Villingili (Gaafu Alif Atoll)

Ga.Villingilli Viligilla
Inhabited island
Ga.Villingilli Location in Maldives
Coordinates: 00°45′25″N 73°26′10″E / 0.75694°N 73.43611°E / 0.75694; 73.43611Coordinates: 00°45′25″N 73°26′10″E / 0.75694°N 73.43611°E / 0.75694; 73.43611
Country	Maldives
Administrative atoll	Gaafu Alif Atoll
Distance to Malé	380.04 km (236.15 mi)
Dimensions
• Length	2.000 km (1.243 mi)
• Width	0.575 km (0.357 mi)
Population
• Total	4,795
Time zone	MST (UTC+05:00)

Ga.Villingili (Dhivehi: ގއ.ވިލިނގިލި) is one of the inhabited islands of Gaafu Alif Atoll.

It is located on the Northeastern rim of Huvadu Atoll. Traditionally this island is also known as 'Huvadu Atoll Vilingili'. Northern Huvadhu Atoll or Gaafu Alifu is an administrative division created on February 8, 1962 when Huvadhu Atoll was divided into two districts. In former times, Vilingili boat owners used to decorate their fishing boats with rich and varied decorative patterns. This practice was discontinued in the 1970s.

The World Health Organization has a local unit there.

Archaeology

According to Mr. Ibrahim Lutfi there was a mound in an area of the island that has been eroded away by the currents on the reef. This mound was probably an ancient Buddhist Stupa.

References

Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru. Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. G.Sōsanī. Malé 1999.

External links

Healthy Villingili Island

Island-level constituencies of the Maldives

Haa Alif	Baarah Dhidhdhoo Filladhoo Hoarafushi Ihavandhoo Kelaa Maarandhoo Mulhadhoo Muraidhoo Thakandhoo Thuraakunu Uligan Utheemu Vashafaru

Haa Dhaalu	Finey Hanimaadhoo Hirimaradhoo Kulhudhuffushi Kumundhoo Kurinbi Makunudhoo Naivaadhoo Nellaidhoo Neykurendhoo Nolhivaram Nolhivaranfaru Vaikaradhoo

Shaviyani	Bileffahi Feevah Feydhoo Foakaidhoo Funadhoo Goidhoo Kanditheemu Komandoo Lhaimagu Maaungoodhoo Maroshi Milandhoo Narudhoo Noomaraa

Noonu	Foddhoo Henbandhoo Holhudhoo Kendhikolhudhoo Kudafaree Landhoo Lhohi Maafaru Maalhendhoo Magoodhoo Manadhoo Miladhoo Velidhoo

Raa	Alifushi Angolhitheemu Dhuvaafaru Fainu Hulhudhuffaaru Inguraidhoo Innamaadhoo Kinolhas Maakurathu Maduvvaree Meedhoo Rashgetheemu Rasmaadhoo Ungoofaaru Vaadhoo

Baa	Dharavandhoo Dhonfanu Eydhafushi Fehendhoo Fulhadhoo Goidhoo Hithaadhoo Kamadhoo Kendhoo Kihaadhoo Kudarikilu Maalhos Thulhaadhoo

Lhaviyani	Hinnavaru Kurendhoo Naifaru Olhuvelifushi

Kaafu	Dhiffushi Gaafaru Gulhi Guraidhoo Himmafushi Huraa Kaashidhoo Maafushi Thulusdhoo

Alif Alif	Bodufulhadhoo Feridhoo Himandhoo Maalhos Mathiveri Rasdhoo Thoddoo Ukulhas

Alif Dhaalu	Dhangethi Dhigurah Didhdhoo Fenfushi Hangnaameedhoo Kunburudhoo Maamingili Mahibadhoo Mandhoo Omadhoo

Vaavu	Felidhoo Fulidhoo Keyodhoo Rakeedhoo Thinadhoo

Meemu	Dhiggaru Kolhufushi Maduvvaree Mulah Muli Naalaafushi Raimmandhoo Veyvah

Faafu	Bileddhoo Dharanboodhoo Feeali Magoodhoo Nilandhoo

Dhaalu	Bandidhoo Hulhudheli Kudahuvadhoo Maaenboodhoo Meedhoo Rinbudhoo

Kolhumadulu (Thaa)	Burunee Dhiyamingili Gaadhiffushi Guraidhoo Hirilandhoo Kandoodhoo Kinbidhoo Madifushi Omadhoo Thimarafushi Vandhoo Veymandoo Vilufushi

Laamu	Dhanbidhoo Fonadhoo Gaadhoo Gan Hithadhoo Isdhoo Kalhaidhoo Kunahandhoo Maabaidhoo Maamendhoo Maavah Mundoo

Gaafu Alif	Dhaandhoo Dhevvadhoo Gemanafushi Kanduhulhudhoo Kolamaafushi Kondey Maamendhoo Nilandhoo Vilingili

Gaafu Dhaalu	Fares-Maathodaa Fiyoaree Gaddhoo Hoandeddhoo Madaveli Nadellaa Rathafandhoo Thinadhoo Vaadhoo

Gnaviyani	Fuvammulah Dhadimagu Dhiguvaandu Dhoondigan Funaadu Hoadhadu Maadhadu Maalegan Miskiymagu

The capitals of each atoll are in bold. This list excludes first-level administrative divisions, Malé and Addu cities.

