Eydhafushi is the capital of Baa Atoll. The city is geographically located at the southern edge of Baa Atoll. It has the highest population in the atoll and most of the government offices and public facilities.
History
Little is known about the history of Eydhafushi. The island's current population has been pretty recent, with estimated immigration of nearby islanders from the 17th–19th century. In the 1968, people from the nearby Maaddoo island, Funadhoo and Undoodhoo were immigrated to Eydhafushi under the supervision of the Maldivian government as they sought a better standard of living.
Geography
The island is northwest of the country's capital, Malé. Eydhafushi is located at 05° 06' 10" north latitude and 73° 05' 15" east longitude. After land reclamation, the total area of Eydhafushi is now, including the part of the island expanded in 2015 by reclaiming the lagoon surrounding the island.
Ecology
One of the growing issues at Eydhafushi is the rising temperatures. The island is sometimes referred by people as "hell" due to the extremely high temperatures, especially during mid-day. Due to lack of living space, in the past trees at homes were cut down. Recently, the tall trees on the streets were also cut down to lay tar on the main roads. There were no sufficient greening programs held to make up for the cutting down of trees, hence resulting in dusty streets and growing temperatures. Even after the reclamation project, there were no greening programs conducted to overcome the issue of the rising temperatures. Soneva Fushi resort planted trees at the island’s harbour a few years ago. However, the program did not proceed smoothly due to lack of proficient support.
Demography
Governance
Eydhafushi shares a parliamentary district with Dharavandhoo and Maalhos called Eydhafushi Dhaairaa. The current member of parliament is Mr. Ahmed Saleem elected as a member of PPM.
The atoll is administered by 3 councillors. All of them represent the Maldivian Democratic Party.
Economy
Fishing
In the past, fishing was the major income generator for the local people. However, the tourism industry has grown at an immense rate in the last few years leading to an increase in employment of young people offering good competitive salaries.
Retail
Eydhafushi has more than 20 shops and markets that serve the island population along with the whole atoll population. These include food and consumer product stores, hardware stores, electronic shops, building materials, fabric stores, boutiques and automobile showrooms.
Tourism
The island current economy is supported by people working in the resorts and construction industry. With the increasing number of tourist resorts nearby, the local people began to prefer working in the resorts mainly due to the better salaries the jobs offer. Most of the young people from the island join the resorts just after finishing school. These young people also have the chance to apply to multiple apprenticeship programs offered by some of most well known resorts in the country, such as the Four SeasonsLandaa Giraavaru and Soneva Fushi.
