Addu Atoll, previously also known as Seenu Atoll , is the southernmost 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. Addu Atoll, together with Fuvahmulah, located 30 km north of Addu Atoll, extend the Maldives into the Southern Hemisphere. Addu Atoll is located approximately 478 km south of Malé

Malé

Malé , is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll . It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where...

. Administratively, Addu Atoll is the site of Addu City, one of the two cities of 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...

. Addu City is constituted of the inhabited areas of Addu Atoll, namely the natural islands of Hulhumeedhoo

Hulhudhoo

Hulhudhoo as a place name may refer to:* Hulhudhoo * Hulhudhoo * Hulhudhoo...

, Maradhoo, Feydhoo

Feydhoo

Feydhoo may refer to:* Feydhoo * Feydhoo...

, and Hithadhoo

Hithadhoo

Hithadhoo as a place name may refer to:* Hithadhoo * Hithadhoo...

. (The districts of Addu City are not according to the natural islands that it constitutes of. ) In addition to the areas that are included as a part of Addu City, Addu Atoll has a number of uninhabited islands, including the island of Gan

Gan

Gan may refer to:-Computing and telecommunications:*.gan, the file extension for documents created by GanttProject*Generic Access Network formerly known as Unlicensed Mobile Access *Global Area Network- Mythology :...

, where Gan International Airport is located.

Geography and environment

Unlike other atolls of Maldives, Addu Atoll possesses a natural anchorage within the atoll basin, as the atoll is land-locked with large islands surrounding the atoll. This results in a natural harbor that is very calm and safe for sea vessels at all times, and is not affected by seasonal changes. The atoll possesses four channels, which lead into the inside.In the north are the Kuda Kandu and Maa Kandu in the south,the Gan Kandu and the broad Villingili Kandu is to the southeast.

There are unique features in the islands of Addu Atoll.The islands are protected from the storms and high waves of the Indian Ocean by barrier reefs. Coconut palms, the national tree, are able to grow almost everywhere on the Islands. There are small lakes, wetlands, and marshy taro

Taro

Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...

 fields in the islands that are unique.

The Addu Atoll also possesses particularly rich whale and dolphin fauna. A great diversity of species has been found there. Addu Atoll is the only area in the Maldives that was not affected by the 1998 global coral bleaching

Coral bleaching

Coral bleaching is the loss of intracellular endosymbionts through either expulsion or loss of algal pigmentation.The corals that form the structure of the great reef ecosystems of tropical seas depend upon a symbiotic relationship with unicellular flagellate protozoa, called zooxanthellae, that...

. The south of the Maldives was spared from the “too warm” major ocean currents (El Niño); the bright and healthy corals start at the top of giris and thilas (about 1 meter [3 ft] under the surface) and slope down with the reef to a depth of 30 metres (98.4 ft) or more.

Uninhabited Islands of Addu Atoll

• Aboohéra
• Bodu Hajara
• Boduhéragandu
• Dhigihéra
• Fahikédéhérangada
• Gan
  Gan (Seenu Atoll)
  Gan is the southernmost island of Addu Atoll, as well as the southernmost island of the Maldives. It is relatively large by Maldive standards....
  
   (Location of Gan International Airport)
• Gaukendi
• Geskalhuhéra
• Hankedé
• Hankedé
• Hajara
• Heré-théré (Location of Herathera Island Resort)
• Hikahera
• Kafathalhaa
• Héra
• Kandu Huraa

• Kédévaahéra
• Koahera Kuda
• Kandihéréganda
• Maahera
• Maamendhoo
• Madihéra
• Mulikédé
• Savaaheli
• Vashahéra
• Villingili (Location of Shangri-La Resort
  Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
  Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts runs the Shangri-La, Kerry and Traders brands of hotels.-Companies:*Shangri-La Asia Limited is incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability...
  
  )