A story of prosperity, resilience and rebirth. Few islands in the Maldives carry a past as dramatic as Thinadhoo's.
Thinadhoo lies in the south of Huvadhu Atoll, one of the largest natural atolls in the world, and serves as the capital of the administrative division of Gaafu Dhaalu. The island has long been known by the honorific Havaru Thinadhoo, a name that reflects the standing its people held across the Maldives.
For generations Thinadhoo was one of the wealthiest islands in the country. Its seafaring merchants sailed their own vessels on trading voyages to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and India, returning with goods, wealth and ideas. That prosperity built fine homes, supported early education, and made the island a centre of commerce and learning in the southern atolls, a position it still holds today.
In 1959, the three southernmost atolls (Addu, Fuvahmulah and Huvadhu) broke away from the central government in Malé and declared the United Suvadive Republic, led by Abdulla Afeef. Grievances over trade restrictions and neglect of the south ran deep, and Thinadhoo, as Huvadhu's most prominent island, became a stronghold of the secession. The breakaway state lasted until 1963.
The southern rebellion brought a devastating reprisal. In early 1962, government forces under Prime Minister Ibrahim Nasir arrived aboard the armed vessel Maldive Star and forcibly evicted the entire population. Homes were destroyed, property was lost, and the island's roughly 4,800 inhabitants were scattered across other islands of the atoll and beyond. Havaru Thinadhoo, for centuries one of the most prosperous communities in the Maldives, was left empty.
Resettlement was permitted on 22 August 1966, and families began returning to rebuild from the ground up. The depopulation remains one of the most painful chapters in modern Maldivian history, and the anniversary of resettlement is remembered on the island to this day.
From that new beginning, Thinadhoo rebuilt itself with remarkable speed. It again became the administrative capital of Gaafu Dhaalu and the commercial heart of Huvadhu Atoll, home to the regional Dr. Abdul Samad Memorial Hospital, secondary schools and a campus of higher education, a busy harbour, and air links through nearby Kaadedhdhoo Airport, which opened in 1993.
In December 2023 Thinadhoo was granted city status in recognition of its size, services and regional importance, and a milestone for a community that rebuilt itself from nothing within living memory.
Thinadhoo's merchants sail to Ceylon and India in their own vessels, making the island one of the most prosperous in the Maldives and earning it the honorific "Havaru Thinadhoo".
Addu, Fuvahmulah and Huvadhu atolls secede from Malé under Abdulla Afeef. Thinadhoo becomes a stronghold of the southern breakaway state.
Government forces under PM Ibrahim Nasir evict the entire population. The island is destroyed and left uninhabited.
On 22 August 1966 the people of Thinadhoo are permitted to return and begin rebuilding their island from the ground up.
A domestic airport on neighbouring Kaadedhdhoo connects the region to Malé, cementing Thinadhoo's role as the southern hub.
Thinadhoo is declared a city of the Maldives, one of only a handful nationwide, in recognition of its population, services and regional importance.
From the harbour to the mangroves, explore what Thinadhoo has become.
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