Kondey

Inhabited island in Maldives

00°29′55″N 73°32′55″E / 0.49861°N 73.54861°E / 0.49861; 73.54861CountryMaldivesAdministrative atollGaafu Alif AtollDistance to Malé406.58 km (252.64 mi)Dimensions

• Length2.240 km (1.392 mi) • Width0.675 km (0.419 mi)Population

(2014)^[1]

• Total272 (including foreigners)Time zoneUTC+05:00 (MST)

Kondey or Kondē (Dhivehi: ކޮނޑޭ) is one of the inhabited islands of Northern Huvadhu Atoll, administrative code Gaafu Alifu.

The master carpenters of the iconic Male' Hukuru Miskiy were from Kondey, Ali Maavadi Kaleyfaanu and Mahmud Maavadi Kaleyfaanu.^[2]

History

Archaeology

This island has large ruins from the historical Maldivian Buddhist era.

A ruined Stupa called “Kodey Haviththa” is on the east of the island, about 800 feet (240 m) from the shore. It is 47 feet (14 m) square and 4 feet (1.2 m) high.
On the south-west of the island, about 500 feet (150 m) from the above, there is another “Haviththa” which is 50 feet (15 m) square and 4 feet (1.2 m) high.
On the southern fringes, about 400 feet (120 m) away from the shore there is another “Haviththa” measuring 60 feet (18 m) square and 6 feet (1.8 m) in height. It has a depression at the centre which is 7 feet (2.1 m) in diameter and 2 feet (0.61 m) in depth.

Besides the above there are other ruins scattered all over the island. None of them have been properly investigated, although a Makara (sea monster) head in stone was found during Thor Heyerdahl's expedition. Mr. Muhammad Lutfee is seen holding this Makara head in one of the pictures of Thor Heyerdahl's book. The Makara was a common embellishment in classical Hindu and Buddhist temples.

Geography

The island is 406.58 km (253 mi; 220 nmi) south of the country's capital, Malé.^[3] It is a long wooded island located on Huvadu Atoll's eastern rim.

Demography

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
2006	213	—
2014	259	+21.6%
2006-2014: Census populations Source: ^[4]

References

^ "Table PP5: Resident Population by sex, nationality and locality (administrative islands), 2014" (PDF). Population and Households Census 2014. National Bureau of Statistics. p. 36. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
^ Mauroof Jameel and Yahaya Ahmad (2016). Coral Stone Mosques of Maldives: The Vanishing Legacy of the Indian Ocean, p. 134. ORO Editions. ISBN 9780986281846.
^ "Coordinate Distance Calculator". Boulter.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
^ "Table 3.3: Total Maldivian Population by Islands" (PDF). National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 13 August 2018.

H. C. P. Bell, The Maldive Islands; Monograph on the History, Archaeology and Epigraphy. Reprint Colombo 1940. Council for Linguistic and Historical Research. Male’ 1989
Skjølsvold, Arne. 1991. Archaeological Test-Excavations On The Maldive Islands. The Kon-Tiki Museum Occasional Papers, Vol. 2. Oslo
Xavier Romero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders, A Study of the Popular Culture of an Ancient Ocean Kingdom. Barcelona 1999, ISBN 84-7254-801-5

Island-level constituencies of the Maldives

Haa Alif