Baa (Maldives)
| Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi (Baa) |
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| geography | |
| Country: | Maldives |
| Waters: | Laccadive Lake |
| Islands: | 75 |
| Geographical location: | 5 ° 8 ' N , 72 ° 57' E |
| Basic data | |
| Surface: | 4.88 km² |
| Residents: | 9578 |
| Population density: | 20 inhabitants / km² |
| Capital: | Eydhafushi |
| Situation map | |
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Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi ( South Maalhosmadulu , Dhivehi މާޅޮސްމަޑުލު ދެކުނުބުރި), with the short name Thaanaބ( Baa ), is an administrative atoll ( district ) of the Maldives . The population is about 8900.
The administrative area includes three natural atolls of the western island chain of the Maldives: the eponymous South Maalhosmadulu Atoll and the much smaller atolls Fasdhūtherē in the north and Goidu in the south.
In the north, separated by the narrow Moresby Channel (Hani Kandu) , connects to the North Maalhosmadulu Atoll , which belongs to the Raa district. Other neighboring districts are Lhaviyani in the northeast, Kaafu in the southeast and Alif Alif in the south. The distance to the capital Malé is around 120 km, which corresponds to 45 minutes by seaplane or 3 hours by speedboat. Since 2012, the atoll has also had its own airport, Dharavandhoo Airport on the island of the same name.
13 of the approximately 75 islands are inhabited, the main island and thus the seat of the district administration is Eydhafushi . The remaining twelve inhabited islands are Dharavandhoo , Dhonfanu , Fehendhoo , Fulhadhoo , Goidhoo , Hithaadhoo , Kamadhoo , Kendhoo , Kihaadhoo , Kudarikilu , Maalhos and Thulhaadhoo , the latter island is known for its lacquer craftsmanship across the country.
In addition to craftsmanship, tuna fishing and boat building are the main livelihoods of the population. Tourism plays an important role, even if there are far fewer resorts than in the atolls closer to the capital. Tourist development began in 1998, and there are now over half a dozen hotel islands , including Kunfunadhoo ( Soneva Fushi ), Fonimagoodhoo (Reethi Beach) , Dhuni Kolhu ( Coco Palm ), Horubadhoo ( Royal Island ) and Landaa Giraavaru .
Baa is of great ecological importance due to its extensive coral reefs and mangrove forests , which are home to an extraordinarily high level of biodiversity even by Maldivian standards . So exist here significant populations of whale sharks , manta rays and sea turtles , as well as a variety of rare and unique benthic fauna such as the pink stylasteridae Distichopora nitida , bryozoans of the genus Bugula or sea snails of the species Tambja Olivaria . In addition, there is a large number of special reef forms, such as numerous ring-shaped coral reefs ( Faro ), which only occur in this form in the Maldives. Outside the water, the small island of Olhugiri is one of only two nesting sites in the Maldives for the frigate bird , more than 10,000 individuals live here. Because of this ecological importance, parts of the Baa administrative atoll were declared by UNESCO to be the first and so far only biosphere reserve in the country.
literature
- Paul S. Kench: The Geomorphology of Baa (South Maalhosmadulu) Atoll and its Reef Islands . (PDF; 4.6 MB) In: Atoll Research Bulletin , 590, 2012.
Web links
- Maldives: Baa and Raa Atoll
- Baa atoll . UNESCO Biosphere Reserves
Individual evidence
- ↑ Statistical YearBook 2011 . Table 3.3: Population by Islands Census 2000, 2006 . ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Department of National Planning
