Gaafaru (Dhivehi: ގާފަރު) is one of the inhabited islands of Kaafu Atoll, the only island of the natural atoll known as Gaafaru.
Gaafaru
ގާފަރު | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Gaafaru Atoll (Landsat image) | |
  Gaafaru Location in Maldives | |
| Coordinates: 04°44′10″N 73°29′55″E / 4.73611°N 73.49861°E | |
| Country | Maldives |
| Administrative atoll | Kaafu Atoll |
| Distance to Malé | 62.03 km (38.54 mi) |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 0.525 km (0.326 mi) |
| • Width | 0.450 km (0.280 mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 1,294 (including foreigners) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:00 (MST) |
Geography
editThe island is 62.03 km (39 mi; 33 nmi) north of the country's capital, Malé.[2]
Gahaafaru Atoll
editGahaafaru or Gaafaru (Northern Reef) is a large elliptical reef with only a small inhabited island at its eastern end. This reef has proved disastrous to many vessels[3]. Gaafaru reef is as much a separate atoll as Goifulhafehendhu Atoll or Rasdhukuramathi Atoll which are similar in structure and size. It is separated from Kagi (the northernmost island of North Malé Atoll) by a narrow but deep channel - the Gaafaru Kandu[4]. Rising sea levels as a result of climate change put the island at "severe risk of flooding in the next century, with half of its land in danger."[5]
Demography
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Table P5: Resident Population by island and sex, 2022" (PDF). Maldives Census. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ↑ "Coordinate Distance Calculator". Boulter.com. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
- ↑ "Gaafaru". Maldives Virtual Tour. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
- ↑ "Gaaerifaru Kandu dive site | PADI". PADI Travel. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
- ↑ Viva, Arquitectura. "Masterplan for Gaafaru island in the Maldives - Foster + Partners". Arquitectura Viva. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
- ↑ "Table 3.3: Total Maldivian Population by Islands" (PDF). National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
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