Alif Alif Atoll (also known as Northern Ari Atoll or Ari Atholhu Uthuruburi) is an administrative division of 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 ...
. It was created on March 1, 1984, combining northern section of Ari Atoll, the small
Rasdhukuramathi Atoll, and the isolated island of
Thoddoo. Many of the islands in this atoll have been inhabited since ancient times and have archaeological remains from the Maldivian
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
period.
The separation 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 ...
(formerly Alifu Atoll) into a Northern and a Southern section has formed the two most recent administrative divisions of the Maldives, namely
Alifu Alifu Atoll and
Alifu Dhaalu Atoll.
Geography
The North Ari Atoll administrative division consists of the northern part of the geographic or natural atoll Ari Atoll (described as Northern Ari Atoll in this context to differentiate from the official name of the administrative division),
Rasdhukuramathi Atoll and
Thoddoo Island. The atolls consist of Inhabited Islands and Uninhabited Island, a definition which includes resort islands, airport islands and industrial islands.
Inhabited islands
Maalhos:
Maalhos is geographically the westernmost island of the atoll and the second-most westerly inhabited island of the Maldives after
Maamakunudhoo.
Vajrayana
''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhis ...
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
remains have been found on this island.
Rasdhoo:
Rasdhoo is the capital island of the North Ari Atoll administrative division. It has ferry connections with
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 ...
as well as the other inhabited islands of the atoll. The island has several guesthouses catering to tourists visiting inhabited islands rather than resort islands.
Resort islands
Resort islands are classified as Uninhabited Islands which have been converted to become resorts. The following are the resort islands, with the official name of the resort.
Veligandu: Veligandu covers and is 600 metres long. It is a holiday resort with 91 rooms and a snorkelling reef. A large number of workers at the resort come from Sri Lanka and India. The island is linked to Male by seaplane services.
Other uninhabited islands
Gallery
File:Spit in rasdhukuramathi atoll maldives.jpg, An isolated spit in the middle of the Rasdhukuramathi Atoll
File:Veligandu Island resort 2010.JPG, Veligandu Island resort
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, ''The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom''. Barcelona 1999.
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Administrative atolls of the Maldives