Malé (/ˈmɑːl.eɪ/, local pronunciation: [ˈmɑːlɛ] Maldivian: މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. With a population of 153,379[1] and an area of 5.8 km2, it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world.[2] The city is geographically located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll (Kaafu Atoll).[3] Administratively, the city consists of a central island, an airport island, and two other islands governed by the Malé City Council.

Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient royal dynasties ruled and where the palace was located. The city was then called Mahal.[4] Formerly it was a walled city surrounded by fortifications and gates (doroshi). The Royal Palace (Gan'duvaru) was destroyed along with the picturesque forts (kotte) and bastions (buruzu) when the city was remodelled under President Ibrahim Nasir's rule in the aftermath of the abolition of the monarchy. However, the Malé Friday Mosque remains. In recent years, the island has been considerably expanded through land-filling operations. Over the years, Malé has been the center of political protests and milestone events.

Contents [hide] 1 Overview 2 History 2.1 Etymology 2.2 Origins 3 Geography 3.1 Climate 3.2 Subdivisions 4 Economy 5 City Council 5.1 Members 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 Further reading 9 External links Overview[edit] Although Malé is geographically located in Kaafu Atoll, administratively it is not considered part of it. The central part of the city is formed by the island of Malé. Three more islands form part of the city. A commercial harbour is located on the central island and serves as the heart of all commercial activities in the country.[5]

The central island is heavily urbanized, with the built-up area taking up essentially its entire landmass.[5] Slightly less than one third of the nation's population lives in the capital city, and the population has increased from 20,000 people in 1987 to 100,000 people in 2006. Many Maldivians and foreign workers living in other parts of the country find themselves in occasional short term residence on the island since it is the centre of administration and bureaucracy.

History[edit] Etymology[edit] The whole island group, the Maldives, is named after its capital. The word "Maldives" means "The islands (dives) of Malé'".[6]

Origins[edit] The first settlers in the Maldivian islands were Dravidian people[7] who arrived from the neighboring shores of the modern Indian Subcontinent and coastal Ceylon. Comparative studies of Maldivian linguistic, oral, and other cultural traditions, in addition to folklore, point to a strong Dravidian influence on Maldivian society, centered in Malé, from ancient times. The people of Giraavaru, an island located in Malé Atoll (now a tourist resort, after the forced diaspora of its inhabitants) claim to descend from the first settlers of the Maldives, none other than the ancient Tamils.[8]

It is said that Giraavaru fishermen used to go regularly to a certain large sandbank (finolhu) at the southern end of their atoll to clean tuna fish after a good catch. Owing to the large amount of tuna fish offal and blood, the waters around that sandbank looked like a big pool of blood (maa ley gandeh). "Maa" (from the Sanskrit मह "Maha"), meaning big, and "Lē" meaning blood. Traditionally the first inhabitants of the Maldives, which include the Giravaru people, didn't have kings. They lived in a simple society and were ruled by local headmen.

However, one day, a prince from the Subcontinent called Koimala arrived in the Malé Atoll sailing from the North on a big ship. The people of Giraavaru spotted his vessel from afar and welcomed him. They allowed Prince Koimala to settle on that large sandbank in the midst of the waters tainted with fish blood. Trees were planted on the sandbank and it is said that the first tree that grew on it was the papaya tree. However this could refer to any tree that bears edible fruit as the archaic Dhivehi word (and Mahal word even today) for fruit was the same as that for the papaya (falhoa).[9] As time went by the local islanders accepted the rule of this Northern Prince. A palace was built and the island was formally named Maa-le (Malé), while the nearest island was named Hulhu-le.

The names of the main four wards or divisions of Malé Island are said to have been given by the aboriginal Giraavaru fishermen: Maafannu from "maa" (big) and "fannu" (a place where a village path meets the sea), Henveiru from "en-beyru" (out where fishermen got their bait), Galolhu from "galu-olhu" (stone groove) and, Macchangolhi from "mathi-angolhi" (windward path-fork).

The modern-day city was founded as a trading post by the Portuguese in the 16th century.

Geography[edit] Climate[edit] Malé has a tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification. The city features a mix of both wet and dry seasons, with the wet season lasting from May through December and the dry season covering the remaining four months. Unlike a number of cities with this climate, Malé experiences relatively consistent temperatures throughout the course of the year, with an average high of 30 degrees Celsius and an extremely high average low of 26.5 degrees Celsius, which is equivalent to many equatorial cities' average year round daily mean. The city averages slightly more than 1600 mm of precipitation annually.

