Vilufushi (

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 ...

: ވިލުފުށި) is an inhabited island in Maldives.

History

The island was very highly impacted by the

2004 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 Su ...

, and the entire population was displaced to other islands. The government then took the opportunity to expand the area of the island with a land reclamation scheme and the population was returned to the island in 2009. With the help of foreign aid, new facilities were built, and fundamental needs provided for residents.

Geography

The island is south 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 ...

. Vilufushi belongs to the North Central province 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 ...

, according to government documents. It was also named Thaa Atoll, an administrative constituency.

Demography

Economy

Vilufushi is known for the various kinds of fishing available. Facilities have been rebuilt with the help of foreign aid, following the 2004 tsunami.

References

Islands of the Maldives {{Maldives-geo-stub