Atoll codes and island addresses in the Maldives explained

The country has around 1,200 coral islands, and many share the same handful of names. There is a Hithadhoo in Laamu and another in Addu, for example, and both turn up in official news. Writing the island name on its own would be ambiguous, so the government puts a short code for the administrative atoll in front of it.

The codes are not the natural atolls’ own names. North Malé Atoll is properly Maale Atholhu, but on paper it is simply K., for Kaafu. Even so, many people use the code names as everyday atoll names: “Baa Atoll”, “Vaavu”, “Laamu”.

Since March 2025 the spellings have been fixed. The President’s Office directed that official documents, databases, websites and social media must use the Dhivehi and English names of islands, atolls and atoll codes set out in Presidential Decree 2/2025, which lists the inhabited islands. The decree is amended when islands are merged or added, and the list is republished in the Government Gazette.

The codes are letters of Thaana, the script used to write Dhivehi, handed out in alphabet order from north to south. The first letter, haa, goes to the far north. Our guide to Dhivehi and the Thaana script shows the letters.

Some large natural atolls are split into two administrative atolls. Both halves share one letter, plus a second word:

• Alifu marks the northern part (Uthuruburi, “northern side”)
• Dhaalu marks the southern part (Dhekunuburi, “southern side”)

Hence pairs such as Haa Alifu and Haa Dhaalu. Ari Atoll was divided on 1 March 1984 into Alifu Alifu (North Ari) and Alifu Dhaalu (South Ari), according to the government’s atoll profiles.

The table follows the government’s atoll profiles and the UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (2023). Short forms are those used in English by the President’s Office and the Universal Postal Union. The Roman letter is a separate series, which the UK committee notes is used for things such as boat registration.

A few things that catch people out:

• The two letter systems do not match. Kaafu (K.) is H in the Roman series, and the Roman K is Meemu.
• Dhaalu appears twice. It is a whole atoll (Dh., the south of Nilandhe Atoll) and also the “south” half of split atolls (HDh., ADh., GDh.).
• Alifu Alifu is not a typo. North Ari takes the letter alifu, then “Alifu” again for north.
• Cities sit alongside the atolls. Malé City (Malé, Villimalé, Hulhulé and Hulhumalé) is run separately from Kaafu, though it lies in the same atoll. Addu is also a city, yet its islands are still written with S., as in S. Hithadhoo. See our guides to Malé and Addu City.

For what each atoll is like to visit, see our Maldives atolls guide.

The pattern is code, full stop, island: K. Dhiffushi, AA. Rasdhoo, L. Gan. Government releases write it this way, for example “HA. Vashafaru” and “R. Un’goofaaru” (March 2026). You will also see longer forms such as “Dhiffushi, Kaafu Atoll” or “Dhiffushi, North Malé Atoll”, all meaning the same place.

Spellings vary because Dhivehi is romanised in more than one way. Doubled vowels (aa, ee, oo) mark long sounds, and some names carry an apostrophe. Fuvahmulah is the usual spelling, though strict romanisation gives Fuvammulah. The decree fixes one official English spelling per inhabited island, so government sources should agree even when signs and maps do not.

• Ferry schedules. Routes and boards often list islands with their code. See our public ferries guide.
• Addresses. Accommodation addresses and island council names usually include the code.
• News and notices. Government projects and island news are usually headed “K. Island” or similar.
• ID cards. In Malé City, neighbourhoods are shortened to their first letter: Henveiru (H), Maafannu (M), Galolhu (G), Machchangolhi (M) and Villimalé (V). Since February 2025 Hulhumalé has been HM on ID cards, at Malé City Council’s request (as reported by Edition).

Our own island is written K. Dhiffushi, on the eastern rim of North Malé Atoll. The North Malé Atoll guide covers its neighbours, and the island map shows the island itself.

On most islands, homes are known by name, not number. Official registers list addresses as house name, island and atoll, and that is how most Maldivians give their address. A house name is unique within its island but may repeat elsewhere, which is another reason the island and code always follow it. Our guide to Maldivian names explains how house names sit alongside personal names.

Malé, Hulhumalé and larger islands have named streets; on small local islands the house name and island are usually enough. Three street words come up often:

• Magu means road or way. It is used for main streets, such as Majeedhee Magu in Malé.
• Goalhi means a lane or narrow street (Maniku’s Dhivehi etymological dictionary).
• Higun also appears in Malé street names, spelled higun or hingun in Latin script.

When Malé City Council replaced the capital’s street nameplates in 2026, Atoll Times reported spelling errors on several signs, so if a name looks odd, ask. In an address, the street follows the house name.

The Maldives uses five-digit postcodes, written after the island or city name. According to the Universal Postal Union’s country sheet for Maldives Post, the first two digits identify the area:

• Malé 20XXX, Villimalé 21XXX, Hulhulé 22000, Hulhumalé 23000
• Atolls numbered 01 to 20 in north-to-south order, from Haa Alifu (01XXX) southwards; Kaafu is 08XXX

Maldives Post’s head office, for example, is Malé 20026. For a specific island’s postcode, check with Maldives Post. Our guide to sending post from the Maldives covers stamps, post offices and parcels.

Putting an address together

A letter to a local island usually reads, one item per line:

1. Name of the person

2. House name (and street, if there is one)

3. Island with its atoll code, then the postcode

4. Maldives

The UPU sheet says addresses are written centred on the envelope.