Faafu Atoll

Faafu Atoll (also known as Northern Nilandhe Atoll or Nilandhe Atholhu Uthuruburi) is an administrative division of the Maldives. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name.

Faafu Atoll
atoll of the Maldives
Location of Faafu in Maldives
Country	Maldives
Corresponding geographic atoll(s)	Nilandhe Atholhu Uthuruburi
Location	3° 20' N and 3° 03' N
Capital	Nilandhoo
Government
• Atoll Chief	Abdulla Jameel [1]
Population
• Total	4,119
Letter code	L
Dhivehi letter code	F (ފ)
• Number of islands	23
• Inhabited islands	Bileddhoo * Dharanboodhoo * Feeali * Magoodhoo * Nilandhoo
• Uninhabited islands	Badidhiffusheefinolhu, Dhiguvarufinolhu, Enbulufushi, Faanuvaahuraa, Filitheyo, Himithi, Jinnathugau, Kandoomoonufushi, Maafushi, Maavaruhuraa, Madivaruhuraa, Makunueri, Minimasgali, Villingilivarufinolhu, Voshimasfalhuhuraa
Resort islands(*), airports(¤) and industrial islands are also considered uninhabited.

Certain islands of this atoll used to be inhabited, like Himithi. The islanders were resettled in other islands so that Friday prayers could be held.

NOTE: Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, Noonu, Raa, Baa, Kaafu, etc. (including Faafu) are code letters assigned to the present administrative divisions of the Maldives. They are not the proper names of the natural atolls that make up these divisions. Some atolls are divided into two administrative divisions while other divisions are made up of two or more natural atolls. The order followed by the code letters is from North to South, beginning with the first letters of the Thaana alphabet used in Dhivehi. These code letters are not accurate from the geographical and cultural point of view. However, they have become popular among tourists and foreigners in the Maldives who find them easier to pronounce than the true atoll names in Dhivehi, (save a few exceptions, like Ari Atoll).

Geography

The atoll is separated from its Sister atoll (Dhaalu Atoll) by a 6km long strip of Ocean, The atoll is also smaller than its Sister atoll (Dhaalu Atoll). The atoll contains 23 Islands, of which 5 are inhabited. The capital of the Atoll is Nilandhoo, The largest and most Populated Island in the atoll. The shape of the atoll resembles Dhaalu Atoll, but a little bit shorter.

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.