Administrative division of the Maldives

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Since the Decentralization Act of October 15, 2010, the following levels of administration exist:

  • two "Cities" (Malé and Addu City )
  • 19 atolls
  • 189 islands

The Maldives are administratively divided into 19 districts and two cities, the capital district Malé and Addu City. These units of this administrative level are officially called atolls . However, they do not correspond to the atolls in the geographical sense, see atolls of the Maldives .

The administrative units called atoll (atholhu) have, in addition to their actual name, a Thaana letter as a code, sometimes supplemented by Alifu ( އ) for "north" (uthuruburi) or Dhaalu (ދ) for "south" (dhekunuburi) . Because of the unfamiliar letter names, tourists often confuse this code designation with the actual name.

From 2008, the administrative atolls were to be merged into seven provinces as part of the government's decentralization efforts, but these plans were stopped again in 2012 as a result of a change of government.

Thiladhunmathi Uthuruburi Thiladhunmathi Dhekunuburi Miladhunmadulu Uthuruburi Miladhunmadulu Dhekunuburi Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi Faadhippolhu Malé Atholhu Ari Atholhu Uthuruburi Ari Atholhu Dhekunuburi Felidhu Atholhu Mulak Atholhu Nilandhe Atholhu Uthuruburi Nilandhe Atholhu Dhekunuburi Kolhumadulu Haddhunmathi Huvadhu Atholhu Uthuruburi Huvadhu Atholhu Dhekunuburi Fuvahmulah Addu Malé
Administrative atolls of the Maldives
Geographic atolls
Official name Latin Thaana book
letter
Code
abbr.
main place Area
in km²
Pop.
March 25, 2006
province
Thiladhunmathi Uthuruburi Haa Alif ހއ A. HA Dhidhdhoo ... 13,495 Mathi-Uthuru (Upper North)
Thiladhunmathi Dhekunuburi Haa Dhaalu ހދ B. Hdh Kulhudhuffushi ... 16,237 Mathi-Uthuru (Upper North)
Miladhunmadulu Uthuruburi Shaviyani ށ C. Sh Funadhoo ... 11,940 Mathi-Uthuru (Upper North)
Miladhunmadulu Dhekunuburi Noonu ނ D. N Manadhoo ... 10,015 Uthuru (North)
Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi Raa ރ E. R. Un'goofaaru ... 14,756 Uthuru (North)
Maalhosmadulu Dhekunuburi Baa ބ F. B. Eydhafushi ... 9,578 Uthuru (North)
Faadhippolhu Lhaviyani ޅ G Lh Naifaru ... 9,190 Uthuru (North)
Times Male City މާލެ T - Henveiru 5.798 103,693 Times
Male Atoll Kaafu ކ H K Thulusdhoo ... 15,441 Medhu-Uthuru (North Central)
Ari Atoll Uthuruburi Alif Alif އއ I. AA Rasdhoo ... 5,776 Medhu-Uthuru (North Central)
Ari Atoll Dhekunuburi Alif Dhaal އދ U Adh Mahibadhoo ... 8,379 Medhu-Uthuru (North Central)
Felidhu Atoll Vaavu ވ J V Fulidhoo ... 1,606 Medhu-Uthuru (North Central)
Mulak atoll Meemu މ K M. Mule ... 4,710 Medhu (Central)
Nilandhe Atholhu Uthuruburi Faafu ފ L. F. Nilandhoo ... 3,765 Medhu (Central)
Nilandhe Atholhu Dhekunuburi Dhaalu ދ M. Ie Kudahuvadhoo ... 4,967 Medhu (Central)
Kolhumadulu Thaa ތ N Th Veymandoo ... 8,493 Mathi-Dhekunu (Upper South)
Haddhunmathi Laamu ލ O L. Fonadhoo ... 11,990 Mathi-Dhekunu (Upper South)
Huvadhu Atholhu Uthuruburi Gaafu Alif ގއ P GA Viligili ... 8,262 Medhu-Dhekunu (South Central)
Huvadhu Atholhu Dhekunuburi Gaafu Dhaalu ގދ Q GDh Thinadhoo ... 11.013 Medhu-Dhekunu (South Central)
Fuvammulah Gnaviyani ޏ R. Gn Fuvahmulah 4.92 7,636 Dhekunu (South)
Addu City Seenu ސ S. S. Hithadhoo ... 18,026 Dhekunu (South)
Maldives ' Times 298 298,968

Planned provinces

The seven provinces were introduced as a superordinate administrative level in 2008, but were given up again in 2012. The capital Malé was not part of any of the seven provinces.

