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Giraavaru (Kaafu Atoll)
:''See also Giraavaru people'' Giraavaru is an island of Malé Atoll (the administrative Kaafu Atoll) nowadays hosting a tourist resort. It is located on the southwestern fringe of the lagoon of North Malé Atoll. It was inhabited in the past by the community known as Giraavaru people (or Tivaru people). Historical and anthropological facts The Giraavaru islanders had certain customs of their own, the women, for example, used to wear distinctive white cloth patchwork bands on the neckpiece of their libaas dress (''boavalhu'') instead of the usual Maldivian golden or silvery thread designs. In 1968 the island was depopulated due to heavy erosion and reduction of the community to a few members. The Giravaru people were resettled in nearby Hulhule Island, at the eastern edge of the Male' Atoll lagoon. At the time of depopulation there were only a few coconut trees growing on Giraavaru and the water in the wells had become saline. When the airport at Hulhule was expanded they were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaafu Atoll
Kaafu Atoll is the code name given to an administrative division in the Republic of Maldives which consists of the geographical atolls of Kaashidhoo Island, Gaafaru, North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll. As the two Malé Atolls are the main islands of the administrative district, the entire Kaafu Atoll administrative division is officially named Malé Atoll or Malé Atolhu in the Maldivian language, Dhivehi. The capital of the administrative division is Thulusdhoo. Although Malé, the capital of the Maldives, and the adjacent islands of Vilingili, Hulhule and Hulhumalé, are geographically part of the North Malé Atoll, they do not form part of the Kaafu Atoll administrative division and are a separate administrative division. Kaafu or Malé Atoll Kaafu is a code letter of the Thaana alphabet used in the Maldivian language, Dhivehi, assigned to one of the administrative divisions of the Maldives which is officially and traditionally known by the name Malé Atoll. The Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelagic state located in South Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean. It lies southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about from the Asian continent's mainland. The chain of atolls of the Maldives, 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Atolls of the Maldives#Ihavandhippolhu, Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south. Comprising a territory spanning roughly including the sea, land area of all the islands comprises , Maldives is one of the world's most geographically dispersed sovereign states and the List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Asia, smallest Asian country as well as one of the smallest Muslim countries, Muslim-majority countries by land area and, with around 557,751 inhabitants, the 2nd List of Asian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giraavaru People
The Giraavaru people are indigenous people of the Giravaaru islands that is part of Maldives. They are considered to be of Dravidian origin, and the earliest island community of the Maldives, predating Buddhism and the arrival of a Northern kingly dynasty in the archipelago. Their ancestors were ancient Tamil people. Other mainstream Maldivians considered them to be of lower social status. They lived on the island of Giravaru until 1972, but were later relocated to Male', the nation's capital where they were assimilated in with the local social groups. Etymology The name ''Giraavaru'' is thought to be derived from the words ''gira'' meaning "eroding" and ''varu'' meaning "people" or "islanders". Origins The Giraavaru origins are descendants of people from Malabar Coast of India and northwestern shores of Sri Lanka, who probably settled on the island around the Sangam period (300BC–300AD)Xavier Romero-Frias, ''The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') and ''atoll lagoons''. They have also been identified as occurring on mixed-sand and gravel coastlines. There is an overlap between bodies of water classified as coastal lagoons and bodies of water classified as estuaries. Lagoons are common coastal features around many parts of the world. Definition and terminology Lagoons are shallow, often elongated bodies of water separated from a larger body of water by a shallow or exposed shoal, coral reef, or similar feature. Some authorities include fresh water bodies in the definition of "lagoon", while others explicitly restrict "lagoon" to bodies of water with some degree of salinity. The distinction between "lagoon" and "estuary" also varies between authorities. Richard A. Davis Jr. restrict ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malé Atoll
Kaafu Atoll is an administrative atoll in the Republic of Maldives. It consists of two separate atolls: North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll. Together with smaller geographic atolls of Kaashidhoo Island and Gaafaru, the group forms the administrative division of Male' Atoll which is referred to by its Thaana alphabet letter code name Kaafu Atoll. Malé, the capital of the Maldives, is at the southern end of North Male Atoll. The capital of Male atoll is Thulusdhoo, an island in North Male' atoll. Islands Inhabited islands North Malé Atoll * Dhiffushi * Himmafushi *Hulhumalé * Huraa *Malé * Thulusdhoo * Villingili South Malé Atoll *Gulhi * Guraidhoo * Maafushi Individual Atolls/Islands *Gaafaru * Kaashidhoo Resort islands Resort islands are defined as uninhabited islands which have been converted to become resorts. Practically all uninhabited islands in Malé Atoll became tourist resorts during the two final decades of the 20th century. North Male Atoll *Asdhoo * Bar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tivaru
