Kuramathi at 2 km long is the largest of six islands that belong to the small natural atoll

Atoll

An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...

, located a few miles off NE Ari Atoll, known as Rasdhoo

Rasdhoo

Rasdhoo is an inhabited island of the Maldives. It is also the capital of the Alif Alif Atoll administrative division. It is the only inhabited island of a small natural atoll known as Rasdhoo, Rasdu or Ross Atoll located a few miles off NE Ari Atoll.-References:* Divehi Tārīkhah Au Alikameh...

 or Rasdu Atoll that also belongs to Alif Alif Atoll

Alif Alif Atoll

Northern Ari Atoll or Alifu Alifu Atoll is an administrative division of the Maldives. It was created on March 1, 1984 combining northern section of Ari Atoll, the small Rasdhukuramathi Atoll, and the isolated island of Thoddoo...

. Kuramathi is one of eight holiday resort islands owned and managed by Universal Enterprises Limited, a Maldivian company.

There is a sandbank on the west of the island which is only visible when the tide is low.

Geography

Geographically, the island is located approximately 56 km (35 mi) south west of the capital island Malé

Malé

Malé , is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll . It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where...

 and can be reached by a 20 minute sea plane flight or a 90 minute boat transfer.

Ecology

Since January 2000 Kuramathi has had a biological station where guests can obtain information about the local marine environment.

The following marine life can be encountered in Kuramathi: Angelfishes; ButterflyFish; Corals

Coral

Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...

; Hawkfishes; Manta rays

Manta ray

The manta ray is the largest species of the rays. The largest known specimen was more than across, with a weight of about . It ranges throughout waters of the world, typically around coral reefs...

; Moorish Idols; Moray Eels

Moray eel

Moray eels are cosmopolitan eels of the family Muraenidae. The approximately 200 species in 15 genera are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water and a few, for example the freshwater moray can sometimes be found in freshwater...

; Parrotfishes

Parrotfish

Parrotfishes are a group of fishes that traditionally had been considered a family , but now often are considered a subfamily of the wrasses. They are found in relatively shallow tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, but with the largest species richness in the Indo-Pacific...

; Portuguese Man o' Wars; Rays

Batoidea

Batoidea is a superorder of cartilaginous fish commonly known as rays and skates, containing more than 500 described species in thirteen families...

; Sea Turtles

Sea turtle

Sea turtles are marine reptiles that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic.-Distribution:...

; Sharks

Shark

Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....

; Surgeonfishes; Sweetlips; Triggerfishes

Triggerfish

Triggerfishes are about 40 species of often brightly colored fishes of the family Balistidae. Often marked by lines and spots, they inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans throughout the world, with the greatest species richness in the Indo-Pacific...

; Unicornfishes;

External links

• Official resort site