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Vaavu Atoll

Coordinates: 3°28′19″N 73°32′49″E / 3.47194°N 73.54694°E / 3.47194; 73.54694
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Vaavu Atoll
atoll of the Maldives
Location of Vaavu in Maldives
Location of Vaavu in Maldives
CountryMaldives
Corresponding geographic atoll(s)Felidhu Atoll
Location3° 41' N and 3° 13' N
CapitalFelidhoo
Government
 • Atoll ChiefAli Rasheed Abdul Rahman [1]
Population
 • Total1,601
Letter code
J
Dhivehi letter code
V (ވ)
 • Number of islands19
 • Inhabited islandsFelidhoo * Fulidhoo * Keyodhoo * Rakeedhoo * Thinadhoo
 • Uninhabited islandsAarah, Alimathaa, Anbaraa, Bodumohoraa, Dhiggiri, Fussfaruhuraa, Hingaahuraa, Hulhidhoo, Kuda-anbaraa, Kudhiboli, Kunavashi, Maafussaru, Medhugiri, Thunduhuraa, Raggadu, Ruhhurihuraa, Vashugiri, Vattaru, Fottheyo
Resort islands(*), airports(¤) and industrial islands are also considered uninhabited.
The uninhabited island of Hulhidhoo as viewed from Thinadhoo

Vaavu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives, comprising the natural atolls of Felidhu Atoll and the Vattaru Reef.

It is the smallest administrative atoll in the Maldives in terms of population.

This atoll is located 40 miles (64 km) from the capital Malé, 60 minutes by speedboat, and 3 hours by dhoni.

The Vaavu Atoll administrative division includes two geographical atolls.

1 - Felidhoo Atoll

The main atoll, where all islands except one are located. The atoll is shaped like a diamond (or a 45° square) which the reef of fottheyo stretching eastward

2 - Vattaru Atoll

The only atoll which is not inhabited, it contains only one island, Vattaru. Its geographical location coupled with the fact that it is uninhabited makes it a very isolated area that does not get many visitors.

Vaavu Atoll has the largest reef in Maldives, that is the reef of Foththeyo.

The easternmost geographical point of the Maldives is located at Fottheyo Muli, close to Foththeyo-bodufushi Island.[1]

No remains from the Buddhist period have been found on this atoll.

Geography

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Inhabited islands

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Name Population[2] Coordinates Geographic Atoll Remarks
Felidhoo 489 3°28′18″N 73°32′50″E / 3.47167°N 73.54722°E / 3.47167; 73.54722[3] Felidhu Atoll
Fulidhoo 324 3°40′49″N 73°24′57″E / 3.68028°N 73.41583°E / 3.68028; 73.41583[4] Felidhu Atoll
Keyodhoo 635 3°27′43″N 73°33′00″E / 3.46194°N 73.55000°E / 3.46194; 73.55000[5] Felidhu Atoll
Rakeedhoo 101 3°18′53″N 73°28′11″E / 3.31472°N 73.46972°E / 3.31472; 73.46972[6] Felidhu Atoll
Thinadhoo 73 3°29′15″N 73°32′17″E / 3.48750°N 73.53806°E / 3.48750; 73.53806[7] Felidhu Atoll

Resort islands

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Resort islands are classified as Uninhabited Islands which have been converted to become resorts. As of 2017, Vaavu has two resorts with 434 beds.[8] The following are the resort islands, with the official name of the resort.

Name Resort Name Coordinates[9] Geographic Atoll Remarks
Alimathaa Alimatha Aquatic Resort 3°35′37″N 73°29′52″E / 3.59361°N 73.49778°E / 3.59361; 73.49778 Felidhu Atoll
Dhiggiri Dhiggiri Tourist Resort 3°38′42″N 73°29′14″E / 3.64500°N 73.48722°E / 3.64500; 73.48722 Felidhu Atoll

Notes

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Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, Noonu, Raa, Baa, Kaafu, etc. (including Vaavu) 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).[10]

References

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  1. ^ Romero-Frias, Xavier. The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom
  2. ^ Based on 2014 Census "Table 3.3: Total Maldivian Population by Islands" (PDF). National Bureau of Statistics, Maldives. p. 5. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Felidhoo(I) - [ Felidhe Atholhu (Vaavu Atoll) ]". Atolls of Maldives. Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Fulidhoo(I) - [ Felidhe Atholhu (Vaavu Atoll) ]". Atolls of Maldives. Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Keyodhoo (I) - [ Felidhe Atholhu (Vaavu Atoll) ]". Atolls of Maldives. Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Rakeedhoo (I) - [ Felidhe Atholhu (Vaavu Atoll) ]". Atolls of Maldives. Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Thinadhoo (I) - [ Felidhe Atholhu (Vaavu Atoll) ]". Atolls of Maldives. Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Tourism Yearbook 2017" (PDF). Ministry of Tourism. p. 2. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Status of Islands" (PDF). Department of National Planning, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Republic of Maldives. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  10. ^ Tim Godfrey, Atlas of the Maldives, Atoll Editions 2004
  • Divehi Bahāi Tārikhah Khidmaiykurā Qaumī Markazu. Reprint 1958 edn. Malé 1990.
  • Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru. Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. G.Sōsanī.
  • Romero-Frias, Xavier. The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999.
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3°28′19″N 73°32′49″E / 3.47194°N 73.54694°E / 3.47194; 73.54694


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