Raa Atoll | |
---|---|
Country | Maldives |
Corresponding geographic atoll(s) | Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi |
Location | 5° 58' N and 5° 20' N |
Capital | Ungoofaaru |
Government | |
• Atoll Chief | Ali Shahid |
Population | |
• Total | 24,862 |
Letter code | E |
Dhivehi letter code | R (ރ) |
• Number of islands | 88 |
• Inhabited islands | Alifushi * Angolhitheemu * Dhuvaafaru * Fainu * Hulhudhuffaaru * Inguraidhoo * Innamaadhoo * Kinolhas * Maakurathu * Maduvvaree * Maamigili * Meedhoo * Rasgetheemu * Rasmaadhoo * Ungoofaaru * Vaadhoo * Kandholhudhoo |
• Uninhabited islands | Aarah, Arilundhoo, Badaveri, Bodufarufinolhu, Bodufenmaaenboodhoo, Bodufushi, Boduhaiykodi, Boduhuraa, Ekurufushi, Etthingili, Dhigali, Dhoragali, Dheburidheythereyvaadhoo, Dhikkurendhdhoo, Dhinnaafushi, Dhuvaafaruhuraa, Faarafushi, Fasmendhoo, Fenfushi, Filaidhoo, Fuggiri, Furaveri, Gaaudoodhoo, Giraavaru, Goyyafaru, Guboshi, Hiraveri, Hulhudhoo, Huruvalhi, Ifuru, Kaddogadu, Kothaifaru, Kottafaru, Kottefaru, Kudafushi, Kudahaiykodi, Kudakurathu, Kudalhosgiri, Kudathulhaadhoo, Kukulhudhoo, Kuroshigiri, Lhaanbugali, Lhaanbugau, Lhohi, Liboakandhoo, Lundhufushi, Maafaru, Maamunagaufinolhu, Maanenfushi, Maashigiri, Madivaafaru, Mahidhoo, Meedhupparu, Muravandhoo, Mullaafushi, Neyo, Thaavathaa, Ufulandhoo, Ugulu, Uthurumaafaru, Vaffushihuraa, Vandhoo, Veyvah, Viligili, Wakkaru |
Resort islands(*), airports(¤) and industrial islands are also considered uninhabited. |
Raa Atoll (also known as Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll or Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi) is an administrative division from the Maldives. The capital is Ungoofaaru. It includes Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll proper and the island of Alifushi.
1. Alifushi and Etthingili (Powell Islands in the Admiralty Chart) stand on a detached reef of their own with very deep waters (no sounding) between this faru and the northern end of the main atoll.
2. Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll is 35 miles (56 km) in length from N to S, and 15 miles (24 km) across at its broadest part. Its western fringe is composed of a series of round or oval reefs (farus) irregularly placed (a feature peculiar to all the larger Northern Atolls). The centre is heavily dotted with coral patches (giri), some submerged and some awash. The concentration of giri is especially dense towards its SW quarter, close to Kandholhudhu Island (where there is the place most crowded with small reefs and shoals in the whole Maldives), but its narrower northern end is quite clear of reefs. The general depths of the lagoon are from 23 to 27 fathoms (138 to 162 ft; 42 to 49 m).
The capital of Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll is Ungoofaaru. Recently, the island has been reclaimed up to the edge of the reef in order to provide land for social and economic activities for the growing population.
