Makunudhoo (

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 ...

: މަކުނުދޫ) is one of the inhabited islands of

Haa Dhaalu Atoll Haa Dhaalu Atoll is the code name based on the letters of the Maldivian alphabet commonly used to refer to the administrative division (known as "Atoll") officially known as South Thiladhunmathi Atoll ( Maldivian: ''Thiladhunmathi Dhekunuburi'') ...

administrative division and geographically part of ''Māmakunudhoo'' Atoll (

Malcolm Atoll Makunudhoo (Dhivehi language, Dhivehi: މަކުނުދޫ) is one of the inhabited islands of Haa Dhaalu Atoll administrative division and geographically part of ''Māmakunudhoo'' Atoll (Malcolm Atoll) in the north of the Maldives. It is the wester ...

) in the north 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 ...

. It is the westernmost inhabited island in the Maldives.

History

Historically, several ships have been wrecked on the treacherous reefs surrounding the island. The most famous wreck was that of the English spice ship Hayston in July 1891. Several tons of cloves were salvaged and later distributed to the military and aristocrats in Male'. Makunudhoo is also famous as the island where Vazir Ibrahim Famuladeyri Takurufaanu who plotted to assassinate Sultan Muhammed Ghiya'as ud-din was exiled to in 1767. However along with other plotters of the assassination he escaped to

Chandannagar Chandannagar french: Chandernagor ), also known by its former name Chandernagore and French name Chandernagor, is a city in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is headquarter of the Chandannagore subdivision and is ...

where they got protection from the French governor Monsieur Le Termellier. Sultan Giyasudeen sent a number of gifts and a letter to the governor of Sri Lanka and asked him to arrest the men and return them to Maldives. The governor ignored this request.

Geography

The island is north of the country's capital, Malé.

Malcolm Atoll

This island is the only inhabited island in Māmakunudhoo or Makunudhoo Atoll (Malcolm Atoll in the

Admiralty Chart Admiralty charts are nautical charts issued by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and subject to Crown Copyright. Over 3,500 Standard Nautical Charts (SNCs) and 14,000 Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are available with the Admi ...

). This atoll has a large reef with lagoon, 15 miles long by only 3 miles broad. It has only one inhabited island and a small islet and it lies 10 miles west of the NW part of the Miladhummadulhu group. It is said to have been unknown to non-Maldivians previous to the 1834-36 survey of the Maldives. According to the locals, many ships have been lost on its barren reefs with crew, cargo and all, scarcely a vestige of the wrecks remaining after a few hours, from the violence of the surf and the perpendicular sides of the reef. The lagoon is deep but full of coral patches (giri). In the Admiralty Chart this atoll is named after

Sir Charles Malcolm Sir Charles Malcolm (1782–1851) was a Scottish Royal Navy officer, who reached the rank of vice-admiral. Naval life He was the tenth son of George Malcolm of Burnfoot, youngest brother of Sir Pulteney Malcolm and Sir John Malcolm, and was ...

, commander of the Bombay Marine (renamed the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

in 1832). Malcolm had the vision to introduce steam navigation to the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

, which would enable boats to navigate up the Gulf of

Suez Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same bou ...

. He was instrumental in making sure that the surveys conducted by Commander

Robert Moresby Robert Moresby (15 June 1794 – 15 June 1854Some sources mention that he is thought to have died in 1863.) was a captain of the East India Company's Bombay Marine/Indian Navy who distinguished himself as a hydrographer, maritime surveyor a ...

in the

took place.

Maritime Observatory

The atoll is the proposed site of the

Joint Ocean Observation Station The Joint Ocean Observation Station is a planned maritime observatory to be built on Makunudhoo in the Maldives, to be operated by the State Oceanic Administration of China and the Ministry of Environment and Energy of the Maldives. Military use ...

, a maritime observatory being developed by the State Oceanic Administration of China.

Demography

References

Islands of the Maldives {{Maldives-geo-stub