A Ras Malé Glossary: From Falhu to Hiyaavehi

Following Ras Malé means meeting a lot of unfamiliar words. Some are Dhivehi, the language of the Maldives. Some are the names of government schemes, some come from dredging and engineering, and some from property law. This glossary explains them in plain English, grouped by theme. Each entry links to where we cover the subject in more depth. Dhivehi spellings vary in English, so you may see the same word written several ways.

Places and geography

• Atholhu: the Dhivehi word for a coral atoll, and the origin of the English word "atoll".
• Falhu: a lagoon, as in Fushidhiggaru Falhu, the lagoon where Ras Malé is being built, or Gulhifalhu.
• Faru: a reef whose edge rises above the water and encloses a lagoon.
• Fushi: island, as in Maafushi, Himmafushi or Thilafushi.
• Giri: an underwater coral pillar that comes close to the surface.
• Kandu: a channel between reefs, often with strong currents.
• Thila: an underwater coral pillar, popular with divers.
• Bodu and kuda: large and little, as in Kuda Huraa or Kuda Bandos.
• Kaafu Atoll: the administrative atoll that includes Malé, North Malé Atoll and South Malé Atoll. Its capital is Thulusdhoo.
• Greater Malé: the capital and the islands around it, including Hulhulé, Hulhumalé, Villimalé, Gulhifalhu, Thilafushi and, in future, Ras Malé.
• Local island: an inhabited island where Maldivians live, as opposed to a resort island. Guesthouses have been allowed on local islands since 2009.

See where is Ras Malé?

Bridges, airports and links

• Hulhulé: the airport island next to Malé.
• Velana International Airport: the main international airport, on Hulhulé, renamed from Malé International Airport in 2017.
• Sinamalé Bridge: the bridge linking Malé to Hulhulé, opened in 2018, which put Malé, the airport and Hulhumalé on one road network.
• Thilamalé Bridge: a 6.7 km link under construction from Malé to Villimalé, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi, targeted to open in December 2027.
• Transport master plan: the study comparing ferries, a tunnel and an airstrip to link Ras Malé with Malé.

Housing schemes

• Boahiyaavahikan Enmenah: "Housing for All", the government's housing policy announced in November 2025.
• Aailee Boahiyaavahikan: "Family Housing", the first programme under Housing for All, offering 15,000 land plots and 7,900 flats.
• Goathigedhoru: a category that lets people whose spouse already owns a home apply on their own for a 1,250 sq ft plot in Ras Malé. It drew 12,749 plot applications.
• Binveriya: an earlier land scheme. A 2026 special scheme lets people who received a shared Binveriya plot get an individual plot in Ras Malé, if all the joint owners agree.
• Hiyaavehi: the name used for the government's online housing portal and for its low-interest housing loan programme, launched in 2025.
• Rahvehi, Saharu and Fahimalé: the categories of Hiyaavehi loans: Rahvehi for island residents, and Saharu and Fahimalé for larger projects in cities and the Malé area.
• eFaas: the national digital ID login, used to apply on the housing portal.
• Rent-to-own: a scheme where tenants of government flats pay rent that goes towards owning the flat.

See housing in Ras Malé.

Reclamation and engineering

• Reclamation: making new land where there was water, in the Maldives usually by pumping dredged sand into a lagoon.
• Dredger: a ship or machine that digs material from the seabed.
• Trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD): a dredger that drags suction pipes along the seabed and stores the sand in its hold, the hopper, before pumping it ashore.
• Rainbowing: spraying sand from a dredger onto a site in a high arc.
• Borrow area: a permitted area of seabed where sand is taken. Ras Malé's are west of Maafushi and near Ithaafushi.
• Bund: a temporary embankment around a site that holds the pumped sand in.
• Site A to L: the 12 sections Ras Malé is divided into for reclamation.
• Coastal protection: works that defend new land from waves, such as revetments and seawalls.
• Subsidence: sinking of the ground as fill material compacts.
• Coral relocation: moving corals out of the way of dredging. 21,641 were moved for Ras Malé.
• Dhoni: the traditional Maldivian boat, now often motorised.

See how land reclamation works.

Property and law

• Article 251: the part of the constitution that bars foreign ownership of Maldivian land and allows leases to foreigners of up to 99 years.
• Article 250: the part of the constitution that says state property can only be disposed of in the way the law sets out.
• Freehold: outright ownership of land. Not available to foreigners in the Maldives.
• Leasehold: the right to use land or property for a fixed term. Eagle Hills plans leases of up to 99 years in Ras Malé.
• Lease reset: under the Eagle Hills terms, each sale or inheritance starts a new lease of up to 99 years. Critics argue it amounts to a sale.
• Strata lease: a lease on part of a larger property, such as a single resort villa.
• Escrow: money held by a third party until conditions are met. Eagle Hills buyers' payments are to be held in escrow at licensed Maldivian banks.
• Corporate resident visa: a five-year, renewable visa for foreigners who invest or deposit US$250,000.
• Pearl Residence: a planned residency-by-investment scheme, separate from Ras Malé.

See how 99-year leases work.

Government and deals

• HDC: Housing Development Corporation, the state company behind Ras Malé and Hulhumalé.
• MACL: Maldives Airports Company Limited, which runs the airport and reclaimed Site A.
• MTCC: Maldives Transport and Contracting Company, the state ferry, dredging and construction company.
• PSIP: private sector initiated proposal, the procedure under which a company proposes a project to the government. The Eagle Hills deal began this way.
• Commercial terms agreement: a deal setting out the main commercial terms, with a final agreement still to follow. The Eagle Hills deal is one.
• SEZ: special economic zone, an area with its own investment rules under a 2014 law.
• Sustainable township: an SEZ category, created in 2025, for projects over US$500 million, with tax incentives and duties to build schools, hospitals and food projects.
• Master plan: the overall plan for land use, zoning, transport and utilities. We hadn't found Ras Malé's published by October 2026.
• Majlis: the People's Majlis, the Maldives' parliament.
• ACC: the Anti-Corruption Commission, which investigates complaints about public projects.
• ERA: the Environmental Regulation Authority, which oversees dredging permits.
• MVR: the Maldivian rufiyaa, the national currency.

See who's who in Ras Malé.

Ras Malé itself

You'll see the name written Ras Malé, Rasmalé, Rasmale' or RasMale. They all mean the same place. Malé is the capital, and the new city takes its name from it. We use "Ras Malé". It's also been called the Maldives Eco City. For the full picture, start with what is Ras Malé?

Missing a term? Tell us, and we'll add it.