Seenu Atoll

MaldiveAtoll
ImageExists=Yes
atoll

admin_name=Seenu Atoll
atoll_name=Addu Atoll
location=0° 36' S and 0° 44' S
letter=S
abbreviation=S (ސ)
capital=Hithadhoo
population=28707
noofislands=23
inhabited_islands=6
atoll_chief = Moosa Rameez, an Atolls Ministry official (temporary incharge of Addu) [http://www.atolls.gov.mv/atollchiefs.asp]
islands=Feydhoo Hithadhoo Hulhudhoo Maradhoo Maradhoo-Feydhoo Meedhoo
unislands=Aboohéra Bodu Hajara Boduhéragandu Dhigihéra Fahikédéhérangada Gan Gaukendi Geskalhuhéra Hankedé Hankedé Hajara Heréthéré Hikahera Kafathalhaa Héra Kandu Huraa Kédévaahéra Koahera Kuda Kandihéréganda Maahera Maamendhoo Madihéra Mulikédé Savaaheli Vashahéra Villingili

Seenu Atoll (from the letter "S" of the Thaana Maldivian alphabet) is the name of Addu Atoll as an administrative division of the Maldives. Addu Atoll together with Fuahmulaku Island, located 30km north of Addu atoll extend Maldives to the southern hemisphere crossing the equator. Addu atoll is located approximately 478 km south of Male'.

There are not many islands in this atoll, but many of them are large compared to the average size of islands in the Maldives. Most inhabited islands in Addu are in the western reef and these are Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, Gan. All these islands are connected with each other through a road or causeway. The islands of Meedhoo, and Hulhudhoo share a large island in the east. The total population of Addu Atoll is just over 30,000.

Code letter name

Letters like 'Seenu' are code letters assigned to the present administrative divisions of the Maldives. They are not the proper names of these divisions or atolls. The order followed by the code letters is from north to south, beginning with the first letters of the Dhivehi alphabet. These code letters have become popular among tourists and foreigners in the Maldives who find them easier to pronounce than the true atoll names in Dhivehi, (save a few exceptions, like Ari Atoll).The introduction of code-letter names has been a source of much puzzlement and misunderstandings, especially among foreigners. Many people have come to think that the code-letter of the administrative atoll is its new name and that it has replaced its geographical name. Under such circumstances it is hard to know which is the correct name to use.

Aware of the extent of this problem, Maldivian expert Mr. Ibrahim Luthfee wrote a book on Maldivian geography before he died. With this book, which is unfortunately available only in Divehi, the late Mr. Luthfee tried to clear a number of misconceptions that carelessly researched tourist publications have generalized even among Maldivians. Much of this article has been translated and adapted from his posthumous work. ["Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru". Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. G.Sōsanī. Malé 1999. ]

Geography and environment

Unlike other atolls of Maldives Addu Atoll possesses a natural anchorage with in the atoll basin, as the atoll is land locked with large islands surrounding the atoll, resulting a fascinating natural harbor which is very calm and very safe for sea vessels at all times and has no effect on seasonal changes. The atoll possesses four channels, which lead into the inside. In the north it is the Kuda Kandu and Maa Kandu, in the south the Gan Kandu, as well as southeast the broad Villingili Kandu.

There are very unique features in the islands of Addu atoll.The islands in the atoll are larger then most other islands in the country and the capital hithadhoo beign the longest and the second largest island in the country.Islands are protected by barrier reefs from the storms and high waves of the Indian Ocean.Coconut palms, the national tree, are able to grow almost everywhere on the Islands.There are small lakes, wetlands and marshy taro fields in the islands which are very unique.

The Addu Atoll also possesses a particularly rich whale and dolphin fauna. Especially exciting is the great diversity of species found there in the last few years.Addu Atoll is the only area in the Maldives that was not affected by the 1998 global Coral Bleaching. The south of the Maldives was spared from the “too warm” major ocean currents (El Niño), the bright and healthy corals start at the top of “giris” and “thilas” (about 1m under the surface) and slope down with the reef till 30m or more.

Climate

Addu Atoll is located near the equator and experiences monsoonal climate.Addu as other parts in Maldives has two distinct seasons; dry season (northeast monsoon) and wet season (southwest monsoon). In these two seasons the temperature varies hardly. Northeast monsoon extends from January to March. Since the Atoll consists islands and are surrounded by seas, hot days are often tempered by cooling sea breezes and balmy evening temperatures.Throughout the year, temperature remains almost same in the Addu. However, daily temperature ranges from around 31 degrees Celsius in daytime to 23 degrees Celsius in nighttime.The mean daily maximum and minimum temperature for Gan is 30.9 and 24.5 degree Celsius, respectively.

History

Little information is available on the ancient people and their way of life. Evidence suggests that Addu Atoll has been populated and thriving as early as the 4th century BC. It is argued that the earliest settlers migrated from Arabia, eastern Africa and the Indian subcontinent among other places.

