Fainu (
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
...
: ފައިނު) is one of the inhabited islands of
Raa Atoll. Fainu is situated in
Raa Atoll which is officially known as ''North Maalhosmadulu Atoll''. The island is located between the Kinolhas and
Inguraidhoo. The island is north of the country's capital,
Malé. From Fainu in a normal boat it takes about over 8 hours to reach capital city
Male'.
Ecology
Issues such as
environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...
remain prominent. Maldives Human Development Report 2000 highlighted the poor irrigation system at place which is still unchanged. Also, Maldives State of the Environment Report 2002 highlighted the severe
beach erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of waves, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts of storms. The landward ...
problem faced by the island (notably the biggest island in
Raa Atoll). Moreover, December 2004 -
Indian Ocean tsunami
An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
left the island as the second most devastated in the atoll.
In 2018, a controversial project by the Maldivian government was set to destroy two-thirds of the vegetation of the island including dense jungle and cultivation land, to build an airport and luxury hotel on the island. The project will confine the residents of the island to just the settlement and they will lose access to half of the island's beach area. Activists have been campaigning raising concern about the need for the project when there is a domestic airport just 25 minutes away
Demography
Education
Being a small population, the island faces many challenges. Children's education remains a critical issue with every single child having to leave the island for secondary school. The first foreign teacher ever in the history of Fainu School started working in the academic year 2006.
Council
R. Fainu Council
http://www.fainucouncil.gov.mv/
Health
On 31 May 2004, the island won the award for no-smoking by the
World Health Organization.
Gallery
File:Fainu bandharu.jpg,
File:Fainu photo.jpg,
File:Fainu faalan.jpg,
References
Islands of the Maldives
{{Maldives-geo-stub