Seenu Atoll

History

The name Addu is believed to originate from the local language, where “ah” means eight and “dhoo” means island. This is because there were traditionally eight inhabited islands in the Addu Atoll. Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Feydhoo, Gan, Hulhudhoo, Hulhu-Meedhoo and Meedhoo. When the British made maps of the region, they labeled it as “Addou Atoll.” This being an Anglicized version of the local name. During the Second World War, Addu Atoll was the site of a secret Royal Navy base called HMS Haitan, to take advantage of the deep anchorage and sheltered natural harbour there. Oil tanks and storage facilities were built on Gan island, together with an airstrip and a flying boat base. The base remained unknown to the Axis throughout the early years of the war. In 1957 the base was transferred to the Royal Air Force as RAF Gan, before being closed down in 1976. The island is now the site of Gan International Airport.

Biology

The cosmopolitan white tern ("dhondheeni") is found in the Maldives only on Addu Atoll and is seen as a symbol of the islands. Addu Atoll also possesses particularly rich whale and dolphin fauna. A great diversity of species has been found there. Addu Atoll is the only area in the Maldives that was not affected by the 1998 global coral bleaching. The south of the Maldives was spared from the "too warm" major ocean currents of (El Niño). The bright and healthy corals start at the top of giris and thilas (about 1 meter [3 ft] under the surface) and slope down with the reef to a depth of 30 meters (98 ft) or more.

Inhabited islands

• Hithadhoo Capitol island of Addu
• Meedhoo
• Hulhudhoo
• Maradhoo
• Feydhoo
• Gan (location of Gan International Airport)

Uninhabited islands

• Aboohera
• Bodu Hajara
• Boduheragandu
• Dhigihera
• Fahikedeherangada
• Gaukendi
• Geskalhuhera
• Hankede Hajara
• Here-there (Location of Canareef Island Resort)
• Hikahera
• Kafathalhaa Hera
• Kandu Huraa
• Kedevaahera
• Koahera
• Kuda Kandihereganda
• Maahera
• Maamendhoo
• Madihera
• Mulikede
• Savaaheli
• Vashahera
• Villingili (Location of Shangri-La Resort)

Linguistics

The spoken dialect is Addu dialect, and though it has similarities to the "Mulaku dialect" of Fuvahmulah, it is somewhat different from the official form of the Dhivehi language. Traditionally, Addu dialect was widely spoken amongst the educated masses of three different atolls in the south, who adopted it as their lingua franca. It has also been credited with being the most famous and widespread single dialect in the Republic of Maldives. However, when Addu declared independence and recognized itself as the United Suvadive Republic, the Malé dialect rather than Addu dialect was used in official correspondence. Nevertheless, despite the difference in dialects, the written version is common throughout the Maldives.

Culture

Long ago Addu City was ruled by families appointed by the sultans in Malé, and may have had a matrilineal system of inheritance; it is very much a man's world today. There was a recent period in Addu history when the status quo changed for a while, when a more matriarchal society developed and women became the breadwinners.

Addu Atoll has some of the earliest known settlements recorded in the country—specifically, on the island of Meedhoo in the far north of the atoll.