Thoddoo (

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 ...

: ތޮއްޑޫ) is one of the inhabited islands of

Alif Alif Atoll Alif Alif Atoll (also known as Northern Ari Atoll or Ari Atholhu Uthuruburi) is an administrative division of the Maldives. It was created on March 1, 1984, combining northern section of Ari Atoll, the small Rasdhukuramathi Atoll, and the isolat ...

in the

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

History

Archaeology

There are

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 ...

ruins in an area of this island and some key remains were found. The Buddhist remains show that at some point in history the people were following Buddhism. However, with the spread of Islam in the country, the people embraced the Monotheistic religion whole heartedly as is evidenced by the continued adherence to the teachings of Islam, despite the geographical isolation of the island. In recent years there have been attempts by Hindutva to promote fabricated narrations of proto Hinduism history in the Maldives. However there has been no evidence of this.

Geography

The island is northwest of the country's capital,

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 ...

, and also from

Rasdhoo Rasdhoo (Dhivehi: ރަސްދޫ) (Rasdu in the Admiralty Charts) is an inhabited island of the Maldives. It is also the capital of the Alif Alif Atoll administrative division. Geography The island is west of the country's capital, Malé. It is t ...

. Thoddoo is about in length and in width. One-third of the total area is agricultural, another third is the village itself, and the rest of the island is empty.

Demography

Economy

Agriculture is the one of the main income sources of the island. Local farmers cultivate various tropical vegetables like chillies, brinjal, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, drumstick, ladies finger, pumpkin and different types of fruits like papaya, honey melons, passion fruit, banana, water apple and mango. This island is the largest producer of

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...

in Maldives. Watermelons are commonly produced during the holy month of Ramadan when demand in Malé peaks and prices are high. Thoddoo is well known as the largest producer of betel leaf in the country and it is the strongest economic activity in Thoddoo in the past 40 years. When the local tourism was introduced in the year 2015, Thoddoo alsostarted playing a wide role in tourism industry and the tourism is now becoming a main economy of Thoddoo. Now, there are approximately over 200 guest rooms and 10 restaurants on the island. 15 speed boats for guest transfer are available and its total annual turn over comes approximately $ 5.4 million.

References

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, *''Divehi Tārīkhah Au Alikameh''. Chapter 11, page 262. Islands of the Maldives {{Maldives-geo-stub