Addu Atoll (local administrative name Seenu Atoll) is the southernmost atoll of the Republic of Maldives. Addu or Seenu Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Republic of Maldives. ... Portion of a Pacific atoll showing two islets on the ribbon or barrier reef separated by a deep pass between the ocean and the lagoon. ...

NOTE: Letters like 'Seenu' are code letters assigned to the present administrative divisions of the Maldives. They are not the proper names of these divisions or atolls. The order followed by the code letters is from North to South, beginning with the first letters of the Dhivehi alphabet. These code letters have become popular among tourists and foreigners in the Maldives who find them easier to pronounce than the true atoll names in Dhivehi, (save a few exceptions, like Ari Atoll). The introduction of code-letter names has been a source of much puzzlement and misunderstandings, especially among foreigners. Many people have come to think that the code-letter of the administrative atoll is its new name and that it has replaced its geographical name. Under such circumstances it is hard to know which is the correct name to use.

Aware of the extent of this problem, Maldivian expert Mr. Ibrahim Luthfee wrote a book on Maldivian Geography before he died. With this book, which is unfortunately available only in Divehi, the late Mr. Luthfee tried to clear a number of misconceptions that carelessly researched tourist publications have generalized even among Maldivians. Much of this article has been translated and adapted from his posthumous work.

Reference

• Divehiraajjege Jōgrafīge Vanavaru. Muhammadu Ibrahim Lutfee. G.Sōsanī. Male' 1999.

There are not many islands in this Atoll, but many of them are large compared to the average size of islands in the Maldives. Most inhabited islands in Addu are in the western reef and these are Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, Gan. All these islands are connected with each other through a road or causeway. The islands of Meedhoo, and Hulhudhoo share a large island in the east. The total population of Addu Atoll is just over 28,000. Hithadhoo should not be confused with Hithaadhoo For other islands see Hithadhoo Hithadhoo (Dhivehi: ހިތަދޫ) is the capital of Addu Atoll The south up to the principal place is closely existed with palms and shrubs, while the entire northern region shows up as partially stony, unreal shrub landscape, which can be... Maradhoo (Dhivehi: މަރަދޫ) is one of the inhabited islands of the Seenu Atoll. ... Feydhoo is one of the inhabited islands of the Seenu Atoll. ... Gan Island (pronounced Yahn) is a part of the Republic of the Maldives. ... For other islands see Meedhoo Meedhoo (Dhivehi: މީދޫ) is the oldest populated island in Addu Atoll, Republic of Maldives, having been settled between 1000 and 500 BCE. Its present population is about 2300. ... Hulhudhoo is one of the inhabited islands of the Seenu Atoll. ...

Linguistics

The dialect spoken in this atoll (Addu bas) is quite different from the official form of the Dhivehi language. It has some affinities with the language of Fua Mulaku Moloki bas. Traditionally all educated islanders from the three different atolls of the south adopted the Addu language as lingua franca. Hence, when for example an islander of Huvadhu met with another from Fua Mulaku, they would use the Addu bas to talk to each other. The secessionist government of the Suvadive republic hiowever, used the Male' language in its official correspondence. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Dhivehi. ... Malé (Dhivehi: މާލެ), (pronounced: Maa-lay) population 81,647 (2004), is the capital of the Republic of Maldives located at the southern edge of North Male Atoll Kaafu Atoll. ...

British naval base

The Royal Navy established a base ("Port T") - later RAF Gan from 1957 - on the island of Gan (pronounced “Yahn”) in 1941, during World War II. During the Cold War it was used as an outpost. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... RAF Gan was a Royal Air Force station on Gan Island, a southerly island of the Maldive Islands, in the middle of the Indian Ocean. ... Gan can have several meanings: A Romanization of the Chinese character 甘 (Gān), an abbreviation for Gansu Province in the Peoples Republic of China A Romanization of the Chinese character èµ£ (Gàn), an abbreviation for: The Gan River Jiangxi Province in the Peoples Republic of China, through which... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ...