RAF in Addu

The Royal Navy established a base ("Port T") - later RAF Gan from 1957 - on the island of Gan (pronounced “Yahn”) in 1941, during World War II. During the Cold War it was used as an outpost.

The original naval base was established as a fall-back for the British Eastern Fleet. Despite public pronouncements to the contrary, the official view was that the main base at Singapore would be untenable if the Japanese made serious headway in Malaya and Java - which, in the event, is what happened in 1942. The intention had been to operate from Trincomalee, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Upon inspection, however, the naval commander-in-chief, Admiral James Somerville found the port inadequate, vulnerable to a determined attack and open to spying. An isolated island base with a safe, deep anchorage in a suitably strategic position was required, and Addu met the requirements. Once available, its facilities were used extensively by the Fleet.

Royal Navy engineers landed in August 1941 from HMS Guardian to clear and construct airstrips on Gan for the Fleet Air Arm. In the interim, Catalina and Sunderland flying boats operated from jetties on the northern, sheltered side of Gan. Large oil tanks were built on Gan, and on Hitaddu Island on the western edge of the atoll; vital elements for a naval base. These were visible from a long distances at sea, but this was unavoidable, given the atoll's low profile.

Ship's supplies for the fleet were provided from a pair of Australian refrigerated ships, Changte and Taiping that included Attu in a number of bases that they serviced regularly. Three times these ships replenished forty or more ships of the Eastern Fleet. Several large Australian Imperial Force troop convoys also refueled at Addu on their way from Aden to Fremantle, Western Australia.

The six major islands were garrisoned by the 1st Royal Marine Coast Defence Regiment, manning shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns. To facilitate the defence, causeways were built connecting the western islands of Gan, Eyehook, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo and, much later in the war, they were linked by a light railway. Attu was an unpopular posting due to the hot, humid climate, lack of recreational facilities and lack of socialising with the local population.

The Japanese remained unaware of the base’s existence until their plans for expansion in south-east Asia had come to nothing, even during their carrier raids in the Indian Ocean in April 1942. Later in the war, submarine reconnaissance established the base’s existence. Despite openings into the lagoon being permanently closed by anti-submarine nets, the German U-boat U-183 torpedoed the tanker British Loyalty in March 1944 (she had been previously torpedoed and sunk at Diego Suarez); it was an impressive long-range shot from outside the atoll through a gap in the anti-torpedo nets. Although seriously damaged, the tanker did not sink. She was not fully repaired but kept as a Ministry of War Transport Oil Fuel Storage Vessel. There was significant oil pollution after this incident and British personnel were used to clean the lagoon.

On 5th January 1946, British Loyalty was scuttled southeast of Hithadhoo Island in the Addu Atoll lagoon. After some years of leaking oil, she has become a popular dive location.

In 1957, the naval base was transferred to the Royal Air Force. As RAF Gan, it remained in intermittent service until 1971, when British Forces withdrew.

Most of the employees who had experience working for the British military spoke good English. When the base at Gan was closed for good they turned to the nascent tourism industry for employment. As a result, there was an influx of Addu people to Malé seeking employment in the nearby resorts and also looking for education to their children. Raf Gan is now a Tourist Resort, Equator Village, with the airstrip now being Gan International Airport.

United Suvadive Republic (1959 - 1963)

Due to the lack of communication between the administrative capital Malé and the extreme furthest atolls (North and South) coupled with the capital's inability to provide the elementary needs such as food, clothing, medicine, health facilities and education required by the people, [3] the affluent families in the north and merchants in the south conducted external trade with neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka, India and the East Indies without involving the capital. This meant that the central government had little control over the import trade conducted within the country. However this status quo was maintained until World War II, when in 1947 the government, backed by Malé merchants and with the co-operation of the British Empire imposed requirements to carry passports and visas to Sri Lanka and other British colonies. Since these travel documents were issued in Malé, it is presumed that the government aimed to attain control while directing some revenues towards it from this lucrative trade. The act proved detrimental as it was perceived with bitter contempt in the South.

Administrative divisions

The Atoll is divided into 7 administrative islands.Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, Gan,Maradhoo-Feydhoo are connected via causeway built by the English which was later reconstructed later by the Maldivian government.Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo share a large island where they are administrated separately.
*Gan
*Hithadhoo
*Meedhoo
*Hulhudhoo
*Feydhoo
*Maradhoo
*Maradhoo-Feydhoo

Economy

The government has upgraded the runway strip on Gan island to an international airport to cater for the expansion of tourism industry in the south of Maldives and the development of first typical Maldivian style resort in Addu Atoll on the island of Villingili the first resort opened in Addu atoll and construction of an international port, creating thousands of job opportunities as estimated may be the beginning of realizing a long awaited dream of all adduans to have an employment opportunity in their homeland. The fate of Adduans hope to lead a decent life in their home land with their families and relatives may lay on these very ambitious projects which are currently undergoing in Addu atoll today.A large number of people have returned to their home islands in later years.

Transportation

Transportation in the Addu is facilitated by road, air and sea networks.

