Maliku Atoll
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Minicoy |
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| Atoll Summary | |
| Administrative name | Minicoy |
| Atoll name | Maliku Atoll |
| Location | |
| Population | 9495 |
| No. of Islands | 2 |
| Inhabited Islands | 1 |
| Inhabited Islands | |
| Maliku | |
| Uninhabited Islands | |
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Maliku Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. It is 10 km in length, having a maximum breadth of about 6 km. There are only two islands in this atoll:
- Minicoy, a large inhabited island located on the eastern and southeastern side of the lagoon, along the reef fringe. It measures about 10 km from its northern end to its southernmost point and it is about 1 km wide in its southern half, while the northern half is a narrow sandspit, often less than 100 m wide. Minicoy is almost completely covered with coconut trees. One of the few landmarks of the island is a tall lighthouse.
- Viringili, a small islet located on the southwestern reef edge. It is barely 200 m in length. Formerly the lepers of Minicoy were banished to this island where they lived in abject conditions.
Maliku Atoll has a lagoon with two entrances in its northern side, Salihu Magu on the northeast and Kandimma Magu on the northwest. Its western side is fringed by a narrow reef and coral rocks awash. The interior of the lagoon is sandy and of moderate depth, rarely reaching 4 m. It has some coral patches.
[edit] Maliku Kandu
Maliku Kandu is the traditional name of the broad channel between Minicoy (Maliku) and Ihavandippulhu (Haa Alif Atoll) in the Maldives. In the Admiralty Charts it is called Eight Degree Channel. Other names for this channel are Addigiri Kandu and Māmalē Kandu. It appeared in old French maps with the name Courant de Malicut.
[edit] References
- Divehi Tārīkhah Au Alikameh. Divehi Bahāi Tārikhah Khidmaiykurā Qaumī Markazu. Reprint 1958 edn. Male’ 1990.
- Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru. Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. G.Sōsanī.
- Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999, ISBN 84 7254 801 5
