Hulhumalé (Dhivehi pronunciation: [huɭumɑːlɛ]; Dhivehi: ހުޅުމާލެ) is a reclaimed island located in the south of North Malé Atoll, Maldives. The artificial island is being built up by pumping sand from the sea floor, in order to meet the existing and future housing, industrial and commercial development demands of the Malé region and as a response to the threat posed by rising sea levels. The official settlement was inaugurated by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on May 12, 2004. The development and management of the island is undertaken by a government-owned corporation called Housing Development Corporation (formerly Hulhumalé Development Unit/Hulhumalé Development Corporation) which was incorporated on March 23, 2005. Land reclamation has increased the island's area to 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi), making it the fourth largest island in the Maldives. As of December 2019[update] the island has a population of more than 50,000; it is planned to house as many as 240,000 by the mid-2020s. From Wikipedia
