Kudahuvadhoo

Kudahuvadhoo
Inhabited island
The old mosque of Kudahuvadhoo famous for its fine masonry
Kudahuvadhoo Location in Maldives
Coordinates: 2°40′15.96″N 72°53′36.42″E / 2.6711000°N 72.8934500°E / 2.6711000; 72.8934500
Country	Maldives
Geographic atoll	Indian Ocean (2°40' North; 72°54' East)
Administrative atoll	Dhaalu Atoll
Distance to Malé	179.70 km (111.66 mi)
Dimensions
• Length	1.150 km (0.715 mi)
• Width	0.875 km (0.544 mi)
Population  (2022)[1]
• Total	3,132 (including foreigners)
Time zone	UTC+05:00 (MST)

Kudahuvadhoo (Dhivehi: ކުޑަހުވަދޫ) is one of the inhabited islands of Dhaalu Atoll in the Maldives. It is also the capital of Dhaalu Atoll.

The Buddhist era on the island of Kudahuvadhoo lasted from around 400 AD to 1258 AD, with sailors and Aryan immigrants bringing the religion from Sri Lanka and Southern India. Other citizens on the island and island chain were also known to have practiced paganism. Many Hindus also resided on the island as the religion was brought with the Aryans from modern-day Pakistan and western India.^[2]

Kudahuvadhoo has one of the mysterious mounds known as hawittas. These mounds are the ruins of Buddhist temples from the pre-Islamic period (before the 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. The unique masonry surpasses that of the famous Inca wall in Cuzco, Peru.

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Kudahuvadhoo Loamaafaanu (official copper plates with inscriptions), provides that king Al-Sultan Valla Dio Kalaminjaa Siri Raa-Araa Desvaru Mahaa Radun (Dhivehi: އައްސުލްޠާން ވައްލާ ދިއޯ ކަލަމިންޖާ ސިރީ ރާއަރާދޭސްވަރު މަހާރަދުން), who ruled the Maldives from 1233 AD to 1258 AD was responsible for spreading Islam to the island. The inscription provides that the citizens of Kudahuvadhoo became Muslim 88 years after the country officially adopted Islam.

The island is 179.84 km (112 mi; 97 nmi) south of the country's capital, Malé.^[3] It is the capital of the atoll. Kudahuvadhoo is the largest island in Dhaalu Atoll, As the other islands in Dhaalu Atoll are quite small.

According to the 2022 Census, conducted in September 2022, Kudahuvadhoo had a resident population of 3,132.

.^[5] (this number includes the residents of Gemendhoo and Vaanee evacuated to Kudahuvadhoo after the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004).

People from other islands come to Kudahuvadhoo for better education and health facilities. Moreover, Kudahuvadhoo is the urban hub in the whole central area of the Maldives, which includes Faafu atoll, Meemu atoll and Dhaalu atoll.

Kudahuvadhoo is a fast developing island in the Maldives. Dhaalu Airport, the regional airport for Dhaalu atoll is located on Kudahuvadhoo and opened to the public in July 1, 2017. The airport has a 1800m long runway making it one of the largest domestic airports in the Maldives.

Dhaalu Airport is a regional domestic airport located on the island of Kudahuvadhoo in Dhaalu Atoll in the Republic of Maldives. It was built by Reollo Investments Pvt. Ltd. and is operated by Dhaalu Airport Holdings.

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