The original naval base was established as a fall-back for the British Eastern Fleet. Despite public pronouncements to the contrary, the official view was that the main base at Singapore would be untenable if the Japanese made serious headway in Malaya and Java - which, in the event, is what happened in 1942. The intention had been to operate from Trincomalee, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Upon inspection, however, the naval commander-in-chief, Admiral James Somerville found the port inadequate, vulnerable to a determined attack and open to spying. An isolated island base with a safe, deep anchorage in a suitably strategic position was required, and Addu met the requirements. Once available, its facilities were used extensively by the Fleet. The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II and post war until 1971. ... Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (or Semenanjung Malaysia in the Malay language) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... Trincomalee District Map Trincomalee (Tamil: (Thirukonamalai, hist: Sirigonakanda); Sinhala: (Thirikunamalaya)) is a port city on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka, about 110 miles northeast of Kandy. ... Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville, GCB GBE DSO, (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was one of the most famous British Admirals of World War II. // The son of Arthur Fownes Somerville (1850-1942, who appears to have spent some time farming sheep in New Zealand), James...

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. HMS Guardian was a World War II-era net laying and photographic ship built in 1932 and scrapped in 1962. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... PBY Catalina was the United States Navy designation for an American and Canadian-built flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. ... The S.25 Sunderland was a flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers, first flown on 16 October 1937. ...

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 Australian Imperial Force troop convoys also refueled at Addu on their way from Aden to Fremantle, Western Australia. The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was the name given to two all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II. First Australian Imperial Force (1914-18) Second Australian Imperial Force (1939-45) Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, Australia had a... Port of Aden (around 1910). ... Location of Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle ( ) is a city located within the Perth metropolitan area on Australias western coast, at the mouth of the Swan River, 19 kilometres southwest of Perths Central Business District. ...

The six major islands were garrisoned by the 1st Royal Marine Coast Defence Regiment, manning shore batteries and anti-aircraft guns. To facilitate the defence, causeways were built connecting the western islands of Gan, Eyehook, Maradhoo and Hithadhoo and, much later in the war, they were linked by a light railway. Attu was an unpopular posting due to the hot, humid climate, lack of recreational facilities and lack of socialising with the local population. The Corps of Royal Marines, usually just known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the United Kingdoms amphibious forces and a core component of the countrys Rapid Reaction Force. ... Gan Island (pronounced Yahn) is a part of the Republic of the Maldives. ... Maradhoo (Dhivehi: Þ‰Þ¦ÞƒÞ¦Þ‹Þ«) is one of the inhabited islands of the Seenu Atoll. ... Hithadhoo should not be confused with Hithaadhoo For other islands see Hithadhoo Hithadhoo (Dhivehi: ހިތަދޫ) is the capital of Addu Atoll The south up to the principal place is closely existed with palms and shrubs, while the entire northern region shows up as partially stony, unreal shrub landscape, which can be... A Light rail system Historically, a railway built in Britain under the 1896 Light Railways Act This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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 U-boat 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. U-boat is also a nickname for some diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives October 1939. ... Antsiranana, named Diégo-Suarez prior to 1975, is a city at the northern tip of Madagascar, in Antsiranana province. ...

On 5th January 1946, British Loyalty was scuttled southeast of Hithadhoo Island in the Addu Atoll lagoon. After some years of leaking oil, she has become a popular dive location.

In 1957, the naval base was transferred to the Royal Air Force. As RAF Gan, it remained in intermittent service until 1976, when British Forces withdrew. The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

Most of the employees who had experience working for the British military spoke good English. When the base at Gan was closed for good they turned to the nascent tourism industry for employment. As a result, there was an influx of Addu people to Malé seeking employment in the nearby resorts and also looking for education to their children. Addu or Seenu Atoll is the southernmost atoll of the Republic of Maldives. ... Malé (Dhivehi: މާލެ), (pronounced: Maa-lay) population 81,647 (2004), is the capital of the Republic of Maldives located at the southern edge of North Male Atoll Kaafu Atoll. ... A resort is a place for holidaying or vacationing. ...

See also

• United Suvadive Republic

Official language Adduan dialect of Dhivehi (de facto) Capital Hithadhoo President Abdullah Afeef Didi Independence January 3, 1959 Annexation September 23, 1963 by the Republic of Maldives Transfer of Power September 23, 1963 to the Central Government of Malé, Maldives Footnotes ^ The three stars resembles the states constituent atolls...

External references

• Royal Navy on Addu Atoll
• The British Loyalty. Retrieved on 2006 October 18.

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ...