Relevance: Prelims/mains: G.S paper II: Polity: International
Why In news?
- India and Maldives today signed five MoUs for establishing the Addu Tourism zone in five islands of Addu atoll at a cost of 2.49 million dollars.
Key highlights:
- Addu Atoll, also known as Seenu Atoll, is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives.
- A 6th MoU to set up a bottled water plant in Hoarafushi was also signed.
- All six projects are grant projects falling under India’s High Impact Community Development Scheme (HICDP).
- These projects are driven by the needs of communities on the islands.
Addu Atoll, together with Fuvahmulah, located 40 km north of Addu Atoll, extend the Maldives into the Southern Hemisphere.
Addu Atoll is located 540 km south of Malé, the country’s capital. Administratively, Addu Atoll is the location of Addu City, one of the two cities of the Maldives.
Addu City consists of the inhabited areas of Addu Atoll, namely the natural islands of Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, Maradhoo, Feydhoo, and Hithadhoo. (The districts of Addu City are not according to the natural islands that it comprises).
In addition to the areas that are included as a part of Addu City, Addu Atoll has a number of other inhabited and uninhabited islands, including the island of Gan, where Gan International Airport is located.
