Baarah () is an inhabited island in
Haa Alif Atoll
Haa Alif Atoll is the code name based on the letters of the Maldivian alphabet commonly used to refer to the administrative division officially known as Northern Thiladhunmathi Atoll (Maldivian language, Maldivian: ''Thiladhunmathi Uthuruburi'' ...
in the northern
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 is an
island-level administrative constituency governed by the Baarah Island Council.
History
Historically, Baarah was the island where the vessel ''Kalhuohfummi'' was built in the latter half of the 16th century. The ship played a key role in
Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu's war against the Portuguese invasion of the country. The sails of the ship were made on the island of
Maroshi
Maroshi () is one of the inhabited islands of the Shaviyani Atoll administrative division and geographically part of the Miladhummadulhu Atoll in the Maldives.
Geography
The island is north of the country's capital, Malé.
The island of Maros ...
further south.
Geography
The island is north of the country's 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 ...
.
The island is shaped like the letter 'ب 'in Arabic.
Ecology
A large part of the shores are covered by a mangroves predominantly occupied by ''
Rhizophora mucronata
''Rhizophora mucronata'' (loop-root mangrove, red mangrove or Asiatic mangrove) is a species of mangrove found on coasts and river banks in East Africa and the Indo-Pacific region.
Description
''Rhizophora mucronata'' is a small to medium si ...
'' and ''
Hibiscus tiliaceus
''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zeal ...
''. The soil around these areas is rich in
hydrogen sulphide
Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is toxic, corrosive, and flammable. Trace amounts in ambient atmosphere have a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. Swedish chemist Ca ...
and is often avoided by islanders. The ecosystem is under threat due to
logging
Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucks[garbage dump
A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...]
ing and poor management.
Demography
Now, the population has increased to 2000.
References
External links
Isles Profile - Baarah
Islands of the Maldives
{{Maldives-geo-stub