Tivaru (ތީވަރު ) or Dweepukar are said to be the first settlers of the Minicoy island of Lakshadweep off the Indian mainland. History The origin of the Tivaru is unknown. Clarence Malony suggests that they could be Dravidians from southern India. Local oral tradition says that when Dhivehis came to these islands, the Tivaru who had really already settled in these islands migrated to Sri Lanka, except for those who remained on Giraavaru. See also * Dravidians * Thiyyar history The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ... Notes History of India Ezhava Indians in Sri Lanka {{Lakshadweep-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Coconut Tree
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a Nut (fruit), nut. The name comes from the old Portuguese people, Portuguese word ''Coco (folklore), coco'', meaning "head" or "skull", after the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features. They are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics. The coconut tree provides food, fuel, cosmetics, folk medicine and building materials, among many other uses. The inner flesh of the mature seed, as well as the coconut milk extracted from it, form a regular part of the diets of many people in the tropics and subtropics. Coconuts are distinct from other fruits because their endosperm contains a large quantity of clear liquid, called ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brackish
Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuaries, or it may occur in brackish fossil aquifers. The word comes from the Middle Dutch root '' brak''. Certain human activities can produce brackish water, in particular civil engineering projects such as dikes and the flooding of coastal marshland to produce brackish water pools for freshwater prawn farming. Brackish water is also the primary waste product of the salinity gradient power process. Because brackish water is hostile to the growth of most terrestrial plant species, without appropriate management it is damaging to the environment (see article on shrimp farms). Technically, brackish water contains between 0.5 and 30 grams of salt per litre—more often expressed as 0.5 to 30 parts per thousand (‰), which is a specific grav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huvadhu Atoll
Huvadhu, Suvadive, Suvaidu or Suvadiva is the atoll with most islands in the world. The atoll is located in the Indian Ocean. It is south of the Suvadiva Channel in the Republic of Maldives with a total area of 3152 km2, of which 38.5 km2 is dry land. The atoll contains 255 islands. It is the second largest atoll in the country, after Boduthiladhunmathi (consisting of Haa Alif, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, and Noonu administrative divisions) which has smaller and fewer islands spread across a larger area. Huvadu Atoll has been divided into two districts (administrative provinces) for administrative purposes since the 1970s. These divisions are Northern Huvadhu Atoll (Gaafu Alifu) in the north, and Southern Huvadhu Atoll (Gaafu Dhaalu). During his journey to Maldives, Ibn Batuta states in his journal that Maldives was destitute of grain, except in the province of Souweid ( Suvadiva or Huvadu ) where they produce a cereal, a kind of Millet which was brought to Mahal. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malé
Malé (, ; dv, މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of , it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll ( Kaafu Atoll). Administratively, the city consists of a central island, an airport island, and four other islands governed by the Malé City Council. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient royal dynasties ruled and where the palace was located. The city was then called ''Mahal''. Formerly it was a walled city surrounded by fortifications and gates (''doroshi''). The Royal Palace (''Gan'duvaru'') was destroyed along with the picturesque forts (''koshi'') and bastions (''buruzu'') when the city was remodelled under President Ibrahim Nasir's rule in the aftermath of the abolition of the monarchy in 1968. However, some buildings remained, namely, the Malé Friday Mosque. In recent years, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cultural Icon
A cultural icon is a person or an artifact that is identified by members of a culture as representative of that culture. The process of identification is subjective, and "icons" are judged by the extent to which they can be seen as an authentic symbol of that culture. When individuals perceive a cultural icon, they relate it to their general perceptions of the cultural identity represented. Cultural icons can also be identified as an authentic representation of the practices of one culture by another. In popular culture and elsewhere, the term "iconic" is used to describe a wide range of people, places, and things. Some commentators believe that the word "iconic" is overused. Examples According to the ''Canadian Journal of Communication'', academic literature has described all of the following as "cultural icons": "Shakespeare, Oprah, Batman, Anne of Green Gables, the Cowboy, the 1960s female pop singer, the horse, Las Vegas, the library, the Barbie doll, DNA, and the New York ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
