Thuraakunu

Thuraakunu sits at the very top of Haa Alif Atoll, some 325km from Malé, and holds the distinction of being the northernmost island in the Maldives. Geographically it belongs to the Ihavandhippolhu Atoll cluster, though administratively it falls under Haa Alif. As of the 2022 census, 427 people live there.

Its position has given Thuraakunu an unusual history: it lies closer to Minicoy, in India's Lakshadweep, than to most of its own atoll, and for generations fishermen from the two islands crossed freely to trade and visit one another. That changed after 1956, when the Indian government closed off these exchanges, and despite the two islands' shared culture and near neighbourhood, contact between their people has not been permitted since.

Beyond its northernmost-point status, Thuraakunu remains a fairly low-key island, reached by domestic flight or local ferry rather than by any resort infrastructure. Its appeal lies chiefly in this edge-of-the-country position and the quieter history tied to its old ties with Minicoy, rather than in any tourist facilities.