ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sultanate of Maldives

The Sultanate of Maldives is a place where a long time ago, there was a king called a sultan who ruled over the people that lived there. Maldives is a group of small islands in the middle of the ocean, and people used to live there by fishing and farming, which means growing plants and raising animals for food.

Back in the old days, the sultan was the most important person on the islands. He was kind of like a king or a president, but his title was sultan. The sultan would tell everyone what to do and make important decisions that affected the people who lived there.

Sometimes, other countries would want to trade with Maldives or even take over the islands, so the sultan had to be a good leader to keep the people safe. The sultanate went on for many years, and different sultans ruled at different times.

Nowadays, Maldives is a democratic country, which means people get to vote for their leaders instead of having a sultan. But the history of the sultanate is still an important part of the country's culture and heritage.