Haa Dhaalu Atoll
Encyclopedia
Haa Dhaalu Atoll - officially referred as Thiladhunmathi Dhekunuburi (Southern Thiladhunmathi Atoll
) is an administrative division of the Maldives. It is the southern section of Thiladhunmathi Atoll, a natural atoll
of the Maldives
.
This administrative division includes the island of Makunudhoo
or Maamakunudhoo (Malcolm Atoll in the Admiralty Chart
s) with its large reef, as well as the southern part of the larger Thiladhunmathi or Tiladummati Atoll. Thiladhunmathi was divided into its northern and southern divisions on May 21, 1958.
There is a domestic airport on the island of Hanimaadhoo
about 15 km from its capital Kulhudhuffushi
. Before Kulhudhuffushi, the island of Nolhivaranfaru
was the capital of the atoll until May 6, 1992.
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).
Southern Thiladhunmathi Atoll
Southern Thiladhunmathi Atoll is the southern section of Thiladhunmathi Atoll, a natural atoll of the Maldives.As the administrative division known as Haa Dhaalu it includes the island of Makunudhoo or Maamakunudhoo with its large reef, as well as the southern part of the larger Thiladhunmathi or...
) is an administrative division of the Maldives. It is the southern section of Thiladhunmathi Atoll, a natural atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
of the Maldives
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...
.
This administrative division includes the island of Makunudhoo
Makunudhoo (Haa Dhaalu Atoll)
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 western most inhabited island in the Maldives....
or Maamakunudhoo (Malcolm Atoll in the Admiralty Chart
Admiralty chart
Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office and subject to Crown Copyright. Over 3,000 charts are available and cover virtually the entire world in various levels of detail depending on the density of traffic and hazards...
s) with its large reef, as well as the southern part of the larger Thiladhunmathi or Tiladummati Atoll. Thiladhunmathi was divided into its northern and southern divisions on May 21, 1958.
There is a domestic airport on the island of Hanimaadhoo
Hanimaadhoo (Haa Dhaalu Atoll)
Hanimaadhoo is one of the inhabited islands of Haa Dhaalu Atoll administrative division and geographically part of Thiladhummathi Atoll in the north of the Maldives. It is also the site one of the four domestic airports of the Maldives. The Hanomaadhoo Meteorological Observatory is located on this...
about 15 km from its capital Kulhudhuffushi
Kulhudhuffushi (Haa Dhaalu Atoll)
Kulhudhuffushi is the capital of Haa Dhaalu Atoll administrative division and geographically part of Thiladhummathi Atoll in the north of the Maldives....
. Before Kulhudhuffushi, the island of Nolhivaranfaru
Nolhivaranfaru (Haa Dhaalu Atoll)
Nolhivaranfaru is one of the inhabited islands of Haa Dhaalu Atoll administrative division and geographically part of Thiladhummathi Atoll in the north of the Maldives. It is located in between the island of Nolhivaram and Hanimaadhoo on the eastern fringes of the atoll. It is small predominantly...
was the capital of the atoll until May 6, 1992.
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
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).