges for more than one postcard. You can buy as many postcards from me as you like and you will just pay the fee above once. (If buying postcards with other things such as books, please contact or wait for invoice before paying).

Payment Methods:

UK - PayPal, Cheque (from UK bank) or postal order

Outside UK: PayPal or Google Checkout ONLY please.   NO non-UK currency checks or money orders (sorry).

NOTE: All postcards are sent in brand new stiffened envelopes which I have bought for the task. These are specially made to protect postcards and you may be able to re-use them. In addition there are other costs to sending so the above charge is not just for the stamp!

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Text from the free encyclopedia WIKIPEDIA may appear below to give a little background information:

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The Maldives ( /'m?lda?vz/ (help·info) or /'m?ldi?vz/), Hindi: ?????? (Dhivehi: ???????????? Dhivehi Raa’j) or Maldive Islands, officially the Republic of Maldives, is an island country consisting of a group of atolls stretching south of India's Lakshadweep islands between Minicoy Island and the Chagos Archipelago, and about seven hundred kilometres (435 mi) south-west of Sri Lanka in the Laccadive Sea of Indian Ocean. The twenty-six atolls of Maldives encompass a territory featuring 1,192 islets, of which two hundred islands are inhabited.^[4]

The original inhabitants were Buddhist, probably since Ashoka's period,^{[citation needed]} in the 3rd century BC. Islam was introduced in 1153 and has remained dominant since. During the period of European exploration and colonialism, the Maldives came under the influence of the Portuguese (1558) and then the Dutch (1654) seaborne empires. In 1887 the islands became a British protectorate, then obtained independence from Britain (originally under the name "Maldive Islands") in 1965. Three years later the reigning Islamic Sultanate was replaced by a quasi-Islamic presidential Republic; in 2008, submission to the Islamic faith became a legal requirement for citizens.

The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population and area; it is the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level,^[5] it is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in).^[6]