By 1942, there were 18 inhabited islands in the atoll. However, the residents of these 18 islands were relocated to nearby islands. By 17 October 1968, there were 17 inhabited islands in the atoll. In 1968 and 1967, the people of Ufulandhoo were relocated to Alifushi in the atoll under a government project. The project was to relocate people from islands who were under 50 years of age of mandatory prayer to other islands. People were relocated from Kudafushi because of the Second World War people died due to food shortages and hunger. The atoll chief governor found out that If people were not relocated to another island, they could not get more help, people would die and the village would become empty. The people of Kudafushi were relocated to their relatives islands by their requests. The islands that they were relocated are Meedhoo, Ufulandhoo and Maduvvari. On 17 October 1968 after people of Ufulandhoo transferred to Alifushi, they asked the government for permission to be relocated to Maduvvari. The government agreed and they moved to Maduvvari with their families. After the island of Ufulandhoo became uninhabited island, one of the 16 inhabited islands such as Ugulu and Gaaudoodhoo having difficulty of the lagoon for departure and because of the damages happening to the sea vessels and there is no space for housing as the islands become overpopulated, because of these reasons the people of Uruguay and Gaaudoodhoo wanted move to the island of Hulhudhuffaaru with compensation of having their personal belongings move to the island. The project of relocating the two island people to Hulhudhuffaaru started in 1992 and completed on 13 March 1993.
NOTE:Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, Noonu, Raa, Baa, Kaafu, etc. 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 while other divisions are made up of two or more natural atolls. The order followed by the code letters is from North to South, beginning with the first letters of the Thaana alphabet used in Dhivehi. These code letters are not 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). [1]
Alifushi, located at the northern end of the atoll, is an island which has been traditionally famous for its skilled boatbuilding carpenters. It now houses shipyards.
Hanikandu is the channel between Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll and "Fasdhūtere" Atoll, beyond its southern border. This channel is also known as Moresby Channel in the honor of Robert Moresby, an almost forgotten captain and draughtsman, who with much patience and hard work charted all the Atolls of the Maldives.
Formerly this atoll was off-limits for tourists; since the late 1990s there was a change in government policy. The main tourist resort islands are Loama Maamigili and Meedhupparu.
The Maldives are formed by 20 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 is an administrative division of the Maldives.
Haa Alif Atoll - officially referred as Thiladhunmathi Uthuruburi is the northernmost administrative division 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 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.
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 is an administrative division of the Maldives. Its abbreviation is Lh.
Vaavu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives, comprising the natural atolls of Felidhu Atoll and the Vattaru Reef.
Mulaku Atoll or Meemu Atoll(މުލަކަތޮޅު) is an administrative division of the Maldives. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name, also known as Mulak Atoll or 'Mulakatolhu'.
Dhaalu Atoll is one of the atolls of the Maldives. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name.
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.
Gnaviyani Atoll 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 on the Equatorial Channel between Huvadhu Atoll and Addu Atoll.
Ross Atoll is a small atoll in the Admiralty Chart with an almost round lagoon. It is located at about five miles from the Northeast point of Ari Atoll.
Gaafaru is one of the inhabited islands of Kaafu Atoll, the only island of the natural atoll known as Gaafaru.
Alifushi is one of the inhabited islands of Raa Atoll in the Maldives.
Makunudhoo is one of the inhabited islands of Haa Dhaalu Atoll administrative division and geographically part of Māmakunudhoo Atoll in the north of the Maldives. It is the westernmost inhabited island in the Maldives.
Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll is an atoll from the Maldives. It includes Northern Maalhosmadulu Atoll proper and the island of Alifushi.
Southern Maalhosmadulu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives. It consists of two separate natural atolls, namely the southern part of Maalhosmadulhu Atoll and the smaller natural atoll known as Goifulhafehendhu Atoll. Situated on the west of the Maldives atoll chain, it consists of 75 islands of which 13 are inhabited with a population of over 11,000 people. The remaining 57 islands are uninhabited, in addition to five islands being developed as resorts. Thulhaadhoo Island is traditionally well known for its lacquerwork handicrafts.
Haa Alif Atoll is the code name based on the letters of the Maldivian alphabet commonly used to refer to the administrative division officially known as North Thiladhunmathi Atoll in the Maldives.
Dhuvaafaru is an inhabited island of Maldives located in the eastern edge of Raa Atoll. Resettlement of the island started on 14 December 2008 to inhabit the displaced residents of Kandholhudhoo who were the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.