Gaafu Alifu (also known as Northern Huvadhu Atoll or Huvadhu Atholhu Uthuruburi, ހުވަދުއަތޮޅު އުތުރުބުރި) is an

administrative division Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

of the

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

created on February 8, 1962, when

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 ...

was divided into two districts. Gaafu Alifu corresponds to the northeastern section of this large natural

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

north of the line extending between the channels of Footukandu and Vaarulu Kandu. The capital of this district is

Vilingili Villingili (Dhivehi: ވިލިނގިލި) is one of the inhabited islands of Gaafu Alif Atoll. History In former times, Vilingili boat owners used to decorate their fishing boats with rich and varied decorative patterns. This practice was discont ...

. NOTE: ''Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani, Noonu, Raa, Baa, Kaafu, etc. (including Gaafu Alif) 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 Thaana, Taana or Tāna ( ) is the present writing system of the Maldivian language spoken in the Maldives. Thaana has characteristics of both an abugida (diacritic, vowel-killer strokes) and a true alphabet (all vowels are written), ...

alphabet used in

Dhivehi Dhivehi, also spelled Divehi, may refer to: *Dhivehi people, an ethnic group native to the historic region of the Maldive Islands. *Dhivehi language, an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Republic of Maldives ...

. 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).''Tim Godfrey, ''Atlas of the Maldives'', Atoll Editions 2004

History

Some of the ancient kings of Maldives traced their ancestry to certain families of Devvadu Island, located in the centre of the large lagoon. There are many

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

archaeological remains in Devvadū, mainly low hills left by ruined

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

s. None of these ancient remains has been properly investigated yet. In January 1959, the three southern atolls: Huvadhu,

Fuvahmulah Fuvahmulah (Dhivehi: ފުވައްމުލައް) is an island (atoll) in the Maldives. It is under Maldives’ administrative divisions of Gnaviyani Atoll or Nyaviyani Atoll. The inhabitants speak a distinctive form of the Dhivehi language, known as ...

and Addu, were involved in setting up the breakaway

United Suvadive Republic The United Suvadive Republic (Dhivehi: އެކުވެރި ސުވާދީބު ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ) was a short-lived breakaway state from the Kingdom of Maldives between 1958 and 1963 consisting of the three southern atolls of the Maldive archip ...

which survived until September 1963. The name of the secessionist state was taken from the ancient name of Huvadhu Atoll, "Suvadiva".

References

*Hasan A. Maniku. ''The Islands of Maldives''. Novelty. Male' 1983. *H.C.P. Bell, ''The Maldive Islands; Monograph on the History, Archaeology and Epigraphy.'' Reprint Colombo 1940. Council for Linguistic and Historical Research. Male’ 1989 *

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.'' 1999, *Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. ''Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru''. G.Sōsanī. Malé 1999. Atolls of the Maldives Administrative atolls of the Maldives {{Maldives-geo-stub