South Nilandhoo
- Landsat 7
- Path 145, Row 058
- 07 March 2000
South Nilandhoo Atoll is located upon the southern edge of the western ridge of atolls, situated 5 km south from North Nilandhoo and 16 km north from Kolhumadulu; Mulaku, on the eastern ridge, lies 38 km to the east. It forms the Dhaalu administrative unit.
The atoll measures 39 km in length (north to south) and averages 22 km in width, forming an elongated oval structure. The outer perimeter is composed of 15 major reefs — including the 23 km long Kudahuvadhoo reef on the southwest — that are separated from one another by a mix of broad and narrow, but deep, channels connecting the open ocean waters with those of the interior lagoon. The lagoon contains many coral heads and faros reefs — those in the south tend to lie at a greater depths than those of the north, with the latter often containing large solitary islands.
There are 56 small islands in total with a combined land area of 4.2 km²; the largest island is that of Kudahuvadhoo (0.642 km²), located on the southern rim.
image: earth sciences and image analysis laboratory, nasa johnson space center
