Sister Suvadive
December 30/2018

During the era of the British Protectorate and the fall of the first republic, the Maldives was vulnerable. It was the peak years of the Cold War and a country relying on imports is barely surviving from the famine from during the Second World War. There are two water channels that divide the island nation, the Kardiva Channel and the One and Half Degree Channel. In 1959, the southernmost atolls, Huvadhu Atoll, Fuvammulah Atoll and Addu Atoll decided to leave the Maldives. This was the birth of a new short- lived nation known as The Suvadive Republic.

Suvadive was named after the English derivative of Huvadhu atoll, “Suvadou” which was the largest atoll in the Suvadive territory. Claiming its independence in January 1959, people wanted to leave the Maldive government due to the lack of communication from the capital. The one and half degree channel brought great isolation of the Southern atolls from Malé. The north and the south suffered greatly, even during resource allocation as they were mostly left ignored. Unlike the North, however, the Southern atolls had benefitted from the British. The Royal Airforce Base in Gan, Addu Atoll benefitted the Southern Atolls especially Addu with resources, education and outstanding medical facilities. This had led the uprising of the Suvadive nation and its development faster than the Maldivian government.

The islands of the former Suvadive Republic are a must-visit during an island tour of the Maldives. The people of Huvadhu, Fuvammulah and Addu speak a completely different dialect of the common-Dhivehi language. The dialects are authentic relics of the Dhivehi language that are taught and revived in the atolls to prevent it from going extinct (considering the dialects are not accepted in formal documentation and during Dhivehi literature classes). These islands also have a more authentic cultural representation of the Maldives, embracing the food, traditions and artefacts that have now become a luxury for locals.

The stories, the historic sites and its embedded uniqueness are endless. However, it does not mean these three atolls should go unmentioned. The Suvadive Republic was taken over by the Maldive government in 1963 but remains fresh in the hearts of many Suvadivians. Shining the bright equatorial rays towards the South, ARVACA is pleased to feature Sister Suvadive in the third issue of ARVACA Travel Maldives coming to you March of 2019.