Gan International Airport

First built by the British Royal Navy, and transferred to the Royal Air Force as RAF Gan, it was a military airbase used during during World War II and until the 1970s. The British handed it over to the government and it was used as a domestic airport. Recently the airport has been upgraded to international standards in preparation for international flights with the opening of tourist resorts in the area.

Addu Link RoadThe 14 kilo meter cause way is the most longest paved causeway in the Maldives.It joins Hithadhoo,Maradhoo,Maradhoo-feydhoo,Feydhoo and Gan.

Demographics

The Maldivian ethnic identity is a blend of the cultures reflecting the peoples who settled on the islands, reinforced by religion and language. The earliest settlers were probably from southern india,Arabia and south east Asia.

An estimate for 2003 puts the total population at 28196 making the Atoll the second most populous atoll next to capital Male'.It is expected that the figure would rise to 50,000 mark by the year 2025.

Linguistics

The dialect spoken in this atoll (Addu bas) is quite different from the official form of the Dhivehi language. It has some affinities with the language of Fua Mulaku Moloki bas. Traditionally all educated islanders from the three different atolls of the south adopted the Addu language as lingua franca. Hence, when for example an islander of Huvadhu met with another from Fua Mulaku, they would use the Addu bas to talk to each other. The secessionist government of the Suvadive republic hiowever, used the Male' language in its official correspondence.

Culture

Addu society as all other parts of Maldives was distinguished by strong social divisions. Traditionally the upper class, with names like Don Seedi, Don Kaloa, Fulhu's, Manik's and Didi's, were close friends and relatives of the sultan and his royal family. Yet even among these families there were marked differences. Well into this century Bell noted that "a Didi marrying a Maniku lady raises her to his own rank; but the children of a Maniku father and Didi mother are, strictly speaking, not entitled to the appellation Didi". Years ago it was unacceptable to eat with a member of an inferior class, and people of a lower class mixing with a superior only sat on a low stool. Now these distinctions are a thing of a past not acceptable in the society. Indeed, nowadays the terms Maniku and Didi are sometimes used as nicknames.

Today advancement is based more on merit than birth. The number of islands a person leases or the number of boats they own is also crucial to their social standing during the sultanates era. The boat owner takes about half the day's catch, while the skipper, keyolhu, earns about one fifth. The rest is divided equally among the fishermen. The men who make the boats "Maavadi meehaa" are respected craftsmen; on their skill depends the fishermen's lives and thus the well being of the community. The medicine man "Hakeem", stands on the same social rung. Skilled tradesmen like blacksmiths and jewelers also command a great deal of respect. At the bottom of the social heap is the toddy-tapper, "Raaveria", who looks after the coconuts and taps sap for toddy and syrup. Although long ago Addu Atoll was ruled by families designated by sultan's in Male' and may have had a matrilineal system of inheritance, it is very much a man's world today.

The sharp division of labor not only reflects the exigencies of island life, but the injunctions of traditional Islam. Yet despite the clear divisions between rich and poor, "there was no poverty". The island community and the extended family act as a safety net for its members. No one sleeps in the streets or goes to bed hungry. In this sense, being a small atoll in a small nation has its blessings, for every one knows each other and is willing to lend a hand. Arms-giving remains one of the fundamental tenets of Islam and so in the society.

The people of the Addu Atoll are very unique in Maldives, not only because they speak in an entirely different language, but also because of educational and intellectual background they derived from their ancestors. They are a small, kindred society unified by common history, the language, and the Islamic faith. Islam has given strength to the society and the faith is taken very seriously through out the atoll. The ties and obligations felt by individuals to their community, to their leaders and to whole atoll reflects the tradition of strong family ties. They are intelligent, as well as devout. The people of Addu Atoll are tolerant and respectful of each other and of visitors to the Atoll. The people of the Addu Atoll are sincerely friendly, their smiles are genuinely warm.Adduans have been able to blend tradition and modernity.Hardworking, but unhurried, playful and respectful, Adduans have been able to blend tradition and modernity. All Adduans have open access to primary and secondary education. Adduan also play a significant role in the economic life of the Maldives, who are mainly based on the capital island Male'.Adduans are a friendly, hospitable and peace loving people, at the same time reserved and in control of their emotions. Friendliness and honesty are taken for granted in Addu atoll where old customs and Muslim traditions are respected while allowing the necessary changes for life style to be compatible with the modern development.The Adduans are dedicated to improving the life of the people on the islands of Addu Atoll. Young people are encouraged to strive for higher education, when they finish the secondary education in the atoll they are sent to Male' or Overseas for higher studies and to make them professionals in their desired fields and they return to the Maldives to give service to the country, many of them are compelled to stay in Male' due to lack of desired job opportunities in their beloved homeland.

British naval base

*See Addu Atoll

Further reading

* Godfrey, Tim. Maldives, Travellers and Divers

References

* Xavier Romero-Frias, "The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom." Barcelona 1999, ISBN 84 7254 801 5