Thuraakunu
Island in Ihavandhippolhu Atoll, Maldives
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thuraakunu (Dhivehi: ތުރާކުނު) is the northernmost island in Maldives, one of the fourteen inhabited islands of Haa Alif Atoll and is geographically part of the Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the Maldives. It is an island-level administrative constituency governed by the Thuraakunu Island Council.
Thuraakunu
ތުރާކުނު | |
|---|---|
  Thuraakunu Location in Maldives | |
| Coordinates: 7°6′18″N 72°54′07″E | |
| Country | Maldives |
| Geographic atoll | Ihavandhippolhu Atoll |
| Administrative atoll | Haa Alif Atoll |
| Distance to Malé | 330.89 km (205.61 mi) |
| Government | |
| • Council | Thuraakunu Island Council |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 0.9 km (0.56 mi) |
| • Width | 0.38 km (0.24 mi) |
| Population (2022)[1] | |
• Total | 427 |
| Time zone | UTC+05:00 (MST) |
| Area code(s) | 650, 20 |
| Thuraakunu Lighthouse | |
| Foundation | concrete base |
| Construction | metal skeletal tower |
| Shape | square pyramidal skeletal tower[2][3] |
| Focal height | 15 m (49 ft)  |
| Range | 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 5s |
History
Thuraakunu is the closest island to Minicoy. Formerly there was direct trade between both, and fishermen from both islands used to visit each other. This exchange continued even after Minicoy became part of the Indian Union after independence. However, after 1956 the Indian government forbade these visits. Now, despite the geographical proximity and ethnographic similarities, people from both islands are not allowed to meet each other.
