Gnaviyani Atoll

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Gnaviyani Atoll
Atoll of the Maldives
Gnaviyani Atoll.png
Country Maldives
Corresponding geographic atoll(s)Fuvahmulah
Location0° 15' S and 0° 20' S
Capital Fuvahmulah
Government
 • City MayorMohamed Falaah
Population
 • Total14,380
Letter code
R
Dhivehi letter code
Gn (ޏ)
 • Number of islands1
 • Inhabited islands Fuvahmulah
Resort islands(*), airports(¤) and industrial islands are also considered uninhabited.

Gnaviyani Atoll (Pronounced: Nyaviyani) is one of the administrative divisions of the Maldives corresponding to the natural atoll, Fuvahmulah. Surfacewise this is the smallest administrative unit in the Maldives, situated in the Equatorial Channel (Addu - Mulah Kandu) between Huvadhu Atoll and Addu Atoll.

Contents

Geography

The atoll of Fuvahmulah corresponding to this administrative division is the 25th natural atoll of the Maldives. Some people due to lack of knowledge or as part of a prevailing misconception erroneously mention that Fuvahmulah is not an atoll. An island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely is what we call an atoll. In the distant past Fuvahmulah was a small coral atoll whose southern end was open at a spot called Diyarehifaando and the inside of the island was a saltwater lagoon forming a natural harbour. There is a spot in the southern end known as a Kudhuheraivali (the forest of the small islet), which indicates that there was a separate little island in that area in ancient times. But long ago the channel connecting the lagoon with the ocean was closed by massive coral boulders. Thus the inside of the island is lower than its edges. In time the inner lagoon lost its saltiness and all that remains today are two small lakes(Kulhi), wetlands and marshy taro fields. Therefore, Fuvahmulah is a small Atoll that closed and filled in with silt, like Nukutavake in the Central Pacific.

Municipal Divisions

Fuvahmulah was traditionally divided into nine wards. From North to South these wards were: (1) Dhadimago, (2) Diguvāndo (both stretching from East to West shore), (3) Hōdhado, (5) Dhashokubaa (both segmental) separated by, (4) Mādhado (A diagonal strip of parallel width); whilst the other four divisions, which occupied the Southern part of the island consisted of two Eastern and Western strips, bisected into four wards, (6) Mālegan and (8) Dūndigan lying to East, (7) Miskimmago and (9) Funādo to West. The largest division among all is Dhadimago. With time, some changes saw its way into existence. Nowadays, the number of wards has been reduced to eight, since the village of Dhashokubaa was merged with Miskimmago. Moreover, extension of some wards with time, brought its way into certain changes in area such as that of Hōdhado. The northerly extension of the ward by time led to the land from Eastern strip of Diguvāndo and some parts of that of Dhadimago being claimed to the village. It was mainly the land consisting of agricultural fields and plantations to vegetation owned by the villagers of Dhadimago and Diguvāndo.

Administratively these divisions act as the replacement for islands in other atolls. For each ward a chief ('Katheeb') was appointed as in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the respective ward and held accountable for an Island chief. With the introduction of local government policy in the Maldives, an Island Council is to be elected for each ward of the island according to the Decentralisation act 2010. Also, an Atoll Council is to be elected for the atoll as a whole.

NOTE:Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, Noonu, Raa, Baa, Kaafu, etc.. (including Gnaviyani) are code letters assigned to the present administrative divisions of the Maldives. They are not the proper names of the natural atolls that make up these divisions. Some atolls are divided into two administrative divisions or contain half of an atoll (In case of Thiladhunmathi to Haa Alif, Haa Dhaal, Shaviyani and Noonu Atolls, Huvadhu Atoll to Gaafu Alifu and Gaafu Dhaalu Atolls and In case of half of Ari Atoll to Alifu Dhaalu Atoll), while other divisions are made up of two or more natural atolls (In case of Raa, Baa, Kaafu, Alifu Alifu and Vaavu Atolls). Some administrative divisions correspond to the same natural atoll too (In case of Lhaviyani, Meemu, Faafu, Dhaalu, Thaa, Laamu, Gnaviyani and Seenu Atolls). The order followed by the code letters are from North to South, beginning with the first letters of the Thaana alphabet used in Dhivehi. These code letters may not be accurate from the geographical and cultural point of view. However, they have become popular among tourists and foreigners in the Maldives who find them easier to pronounce than the true atoll names in Dhivehi, (save a few exceptions, like Ari Atoll).