[hide]Climate data for Malé Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high, °C (°F) 30.0 (86) 30.4 (86.7) 31.2 (88.2) 31.5 (88.7) 31.0 (87.8) 30.5 (86.9) 30.4 (86.7) 30.2 (86.4) 30.0 (86) 30.0 (86) 30.1 (86.2) 29.9 (85.8) 30.4 (86.7) Average low, °C (°F) 25.4 (77.7) 25.6 (78.1) 25.8 (78.4) 26.4 (79.5) 26.2 (79.2) 25.8 (78.4) 25.6 (78.1) 25.5 (77.9) 25.1 (77.2) 25.2 (77.4) 25.3 (77.5) 25.1 (77.2) 25.6 (78.1) Average precipitation, mm (inches) 75.2 (2.961) 49.7 (1.957) 72.8 (2.866) 131.6 (5.181) 215.7 (8.492) 171.9 (6.768) 147.2 (5.795) 187.7 (7.39) 242.8 (9.559) 222.0 (8.74) 201.0 (7.913) 231.7 (9.122) 1,949.3 (76.744) Average precipitation (≥ 1.0 mm) days 4.6 3.5 6.1 9.1 14.3 12.9 11.9 12.8 15.8 14.6 13.3 11.8 130.7 Average relative humidity, % 78.0 77.0 76.9 78.1 80.8 80.7 79.1 80.5 81.0 81.7 82.2 80.9 79.7 Mean monthly sunshine hours 248.0 259.9 279.0 246.0 223.2 201.0 226.3 210.8 201.0 235.6 225.0 220.1 2,778.2 Source: NOAA[10] Subdivisions[edit]

The crowded skyline of Malé

Wards of Malé The city is divided into six divisions, four of which are on Malé Island: Henveiru, Galolhu, Maafannu and Macchangolhi. The nearby island of Vilingili, formerly a tourist resort and prior to that a prison, is the fifth division (Vilimalé). The sixth division is Hulhumalé, an artificial island settled since 2004. In addition, the airport Island Hulhule is part of the city. Plans have been made to develop the Gulhi Falu reef, implementation began in 2008.[11][12][13]

Nr. Division Area (ha) Population Census 2006 Population Density (Pop. per km2) Remarks 1 Henveiru 59.1 23,597 39,927.2 Malé Island 2 Galolhu 27.6 19,414 70,340.6 Malé Island 3 Machchangolhi 32.6 19,580 60,061.3 Malé Island 4 Maafannu 75.9 29,964 39,478.3 Malé Island 1-4 Malé (Island) 195.2 92,555 47,415.5 Malé Island 5 Vilimalé 31.8 6,956 21,874.2 Villingili Island 6 Hulhumalé 200.9 2,866 1,426.6 Artificial island - Hulhule 151.9 1,316 866.4 Airport Island - Gulhi Falhu - - - Planned Port Island

	Malé (city)	579.8	103,693	17,884.3

The Island of Malé is the fifth most densely populated island in the world, and it is the 168th most populous island in the world. Since there is no surrounding countryside, all infrastructure has to be located in the city itself. Water is provided from desalinated ground water; the water works pumps brackish water from 50-60m deep wells in the city and desalinates that using reverse osmosis.[14] Electric power is generated in the city using diesel generators.[15] Sewage is pumped unprocessed into the sea.[14] Solid waste is transported to nearby islands, where it is used to fill in lagoons. The airport was built in this way, and currently the Thilafushi lagoon is being filled in.[16][17]

Many government buildings and agencies are located on the waterfront. Malé International Airport is on adjacent Hulhule Island which includes a seaplane base for internal transportation. Several land reclamation projects have expanded the harbour.

Economy[edit] Tourism is the largest industry in the Maldives, accounting for 28% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. The GDP per capita expanded by 265% in the 1980s and a further 115% in the 1990s. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Malé, the capital, has many tourist attractions and nearby resorts. The central harbour and port of the Maldives is located in Malé, the centre for all commercial activities. Maldivian, the airline of the Maldives, has its head office in Malé[18] as does the airline FlyMe.[19]

City Council[edit]

Sultans Gardens Park

A road in Malé, with the wall of Dharumavantha School on the right, and the old Parliament Building across the road. Malé City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the city of Malé. The council was created in 2011, with the enactment of the Decentralization Bill, which saw the introduction of local governance to the country.

The city is divided into 11 political wards each with one councillor. The majority of current councillors, elected in the country's second local council elections in 2014, is from the Maldivian Democratic Party.

Members[edit] Ward Code Name First elected Party Hulhu-Henveiru T01 Mohammed Sajid 2014 PPM Medhu-Henveiru T02 Zaidhul Ameen 2014 PPM Henveiru-Dhekunu T03 Ibrahim Nimal 2014 MDP Galolhu-Uthuru T04 Shifa Mohammed 2014 MDP Galolhu-Dhekunu T05 Fathimath Rizveen 2014 MDP Machchangolhi-Uthuru T06 Mohammed Rasheed 2014 MDP Machchangolhi-Dhekunu T07 Ibrahim Mamnoon 2014 PPM Maafannu-Uthuru T08 Mohammed Shihab 2014 MDP Maafannu-Hulhangu T09 Shamau Shareef 2014 MDP Maafannu-Dhekunu T10 Ahmed Rishwaan 2014 MDP Vili-Maafannu T11 Hussain Shareef 2014 MDP

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