| Kudahuvadhoo | |
|---|---|
| Island Summary | |
| Belongs to | Dhaalu Atoll |
| Location | Indian Ocean (2°40' North; 72°54' East) |
| Population | 1562 |
| Length | 1150m |
| Width | 875m |
| Distance from Malé | 179.70km |
Kudahuvadhoo (Dhivehi: ކުޑަހުވަދޫ) is one of the inhabited islands Dhaalu or South Nilande Atoll, Maldives. It is also the capital of the atoll and the proposed capital for the Medhu Province of the Maldives. Kudahivadhoo has a population of about 2300 (this number includes the residents of Gemendhoo and Vaanee evacuated to Kudahuvadhoo after the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004). Kudahuvadhoo has one of the mysterious mounds known as hawittas. These mounds are the ruins of Buddhist temples from the pre-Islamic period (before 10th century) that have not been excavated yet. Thor Heyerdahl who explored the island in the early 1980s wrote that the ancient coral-stone mosque of Kudahuvadhoo possesses some of the finest masonry ever seen in the world.