For 30 years, the Maldives was ruled by one man, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
He introduced the world to the Maldives' tropical islands, pioneering the luxury resort model that proved lucrative. He also banned all political parties, severely restricted basic freedoms and ran the country in an autocratic style.
By the early 2000s, he came under pressure to reform from the nations whose tourists were generating so much of the country's income.
He slowly did so but lost elections in 2008. Since then, the politics of the Maldives has been turbulent. This is a timeline of events since President Gayoom took power until the present day.
