Kaashidhoo (Kaafu)

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Kaashidhoo
NASA satellite image of Kaashidhoo
NASA satellite image from Kaashidhoo
Waters Lakkadive Sea
(Indian Ocean)
Archipelago Maldives
Geographical location 4 ° 57 '20 "  N , 73 ° 27' 53"  E Coordinates: 4 ° 57 '20 "  N , 73 ° 27' 53"  E
Kaashidhoo (Kaafu) (Maldives)
Kaashidhoo (Kaafu)
length 2.825 km
width 1.025 km
surface 2.764 9  km²
Highest elevation 1  m
Residents 1961 (2006)
709 inhabitants / km²
main place Kaashidhoo

Kaashidhoo (also Kaashidhu ) ( Dhivehi : ކާށިދޫ, translated: coconut island , Sanskrit : Kardiva ) is an inhabited island in the Maldives .

location

In contrast to most of the other islands in the country, Kaashidhoo does not belong to any Maldivian atoll , but is geographically isolated, i.e. it forms its own atoll, which consists of only one island. Kaashidhoo belongs to the eastern chain of the Maldives and is part of the central Medhuraajjé atoll group . The island lies in the middle of the Kardiva Channel (also Kaashidhoo Kandu , French: outdated Courant de Caridoue ), which is named after it , which separates the northern and central atolls of the Maldives.

The distance to the Gaafaru Atoll to the south is approximately 20 km, to the capital Malé even further south it is 87.54 km. In the north is the Faadhippolhu Atoll (also called Lhaviyani Atoll ), 30 km away , and far to the west, the Atolls Goifulhafehendhu (also called Goidhoo - or Horsburgh Atoll ) and South Maalhosmadulu .

Administratively, the island belongs to the administrative atoll Kaafu together with North Malé , South Malé and Gaafaru Atoll .

Island description

Buddhist temple ruins on Kaashidhoo

Kaashidhoo has 1961 inhabitants (September 2006 census). With an area of ​​276.49 hectares (2825 m × 1025 m), Kaashidhoo is the fifth largest island in the Maldives and the largest island north of the capital Malé. The island is especially famous for its numerous coconut palms and therefore bears the name "Island of the Coconut Trees" . In contrast to most of the other islands in the country, fishing on Kaashidhoo plays almost no role, due to the large island area (by Maldivian standards), agriculture is primarily used . In addition to coconuts, watermelons , cucumbers , bananas , papayas and peppers are also grown.

There are three schools or preschools on the island : Kaafu Atoll School , Amalee Pre-School and Salaahiyya Pre-School .

In pre-Islamic times there were important Buddhist temples on Kaashidhoo , ruins of which are still preserved today.

The Kaashidhoo Climate Observatory , a climatological observation station that is internationally known, collected data on electromagnetic radiation and aerosols in the earth's atmosphere as part of the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) in 1998/99 .

literature

  • Xavier Romero-Frias: The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom , Barcelona, ​​1999

Web links