Province
local name
English name consists of
administrative atolls
Capital Location of the
capital
Area
in km²
population
Mathi-Uthuru Upper North Haa Alif, Haa Dhaalu, Shaviyani Kulhudhuffushi Capital of the Haa Dhaalu Atoll ... 41,672
Uthuru North Noonu, Raa, Baa, Lhaviyani Felivaru Lhaviyani Atoll ... 43,539
Times Times Times Times Times ... 103,693
Medhu-Uthuru North Central Kaafu, Alifu Alifu, Alifu Dhaalu, Vaavu Maafushi Kaafu Atoll ... 31.202
Medhu- Central Meemu, Faafu, Dhaalu Atoll Kudahuvadhoo Capital of Dhaalu Atoll - ... 13,442
Mathi-Dhekunu Upper South Thaa, Laamu Gan Laamu Atoll ... 20,483
Medhu-Dhekunu South Central Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu Thinadhoo Capital of the Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll ... 19,275
Dhekunu South Gnaviyani, Seenu Hithadhoo Capital of the Seenu Atoll (Addu Atoll) ... 25,662
Maldives Times Capital district 298 298,968

The seven provinces are closely based on seven historical island regions:

  1. Uthuru Boduthiladhunmathi
  2. Dhekunu Boduthiladhunmathi
  3. Uthuru Medhu-Raajje
  4. Medhu-Raajje
  5. Dhekunu Medhu-Raajje
  6. Huvadhu (or Uthuru Suvadinmathi)
  7. Addumulakatholhu (or Dhekunu Suvadinmathi).

Administrative atolls with associated geographic atolls

The following table lists the 19 administrative atolls and the two cities with their respective geographic atolls. In exactly eight cases, an administrative atoll corresponds exactly to a geographical atoll. These cases are marked with a light green background color. In the other cases, smaller geographic atolls are associated with administrative atolls, and larger geographic atolls are divided into two administrative atolls. Only the largest natural atoll in the Maldives, Thiladhunmathi-Miladhunmadulu (two names, but actually one atoll), belongs to four different administrative atolls.

Administrative atoll associated geographic atolls
Haa Alif Thiladhunmathi 1) (northern part), Ihavandippholu
Haa Dhaalu Thiladhunmathi 1) (southern part), Maamakunudhu
Shaviyani Miladhunmadulu 1) (northern part)
Noonu Miladhunmadulu 1) (southern part)
Raa North Maalhosmadulu, Alifushi
Baa South Maalhosmadulu, Middle Maalhosmadulu, Goifulhafehendhu
Lhaviyani Faadhippolhu
Malé (capital) North Malé (southeast corner)
Kaafu North Malé (except capital Malé), South Malé , Gaafaru , Kaashidhu
Alif Alif Ari (northern part), Rasdhu, Thoddoo
Alif Dhaal Ari (southern part)
Vaavu Felidhu, Vattaru
Meemu Mulak
Faafu North Nilandhe
Dhaalu South Nilandhe
Thaa Kolhumadulu
Laamu Haddhunmathi
Gaafu Alif Huvadhu (northern part), (Medhuthila)
Gaafu Dhaalu Huvadhu (southern part)
Nyaviyani Fuvammulah
Seenu Addu City
1)The names Thiladhunmathi and Miladhunmadulu refer to the northern and southern parts of a single atoll, the largest in the Maldives. The total atoll is also known under the names Tiladummati and Boduthiladhunmathi.

Individual evidence

  1. Thomas Weber: Etymology of Atoll Names , accessed on July 31, 2011