Gan (Addu Atoll)

Coordinates: 00°41′40″S 073°09′18″E / 0.69444°S 73.15500°E / -0.69444; 73.15500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Gan (Seenu Atoll)
)
Gan
Addu Atoll seen from space. Gan lies at the end of the continuous reef fringing Addu from the west and southwest
Addu Atoll seen from space. Gan lies at the end of the continuous reef fringing Addu from the west and southwest
1976 map of Addu Atoll showing Gan and airfield
1976 map of Addu Atoll showing Gan and airfield
Gan is located in Maldives
Gan
Gan
Location in Maldives
Coordinates: 00°41′40″S 073°09′18″E / 0.69444°S 73.15500°E / -0.69444; 73.15500
CountryMaldives
Geographic atollAddu Atoll
Distance to Malé258.48 km (160.61 mi)
Area
 • Total2.256 km2 (0.871 sq mi)
Dimensions
 • Length1.000 km (0.621 mi)
 • Width0.330 km (0.205 mi)
Population
 • Total1,104
 • Density490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:00 (MST)

Gan (

Div: ގަން) is the southernmost island of Addu Atoll (also known as Seenu Atoll), as well as the southernmost island of the Maldives
. It is relatively large by Maldive standards.

The origin of the word "Gan" is in the Sanskrit word "Grama", meaning "village".

Gan is the second largest island of the atoll, after Hithadhoo, and measures 2.2561 square kilometres (0.87 sq mi) in area. Gan was formerly inhabited, but its inhabitants were moved to neighbouring islands after the

airbase was built. It has had continuous human habitation since very ancient times. There were large cultivated fields of yams, manioc and coconut trees on this island. A former havitta
at island's east end had to be removed to build the runway.

Gan has now a hotel catering for tourists and is connected by causeways to the neighbouring islands of

Hithadhoo
.

This island is not to be confused with two other Maldive islands called "Gan": Gan (Huvadhu Atoll) and Gan (Laamu Atoll).

Archaeology

In 1922

vihara
, were bulldozed when the airport was built.

British base

In 1941, during the

Second World War, the Royal Navy
established a base ("Port T"). An isolated island base with a safe, deep anchorage in a suitably strategic position was required, and Addu met the requirements. Once available, its facilities were used extensively by the Fleet.

Royal Navy engineers landed in August 1941 from

flying boats operated from jetties on the northern, sheltered side of Gan. Large oil tanks were built on Gan, and on Hitaddu Island on the western edge of the atoll; vital elements for a naval base. These were visible from a long distances at sea, but this was unavoidable, given the atoll's low profile.

Ship's supplies for the fleet were provided from a pair of Australian refrigerated ships,

Fremantle, Western Australia
.

The six major islands were garrisoned by the 1st

Hithadhoo and, much later in the war, they were linked by a light railway
. Addu was an unpopular posting due to the hot, humid climate, lack of recreational facilities and lack of socialising with the local population.

The

Diego Suarez in May 1942, but was raised and towed to Addu for use as an oil storage vessel); this was a long-range shot from outside the atoll through a gap in the anti-torpedo nets.[1] Although seriously damaged, the tanker did not sink. She was not fully repaired but kept as a Ministry of War Transport
Oil Fuel Storage Vessel. There was significant oil pollution after this incident and British personnel were used to clean the lagoon, but they were only partially successful.

On 5 January 1946, British Loyalty was scuttled southeast of Hithadhoo Island in the Addu Atoll lagoon. Despite the fact that she is still leaking oil, she has become a popular diving location.

In 1957, the naval base was transferred to the Royal Air Force. From 1957, during the Cold War, it was used as an outpost as RAF Gan. The base remained in intermittent service until 1976, when British Forces withdrew.

From Gan Island several rockets of the Kookaburra type were launched from a pad at 0°41' S and 73°9' E.[2]

Most of the employees who had experience working for the British military spoke fluent English. When the base at Gan was closed for good, they turned to the nascent tourism industry for employment. As a result, there was an influx of Addu people to Malé seeking employment in the nearby resorts and also looking for education for their children.

After the British military left, the airstrip was neglected and remained almost unused for many decades. Recently it has been developed into what is now Gan International Airport.

Climate

Gan has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen: Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.

Climate data for Gan, (elevation 1.8 m (5.9 ft), 1991−2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30.7
(87.3)
31.2
(88.2)
31.6
(88.9)
31.6
(88.9)
31.3
(88.3)
31.2
(88.2)
30.8
(87.4)
30.7
(87.3)
30.6
(87.1)
30.6
(87.1)
30.5
(86.9)
30.5
(86.9)
30.9
(87.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 28.1
(82.6)
28.6
(83.5)
28.7
(83.7)
28.8
(83.8)
28.6
(83.5)
28.4
(83.1)
28.0
(82.4)
27.9
(82.2)
27.8
(82.0)
27.9
(82.2)
27.8
(82.0)
27.8
(82.0)
28.2
(82.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 25.2
(77.4)
25.6
(78.1)
25.5
(77.9)
25.5
(77.9)
25.4
(77.7)
25.3
(77.5)
24.9
(76.8)
24.7
(76.5)
24.8
(76.6)
24.8
(76.6)
24.7
(76.5)
24.8
(76.6)
25.1
(77.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 203.7
(8.02)
79.2
(3.12)
120.5
(4.74)
172.5
(6.79)
242.9
(9.56)
143.7
(5.66)
197.6
(7.78)
195.5
(7.70)
223.6
(8.80)
243.8
(9.60)
234.8
(9.24)
225.5
(8.88)
2,283.3
(89.89)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 10.6 5.8 7.1 11.7 13.4 9.3 11.6 11.8 12.8 14.6 15.2 14.4 138.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 241.4 247.9 267.1 245.3 231.3 217.4 204.6 211.2 196.6 219.1 224.2 229.2 2,735.3
Source:
NOAA[3]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ British Loyalty at uboat.net; retrieved 12 November 2019
  2. ^ "Kookaburra". Astronautix.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2003. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
  3. ^ "Gan Climate Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.

External links

  • Gan travel guide from Wikivoyage