Atoll expedition in 1897. The third expedition in 1898 was led by Alfred Edmund Finckh. On January 6, 2009, U.S. President George W. Bush announced the creation of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, covering several islands and atolls under U.S. jurisdiction. Atoll An atoll (, , , , or ), sometimes called a coral atoll, is a ring-shaped coral reef including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. The coral of the atoll often sits atop the rim of an extinct seamount or volcano which has
Southern Nilandhe Atoll Southern Nilandhe Atoll Southern Nilandhe Atoll, Nilande Atoll South or Dhaalu is one of the atolls of the Maldives. It corresponds to the natural atoll of the same name. It stretches from east to west, and north to south. Out of a total of 56 islands, eight of the islands are inhabited, with a total population of around 6694. The capital island is Kudahuvadhoo, located at the atoll's southern tip. Hulhudheli and Rinbudhoo (Rimbudu) islands, located to the west of this atoll, are islands traditionally renowned for the skill of their jewellers. Opened to tourism in 1998, the atoll has