Funadhoo () is one of the inhabited islands of the

Shaviyani Atoll Shaviyani Atoll, which is known by its abbreviated name (also known as Northern Miladhunmadulu Atoll or Miladhunmadulu Uthuruburi), is an administrative division of the Maldives. It corresponds to the northern section of the natural Miladhunmadul ...

administrative division and geographically part of the Miladhummadulhu Atoll in the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

. Funadhoo is a very common Maldivian place name and is derived from the

Dhivehi Dhivehi, also spelled Divehi, is the main language, used in the Maldive Islands. This may refer to: *Dhivehi people, an ethnic group native to the historic region of the Maldive Islands *Dhivehi language, an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoke ...

name for the tree ''

Calophyllum inophyllum ''Calophyllum inophyllum'' is a large evergreen plant, commonly called tamanu, oil-nut, mastwood, beach calophyllum or beautyleaf. It is native to the Old World Tropics, from Africa through Asia to Australia and Polynesia. Due to its importance a ...

'' (or Funa) which grows on the shores of some islands. It is the administrative capital of Shaviyani Atoll.

History

Overview

Sh.Funadhoo is the capital island of the Shaviyani atoll. The Shaviyani Atoll Office was established on 9 September 1958 by the state. Until 1 January 1968, the atoll office was located in Lhaimagu which was the capital of the atoll. The government declared that effective from 1 January 1968, the capital would be Farukolhu Funadhoo (Funadhoo) and hence, the atoll office was transferred to Funadhoo.

Migration

Under the policy to integrate population and development, the first phase of the project to relocate people from Firubaidhoo to Funadhoo was launched on 6 June 1996. The 26 houses planned for this phase were completed and handed over to their owners on the 1 December 1997.

Geography

Funadhoo Island is located on the eastern rim of Miladhummadulhu Atoll at approximately 73°17'23.27"E and 6° 8'58.73"N". The island is located approximately 218 km from Capital

Malé Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...

and has a domestic airport. Funadhoo is among the largest inhabited islands in Northern Maldives. The nearest island is Farukolhu Island located within the same lagoon about 1100m to the north. The nearest inhabited island is Lhaimagu Island located at 3.80 km. The nearest resort is JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa in Vagaru Island (11.2 km). Funadhoo is a fairly large island with a length of 3000m and a width of 585 m at its widest point. The total surface area of the island is 84.5 Ha (0.85 km2). This island appears to be a relatively stable and constantly growing island. During the last 50 years the island has grown in size including the natural merging of a separate island north of the Funadhoo. Islands coastal environment features a strip of vegetated land close to the coastline followed by a lagoon area between the main island. The lagoon area ocally known as Dhahfalhuhas become a mangrove habitat over the years. Dhahfalhu's southern part is locally known as Gabaa Kulhi, this part is mostly made of muddy clay, and its home for various wild life; including

Mud crab Mud crab may refer to any crab that lives in or near mud, such as: *''Scylla serrata'' *'' Scylla tranquebarica'' *'' Scylla paramamosain'' *'' Scylla olivacea'' *Members of the family Panopeidae, such as '' Panopeus herbstii'' *Members of the fa ...

, Truncated Mangrove Snail,

Hermit crab Hermit crabs are anomuran Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the superfamily (taxonomy), superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit c ...

Mangrove crab Mangrove crabs are crabs that live in and around mangroves. They belong to many different species and families and have been shown to be ecologically significant by burying and consuming leaf litter. Mangrove crabs have a variety of phylogenie ...

Grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more norther ...

Great egret The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, great white egret, or great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe. R ...

& many other migratory birds. Northern side of island also has a lake "Goni" which was formed after Funadhoo mainland merged with another island north of the Funadhoo. It was a freshwater lake until 2004 Tsunami, now it is a home for

Tilapia Tilapia ( ) is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the coelotilapine, coptodonine, heterotilapine, oreochromine, pelmatolapiine, and tilapiine tribes (formerly all were "Tilapiini"), with the economically mos ...

and wetland birds.

Health

Basic medical care was introduced for the first time in the atoll with the establishment of a health centre on 25 December 1970 in the island of Lhaimagu . This health centre was shifted to Farukolhu Funadhoo (now Funadhoo ) in 1971 when the island was made the atoll capital. This health centre is now developed to Atoll Hospital which has a well-equipped laboratory, X-ray and operation theatre facilities and are staffed by a gynecologist, anesthetist, pediatrician, orthopaedist, dentist, radiologist, general surgeon, and a general practitioner.

Transport

Maldivian (airline) Maldivian is the airline division of Island Aviation Services and is based in Malé, Maldives. As the flag carrier of the Maldives, they operate international flights in addition to inter-island services, with its main hub at Velana Internatio ...

has commenced scheduled direct flights to Funadhoo Airport on 3 February 2020. There is a well-established sea transport mechanism between Male and Funadhoo. This includes daily speed ferry service & Cargo-passenger ferry services from Funadhoo to

and from Malé to Funadhoo. There are more than 3 speed ferry service providers in the area. One-way trip takes around 4 to 5 hours and price ranges between MVR 600-750 per head. There are 5 Cargo-passenger ferry boats which transit Funadhoo harbor, unlike speed ferry service, these ferries are slow, one-way journey takes around 10 hours & price ranges between MVR 250-350 per head. On the other hand, Funadhoo is connected to the northern business hub

Kulhudhuffushi Kulhudhuffushi () is the capital of Haa Dhaalu Atoll administrative division on Thiladhunmathi Atoll in the north of the Maldives. Kulhudhuffushi City is known as the "Heart of the North.". This city is famous for its mangroves (''Mashi Kulhi ...

via cargo-passenger ferries operated by MTCC. These ferries also operate around the atoll connecting people to atolls capital Funadhoo. The first test flight to the regional airport developed in Shaviyani Funadhoo landed on 24 January 2020. National carrier Maldivian, on 3 February 2020, successfully landed first schedule flight at the domestic airport in Funadhoo, Shaviyani Atoll at 8:13 am. Operations will first see three flights to the airport per week, which will be increased to three per day by the end of March.

Demography

References

{{Islands of the Maldives Populated places in the Maldives Islands of the Maldives