Baarah ބާރަށް
island
Baarah Location in Maldives
Coordinates: 6°49′8″N 73°12′30″E / 6.81889°N 73.20833°E / 6.81889; 73.20833
Country	Maldives
Geographic atoll	Thiladhunmathi Atoll
Administrative atoll	Haa Alif Atoll
Distance to Malé	294.23 km (182.83 mi)
Government
• Council	Baarah Island Council
Dimensions
• Length	2.4 km (1.5 mi)
• Width	1.5 km (0.9 mi)
Population  (2022)[1]
• Total	1,141 (including foreigners)
Time zone	UTC+05:00 (MST)
Area code(s)	650, 20

Baarah (Dhivehi: ބާރަށް) is an inhabited island in Haa Alif Atoll in the northern Maldives. It is an island-level administrative constituency governed by the Baarah Island Council.

History

Historically, Baarah was the island where the vessel Kalhuohfummi was built in the latter half of the 16th century. The ship played a key role in Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaanu's war against the Portuguese invasion of the country. The sails of the ship were made on the island of Maroshi further south.

Geography

The island is 294.23 km (183 mi; 159 nmi) north of the country's capital, Malé.^[2] The island is shaped like the letter 'ب 'in Arabic.

Ecology

A large part of the shores are covered by a mangroves predominantly occupied by Rhizophora mucronata and Hibiscus tiliaceus. The soil around these areas is rich in hydrogen sulphide and is often avoided by islanders. The ecosystem is under threat due to logging, garbage dumping and poor management.

Demography

Now, the population has increased to 2000.