Aware of the extent of this problem, Maldivian expert Mr. Ibrahim Luthfee wrote a book on Maldivian geography before he died. With this book, which is unfortunately available only in Dhivehi, the late Mr. Luthfee tried to clear a number of misconceptions that carelessly researched tourist publications have generalized even among Maldivians. Much of this article has been translated and adapted from his posthumous work.

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Huvadhu Atoll

Huvadhu is a large atoll located south of the Suvadiva Channel the Republic of Maldives. Etymologically it was called Suvadhinmathi or Suvadiva, with a total area of 3152 km², of which 38.5 km² is dry land. The atoll contains 255 islands, the most in the Maldives.

Atolls of the Maldives Physical geographic entity

The Maldives are formed by 26 natural atolls, along with a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10′ North to 0 degrees 45′ South. The largest of these atolls is Boduthiladhunmathi, while the atoll containing the most islands is Huvadhu.

Faafu Atoll atoll of the Maldives and Saudi Arabia in Maldives Saudi Arabia

Faafu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives.

Northern Thiladhunmathi Atoll Place in Maldives

Haa Alif Atoll - officially referred as Thiladhunmathi Uthuruburi is the northernmost administrative division of the Maldives.

Haa Dhaalu Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Haa Dhaalu Atoll is the code name based on the letters of the Maldivian alphabet commonly used to refer to the administrative division officially known as South Thiladhunmathi Atoll in the Maldives.

Noonu Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Noonu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives corresponding to the southern section of Miladhunmadulu Atoll. The capital is Manadhoo. Total population of Noonu Atoll is around 10,000 people.

Raa Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Raa Atoll is an administrative division from the Maldives. The capital is Ungoofaaru. It includes Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll proper and the island of Alifushi.

Baa Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Baa Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives. It consists of three separate natural atolls, namely southern Maalhosmadulu Atoll, the Fasdūtherē Atoll and the smaller natural atoll known as Goifulhafehendhu Atoll.

Lhaviyani Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Lhaviyani Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives. Its abbreviation is Lh.

Vaavu Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Vaavu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives, comprising the natural atolls of Felidhu Atoll and the Vattaru Reef.

Meemu Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Mulaku Atoll or Meemu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name, also known as Mulak Atoll or 'Mulakatolhu'.

Gaafu Alif Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Gaafu Alifu is an administrative division of the Maldives created on February 8 1962, when Huvadhu Atoll was divided into two districts. Gaafu Alifu corresponds to the northeastern section of this large natural atoll north of the line extending between the channels of Footukandu and Vaarulu Kandu. The capital of this district is Vilingili.

Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll atoll of the Maldives

Gaafu Dhaalu is an administrative district of the Maldives formed by the southwestern section of Huvadhu Atoll. It was created on February 8, 1962 when Huvadhu Atoll was divided into two districts. Gaafu Dhaalu corresponds to the Southwestern section of this large natural atoll, south of the line extending between the channels of Footukandu and Vaarulu Kandu. The capital of this region was Vaadhoo but it has been changed to Thinadhoo. There are 153 islands in this district, 10 of which are inhabited. This district is located about 340 kilometres south of the capital Malé.

Fuvahmulah City is an island (atoll) in the Maldives. It is under Maldives administrative divisions of Gnaviyani Atoll or Nyaviyani Atoll. The inhabitants speak a distinctive form of the Dhivehi language, known as "Fuvahmulaki baha".

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Administrative divisions of the Maldives

The Administrative Divisions of the Maldives refers to the various units of government that provide local government services in the Maldives. According to the Decentralization Act 2010, the administrative divisions of the Maldives would consist of atolls, islands, and cities; each administered by their own local council, under the basic terms of home rule. Geographically, the Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus a few islands and isolated reefs which form a pattern from North to South. Administratively, there are currently 189 islands, 17 atolls and 4 cities in the Maldives.

Maldivian language Indo-Aryan national language of the Maldives

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There are broad channels between the Atolls of the Maldives known locally as 'kandu'. The deepness and broadness of the channels vary from channel to channel.

References

    Coordinates: 0°18′S73°26′E / 0.300°S 73.433°E / -0.300; 73.433

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