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Atoll
Introduction
Male' Atoll (Kaafu Atoll)
This is where tourism began
in 1972. Kaafu Atoll consists of four geographical atolls;
North and South Male Atoll, Gaafaru and Kaasidhoo Atolls.
The atoll is located almost in the centre of the Maldives
atoll chain. With 80 islands in all, only 12 are inhabited.
That includes the capital, Male and the island of Hulhule
on which Male International Airport is located. While the
first resort opened with just 30 rooms in 1972 now there are
a total of 3657 rooms distributed amongst 44 resorts in the
atoll. In fact the biggest concentration of resorts is in
North Male Atoll. The atoll is dotted with dive sites, many
of them well known in the diving community. Manta points,
interesting reef formations, coral gardens and wrecks are
all part of the diving experience in these atolls. The Maldives
Victory, which sank on Friday the 13th 1981 near the airport
island of Hulule, is now an exciting diving attraction.
Kaafu Atoll is also a haven for surfers. The eastern reef
of North Male Atoll has many recognised surf sites for the
avid surfer - Cokes at Thulusdhoo is one.
Most of the recognised surfs
in the Maldives are in North Male Atoll. Transport to the
resorts in Male Atoll are by dhoni, motorised local vessels
or by speedboat.
The island of Thulusdhoo in North
Male Atoll is a centre of commercial activity. It is most
famous for its Coca Cola bottling plant- certainly one of
the few, if not the only plant that uses desalinated water.
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