Ross Atoll is a small

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

in the

Admiralty Chart Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and subject to Crown Copyright. Over 3,500 Standard Nautical Charts (SNCs) and 14,000 Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are available with the Admira ...

with an almost round lagoon. It is located at about five miles from the Northeast point of

Ari Atoll Ari Atoll (also called Alif or Alifu Atoll) is one of the natural atolls of the Maldives. It is one of the biggest atolls and is located in the west of the archipelago. The almost rectangular alignment spreads the islands over an area of about . I ...

and is one of the natural

atolls of the Maldives The Maldive Islands are formed by 20 natural atolls, along with a few islands and isolated reefs today which form a pattern stretching from 7 degrees 10′ North to 0 degrees 45′ South. The largest of these atolls is Boduthiladhunmathi, whi ...

. The northern and western sides form one continuous barrier reef, and the eastern side is another barrier reef. The four mile wide lagoon has soundings from 15 to 20

fathom A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to , used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an international standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally accepted non-SI unit. H ...

s (27 to 37 m) and abounds in detached coral patches. This natural

was named Ross Atoll by Captain

Robert Moresby Robert Moresby (15 June 1794 – 15 June 1854Some sources mention that he is thought to have died in 1863.) was a captain of the East India Company's Bombay Marine/Indian Navy who distinguished himself as a hydrographer, maritime surveyor ...

during his survey of the Maldive Islands. It was named after Captain Daniel Ross of the Bombay Navy, one of the first surveyors of the area. Captain Ross later became the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

's Marine Surveyor General in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

. The main island is

Rasdhoo Rasdhoo ( Dhivehi: ރަސްދޫ) (Rasdu in the Admiralty Chart) is an inhabited island of the Maldives. It is also the capital of the Alif Alif Atoll administrative division. Geography The island is west of the country's capital, Malé. It is ...

Kuramathi Kuramathi at long is the largest of six islands that belong to the small natural atoll of Ross Atoll, Rasdhūkuramathi which administratively belongs to Alif Alif Atoll. Geography Geographically, the island is located approximately {{convert, ...

Tourist Resort is also located in this small atoll.

References

* ''Divehi Tārīkhah Au Alikameh''. Divehi Bahāi Tārikhah Khidmaiykurā Qaumī Markazu. Reprint 1958 edn. Malé 1990. * ''Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru''. Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. G.Sōsanī. *

Xavier Romero-Frias Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, born ...

, ''The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom''. Barcelona 1999. Atolls of the Maldives {{Maldives-geo-stub