Atoll remains of an ancient atoll as a hill in a limestone area is called a reef knoll. The second largest atoll by dry land area is Aldabra with 155 km². The largest atoll in terms of island numbers is Huvadhu Atoll in the south of the Maldives with 255 islands. In 1842, Charles Darwin explained the creation of coral atolls in the southern Pacific Ocean based upon observations made during a five-year voyage aboard from 1831 to 1836. Accepted as basically correct, his explanation involved considering that several tropical island types—from high volcanic island, through barrier reef island, to atoll—represented
Shaviyani Atoll various islands in the atoll. The atoll is also known for craftsmanship, such as mat and rope weaving. Several inhabitants work in the tourism industry and other commercial trades in the Maldivian capital, Malé. The atoll is assigned the Maldivian letter 'Shaviyani' and the Latin letter 'C' as the atoll code. The atoll Council is responsible for public services, development and economic affairs. The Shaviyani Atoll Office was established on 9 September 1958 by the state. Until 1 January 1968, the atoll office was located in Lhaimagu which was the capital of the atoll. The government declared that effective from