Alif Dhaal Atoll
Encyclopedia
Southern Ari Atoll or Alifu Dhaalu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives
.
The separation of Ari Atoll (formerly Alifu Atoll) on March 1, 1984, into a Northern and a Southern section formed the two most recent administrative divisions of the Maldives, namely Alifu Alifu Atoll and Alifu Dhaalu Atoll. Alifu Dhaalu Atoll lies south of the line between the channels of Himendhoo Dhekunukandu and Genburugau Kandu.
There used to be a beautiful ancient mosque in Fenfushi
island having wooden decorated ceilings and lacquerwork panels.
Buddhist remains, including a stupa
, have been found in Ariadhoo
Island.
NOTE: Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, Noonu, Raa, Baa, Kaafu, etc. (including Alif Dhaalu) 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).
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
.
The separation of Ari Atoll (formerly Alifu Atoll) on March 1, 1984, into a Northern and a Southern section formed the two most recent administrative divisions of the Maldives, namely Alifu Alifu Atoll and Alifu Dhaalu Atoll. Alifu Dhaalu Atoll lies south of the line between the channels of Himendhoo Dhekunukandu and Genburugau Kandu.
There used to be a beautiful ancient mosque in Fenfushi
Fenfushi (Alif Dhaal Atoll)
Fenfushi is one of the inhabited islands of Ari Atoll, belonging to the Alif Dhaal Atoll administrative division....
island having wooden decorated ceilings and lacquerwork panels.
Buddhist remains, including a stupa
Stupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
, have been found in Ariadhoo
Ariadhoo
Ariadhoo is one of the uninhabited islands of Alif Dhaal Atoll.-Archaeology:There are important Buddhist remains in this island, including a stupa, indicating that it was inhabited in the past.-References:...
Island.
Atolls of the Maldives
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....
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
Thaana
Thaana, Taana or Tāna is the modern writing system of the Divehi language spoken in the Maldives. Taana has characteristics of both an abugida and a true alphabet , with consonants derived from indigenous and Arabic numerals, and vowels derived from the vowel diacritics of the Arabic abjad...
alphabet used in Dhivehi
Dhivehi language
Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Maldives where it is the national language. It is also the first language of nearly 10,000 people in the island of Minicoy in the Union territory of Lakshadweep, India where the Mahl dialect of the Maldivian...
. 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).