Ihavandhippolhu
- Landsat 7
- Path 146, Row 055
- 21 June 2001
Northernmost of all the Maldivian atolls, Ihavandhippolhu lies 8 km off the northwestern side of Thiladhunmathee atoll and 440 km southwest from the Indian mainland. Minicoy, the southernmost member of the Lakshadweep Archipelago, lies 128 km to the north across the Eight Degree Channel. Ihavandhippolhu and the northern section of Thiladhunmathee form the Haa Alifu Atoll (North Thiladhunmathee) administrative unit.
Rectangular in shape, the atoll of Ihavandhippolhu measures 26 km in length (orientated northwest to southeast) with a maximum width of 13 km. The western face of the atoll consists of two large and broad reefs that form a near continuous barrier to the open ocean. The largest of these perimeter reefs contains a string of small islets along its entire length. The eastern side of Ihavandhippolhu, in contrast to the western side, is extremely open. It comprises seven poorly-defined reefs that are topped with relatively large islands.
image: millenium coral reefs landsat archive/usf millenium global coral reef mapping project/nasa seawifs/nasa jsc
