Rasdhoo (Ross) | |
|---|---|
  Rasdhoo (Ross) Location in Maldives | |
| Coordinates: 04°17′25″N72°58′44″E / 4.29028°N 72.97889°E Coordinates: 04°17′25″N72°58′44″E / 4.29028°N 72.97889°E | |
| Country | Maldives |
| Administrative atoll | Alif Alif Atoll |
| Dimensions | |
| • Width | 6.4 km (4.0 mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:00 (MST) |
Ross Atoll is a small atoll in the Admiralty Chart with an almost round lagoon. It is located at about five miles[ vague ] from the Northeast point of Ari Atoll.
An atoll, sometimes called a coral atoll, is a ring-shaped coral reef including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. The coral of the atoll often sits atop the rim of an extinct seamount or volcano which has eroded or subsided partially beneath the water. The lagoon forms over the volcanic crater or caldera while the higher rim remains above water or at shallow depths that permit the coral to grow and form the reefs. For the atoll to persist, continued erosion or subsidence must be at a rate slow enough to permit reef growth upwards and outwards to replace the lost height.
Ari Atoll is one of the natural atolls of the Maldives. It is one of the biggest atolls and is located in the west of the archipelago. The almost rectangular alignment spreads the islands over an area of about 89 by 3 kilometres. It has been divided in two sections for administrative purposes, Northern Ari Atoll and Southern Ari Atoll consisting of 105 islands. Ari Atoll is part of the zone designated for tourist development in the Maldives. It is roughly a 30-minute seaplane flight away from the Capital Malé.
The northern and western sides form one continuous barrier reef, and the eastern side is another barrier reef. The four mile wide lagoon has soundings from 15 to 20 fathoms (27 to 37 m) and abounds in detached coral patches.
A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to 6 feet (1.8288 m), used especially for measuring the depth of water.
This natural atoll was named Ross Atoll by Captain Robert Moresby during his survey of the Maldive Islands. It was named after Captain Daniel Ross of the Bombay Navy, one of the first surveyors of the area. Captain Ross later became the East India Company's Marine Surveyor General in Calcutta.
The Maldives are formed by a number of natural atolls plus atolls in the form of a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10′ North to 0 degrees 45′ South.
Robert Moresby was a captain of the East India Company's Bombay Marine/Indian Navy who distinguished himself as a hydrographer, maritime surveyor and draughtsman.
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy.
The main island is Rasdhoo. Kuramathi Tourist Resort is also located in this small atoll.
Rasdhoo is an inhabited island of the Maldives. It is also the capital of the Alif Alif Atoll administrative division.
Kuramathi at 2 km (1 mi) long is the largest of six islands that belong to the small natural atoll, located a few miles off NE Ari Atoll, known as Ross, Rasdhoo, or Rasdu Atoll, which administratively belongs to Alif Alif Atoll.
