Addu City Hithadhoo Map
Antenor Ketkaew
Addu City (local administrative code Seenu) is a city in Maldives that consists of the inhabited islands of Addu Atoll, the southernmost atoll of the archipelago. Addu City is the second-largest urban area in Maldives, in terms of population, and is one of the two urban areas to get the status of "city" other than the capital city, Mal, and Fuvahmulah. Addu City has 6 districts. They are Hithadhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo. These divisions are naturally islands, but are well connected. In addition, Addu Atoll has other uninhabited islands.
The 1st Royal Marine Coast Defence Regiment provided the garrison troops, manning shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns on all six of the atoll's major islands. To facilitate the defence, the important islands on the western edge of the atoll would eventually be linked by a light railway across causeways built up between the islands, but this was not operational until much later in the war. Except for the Gan Channel, the other openings were permanently closed by anti-submarine nets.
A pair of Australian refrigerator ships were requisitioned in Sydney, loaded with canned foods, several tons of American-made cigarettes and 5,200 gallons of rum, and stationed in the lagoon to re-supply British warships. These had Chinese crews and Australian civilian officers, and most of the work was handled by Maldivians hired from the local population.
The Japanese were not aware of the base's existence during the April 1942 carrier raids in the Indian Ocean, and Somerville's fleet used it extensively. Later in the war, submarine reconnaissance established the base's existence, but by this point the Imperial Navy had no designs for a large-scale offensive in the Indian Ocean. The German submarine U-183 did torpedo the tanker British Loyalty in March 1944, making a long-range shot from outside the atoll through a gap in the anti-torpedo nets.
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 Second 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 Defense Regiment, manning shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns. To facilitate the defense, causeways were built connecting the western islands of Gan, Aboohra, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo. And, much later in the war, they were linked by a light railway. Addu was an unpopular posting due to the hot, humid climate, lack of recreational facilities and lack of socializing 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 submarine 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 5 January 1946, British Loyalty was scuttled in a lagoon southeast of Hithadhoo Island in the Addu City. After some years of leaking oil, she has become a popular dive location and a haven for the local marine life.
Most of the employees who had experience working for the British military had good English fluency. When RAF Station Gan closed, they turned to the nascent tourism industry for employment. As a result, there was an influx of Addu people to Mal seeking employment in the nearby resorts and also looking for education to their children. Ex RAF Gan is now a tourist resort, an equator village, with the airstrip now being Gan International Airport.
The name of this nation was originally an ancient name for the three southernmost atolls of the Maldives. Suvadive (Dhivehi: ސުވާދީބު) is based on the ancient name for Huvadhu Atoll, which is by far the largest in the small southern atoll group if fact Huvadhu\Suvadive atoll is the second largest atoll formation. Huvadhu Atoll was also called Suadou by Pyrard. Huvadhu atoll was marked as 'Suvadina' in Dutch colonial era Maps.
The Suvadive secession occurred in the context of the struggle of the Maldives emerging as a modern nation. The alleged causes were the centralist policies of the government in Mal and the recent independence of both neighboring countries, India and Ceylon. At that time the Maldives had remained a British protectorate. The Suvadives declared independence on 3 January 1959. They capitulated, rejoining the rest of the nation on 23 September 1963.
Speaking to press at the President's Office, Nasheed said that after official discussions with the main opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), the parties agreed to jointly propose amendments to the Decentralisation Act, based on the results of the referendum, and list administrative constituencies by October 2017.[1]
However, of the six islands in Addu Atoll where voting took place, citizens of Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Feydhoo, meedhoo and Hulhudhoo endorsed the proposal, while islanders of Feydhoo and Meedhoo rejected it.
The government owned Addu Equatorial Hospital is the only tertiary hospital in the southern region and is mandated to function and provides around-the-clock care. Health Centers are also established in the Islands to provide basic and emergency services.Private clinics such as AIMS Diagnostic Care, Eye Care Clinic and IMDC (International Medical and Diagnostic Center) also have opened their branches in Addu.
Traditionally all educated islanders from the three different atolls of the south adopted the Addu dialect as lingua franca. Hence, when for example an islander of Huvadhu met with another from Fuvahmulah, they would use the Addu dialect to talk to each other. Addu dialect is the most widespread and famous dialect in the southern region of Maldives.
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 not acceptable in the society.
The number of islands a person leases, or the number of boats they own, was also crucial to their social standing during the sultanates' era. The boat owner took about half the day's catch, while the skipper (keyolhu) earned about one-fifth. The rest was divided equally among the fishermen. The men who make the boats (Maavadi meehaa) were respected craftsmen; the fishermen's lives, and thus the well-being of the community, depended upon their skill. The medicine men (Hakeem) stood on the same social rung. Skilled tradesmen, like blacksmiths and jewelers, also commanded a great deal of respect. At the bottom of the social heap was the toddy-tapper (Raaveria) who looked after the coconuts and tapped sap for toddy and syrup.[citation needed]
The White tern (Gygis alba) locally known as Dhondheeni(ދޮންދީނި), sometimes called as Kandhuvalu dhooni is a small seabird traditionally only confined to the Addu Atoll, the southern uttermost atoll in the Maldives.
The White tern is one of the most beautiful and interesting resident birds found in the Maldives. It has its body white with black eye-ring and black bill with blue at the base. Legs and feet are also blue, with yellow to webs. In recent decades the white tern has been proudly used as a symbol by the people of Addu Atoll to represent their atoll in the Maldives.
This small sea bird is well known for laying a single speckled egg on exposed thin branches in a small joint or depression without a nest. The thin branches it chooses is act of predator-avoidance behavior, crows (Corvus splendens maledivicus) and even rats avoid sitting or climbing small branches. However, terns are vulnerable to strong winds and the chicks have sophisticated sharp clawed feet to cling on fragile branches.
Addu City is known as the 'second city' of the Maldives, and the resorts here are the best base from which to visit traditional Maldivian island communities. The Addu people are fiercely independent, speak differently from folk in the capital and at one time even tried to secede from the republic. The biggest influence on Addu's modern history has been the British bases, first established on the island of Gan during WWII, as part of the Indian Ocean defences. In 1956, the British developed a Royal Air Force airfield as a strategic Cold War outpost. The station had around 600 permanent personnel, with up to 3000 during periods of peak activity. They built a causeway connecting the islands of Feydhoo, Maradhoo, and Hitadhoo and employed most of the local men. In 1976, the British pulled out of the islands, leaving many of their now English-speaking employees well qualified for jobs in the soon-to-be booming tourist industry.
Tourist development in Addu itself has been slow to start, but a resort has been established in the old RAF buildings on Gan and there are now reliable connections to the capital via Maldivian, Mega Maldives and Flyme. The Ocean Reef Resort is not a typical Maldives tropical paradise resort island, but the old military base is a unique feature. Gan is linked by causeways to the adjacent islands, and it's easy and pleasant to get around them by bicycle, giving unmatched opportunities to visit the local villages and see village life. There are two island resorts in Addu City. Shangril'a Vilingili Maldives Resort and Canareef Addu.
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