Thaa Atoll (), historically known as Kolhumadulu Atoll (), is an
administrative division of the Maldives. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name. The ancient name of the island was Kolhumaduva during the time of King
Koimala who united all atolls of the Maldives under one kingdom for the first time.
Traditionally, Maldivians call this atoll simply Kolhumadulu, without adding the word ''atholhu'' at the end. Thaa is the code letters assigned to the atoll and is sometimes used by tourists to refer to the atoll itself.
The waters surrounding this atoll are good fishing areas and some islands house fish processing plants.
Archaeology
Kolhumadulu Atoll comprises thirteen inhabitant islands. They are;
Burunee
Burunee (Dhivehi language, Dhivehi: ބުރުނީ) is one of the inhabited islands of Thaa Atoll.
Geography
The island is south of the country's capital, Malé.
Demography
References
Islands of the Maldives
{{Maldives-geo-stub ...
,
Vilufushi,
Madifushi,
Dhiyamigili,
Guraidhoo,
Kadoodhoo,
Vandhoo,
Hirilandhoo,
Gaadhifushi,
Thimarafushi,
Veymandoo,
Kinbidhoo, and
Omadhoo. There are important
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 ...
archaeological remains in the island of
Kinbidhoo, including a large ruined
stupa
In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
. These were explored by the late Muhammad Ismail Didi. A report on the survey was published in the book ''Divehi Tārīkhah Au Alikameh''.
Geography
The Atoll is the 21st
Largest Atoll In the World. The shapes of the atoll closely resembles the shape of its southern neighbor
Haddunmathi Atoll, except for the projection of the reef at the NE corner of
Haddunmathi Atoll (Isdhū Muli). This Atoll marks the end of the east–west divide of the Maldives Atolls between
Kaashidhoo Kandu and
Kudahuvadhoo Kandu.
2004 Tsunami
Some islands in Kolhumadulu Atoll were severely affected by the
2004 Tsunami
On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the scient ...
. Particularly
Vilufushi, The island faced the most casualties out of all the other islands 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 ...
. The 1900 Citizens of the island were displaced to
Burunee
Burunee (Dhivehi language, Dhivehi: ބުރުނީ) is one of the inhabited islands of Thaa Atoll.
Geography
The island is south of the country's capital, Malé.
Demography
References
Islands of the Maldives
{{Maldives-geo-stub ...
in the same atoll.
was also severely affected by the tsunami.
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.
* Ministry of Atolls, Maladives: http://www.atolls.gov.mv/islands.asp?atoll_letter=N&islandcode=N12&atolldhiv=Thaa
Atolls of the Maldives
Administrative atolls of the Maldives
{{Maldives-geo-stub