Maradhoo (Seenu Atoll)
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Maradhoo |
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| Island Summary | |
| Belongs to | Seenu Atoll |
| Location | |
| Area | |
| Population | 3278 |
| Length | 1575 m |
| Width | 500 m |
| Distance from Malé | 539 km |
| Administrative Information | |
| Island Chief | |
Maradhoo (Dhivehi: މަރަދޫ) is one of the inhabited islands of the Seenu Atoll.
[edit] Overview
Maradhoo is located in the middle of the island chain in western side of Addu Atoll. To the north are Hankede followed by Hithadhoo's Gaukendi, Rujjehera, Abuhera, RAF, Maamendhoo and Mainland Hithadhoo. To the South are Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Feydhoo and Gan island. Maradhoo is about 539 kilometers from the capital island of Maldives. It has a population of 3289 and is ranked 17th in terms of population in Maldives. Mardhoo's location makes it strategically important for the atoll as the main bridging point between the main industrial island Gan and the atoll's administrative capital Hithadhoo. Maradhoo is a larger island in Maldivian terms. The southern part, towards Feydhoo, has a separate administrative division and is regarded as a separate island named Maradhoo-Feydhoo, even though naturally it is a part of Maradhoo island itself.
Maradhoo's landscape is also mainly of palm trees[1] and tropical shrubs as in other islands in Addu Atoll. The island consists of small roads, close lanes, large number of closely built houses, only a few have a second floor, green vegetation surrounds most of the housing compounds, especially coconut palm and banana trees, and are regarded as part domestic agriculture.
Maradhoo has three wards, the north towards Hankede is called Venbolhofushi, The central area is called Egganburi, and the South is called Valiburi, and further south is feydhooburi, now known as Maradhoo-Feydhoo.
The northeast end of the island is a place of historical importance, where the British navy had a major slipway and marine maintenance base. This area is now being used by a private company as a slipway and serves as a major maintenance and docking center for Dhonis, Ships and other sea-going vessels throughout the atoll as well as nearby atolls. In fact it is the only such facility in the atoll. And also there is Bondoge ( literally means: Big house ) used as a criminal detention center by British RAF forces during the second world war and afterwards. After the RAF left Addu Atoll, this place was used as a theater by locals and now is an administrative building of a Kids Club called Club Zealot. This building stands as the largest building in the island even today.
Maradhoo is the main fishing village in the atoll and supplies fish to near by Maradhoo-Feydhoo and Feydhoo. Maradhoo also has good house reef with plenty of varieties of fish and multi-colored corals and is a famous diving point for divers who come to Addu Atoll. Maradhoo Inside is a place in the interior atoll, before the island Maradhoo!
[edit] External links
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Addu Cable Net Pvt Ltd is a Maradhoo based cable operator company.
Established in 2004, ACN intillay operated at a lower scale level with its transmission only to Maradhoo Island with 18 channels. ACN is now the largest cable operator on the atoll with its network in three major islands, namely Maradhoo, Maradhoo feyhdhoo and Feydhoo.
The ACN cable network is the most quality underground cable network. The lower record of troubleshooting with regards to transmission and image quality has proven this network's reliability among customers. ACN holds exclusive rights to some of the most viewed and famous soap opera program channels such as Sony and Z. This has given a clear-cut advantage over other operators as these channels have the highest viewership demand.
In the beginning of the year 2005, ACN started providing internet service, the first of its kind in the atoll, through ROL, the country's second largest Internet Service Provider. There was an overwhelming support for the internet package due to its reasonable price and unlimited download. The Cable modem technlogy gained its reputation for speed and downloads and many households applied for the service. Currently there are hundreds of internet customers. In the last quarter of 2006, ACN expanded its network capability from 18 channels to 30 channels and invested thousands of dollars to get the rights for customers most requested channels such as ESPN, Star Sports, ten Sports and CartoonNetwork.
ACN plans to invest thousands dollars to expand its current network to the capital island hithadhoo using high quality cable that will bridge 7km from ACN network control centre in maradhoo to the Hithadhoo island first transmission box. The internet capability and reliability of ACN network has lured many consumers in hithadhoo island to embrace the ACN network and request the company's services.
The CEO at ACN is its founder and investor Ahmed Shafeeu. Ahmed's cable TV business is regarded as the most successful small business enterprises at both regional and national levels. Further, this investment has been a true reflector of the financial theory; the high risk high return. In this case, the investment initially looks very volatile with its high borrowing from the banks and the uncertainty of the consumer demand. Many have advised Ahmed not to go ahead with the investment as they foresee such a large liability and risks involved. Despite these ill-willed comments, Ahmed planned to go ahead and proves others wrong. Today his effort and dedication has brought the home-based small company as one of the largest in the atoll. This business success has been appreciated by many including government authorities and financial institutions as exemplary investment for all the potential businesses.
