BOTANY OF THE LAQ0ADIVE8. 
8 
On stndying a chart of the Archipelago we find that the atolls 
are arranged in three lines, as if there were three chains of peaks; 
a western rather irregular chain, corresponding roughly to the meri¬ 
dian of Lon. 72° B., containing from north to south the reefs or 
islands of Cherbaniani, Cheriapani, Bitrapar, Pirmalpar, Akati, and 
Sahelipar, with, attho extreme north, the sunken bank of Koradivh ; 
a central, corresponding roughly to the meridian of Lon. 72° 45' E., 
containing from north to south the islands of Chitlac, Kiltan, 
Kadamum, Amfoi and Korati with the Piti sandbank between the 
two latter, and with, at the extreme north, the sunken Bassas de Pedro 
bank; and an eastern, corresponding to Lon. 78° 40' E., containing 
the islands of Anderut and Kalpeni, with, to the north-east of these, 
the sunken Elikalpeni bank ; Minikoi, it will be seen, corresponds 
as to position with the central chain of peaks. The parallel of 
Lat. 11° N. conveniently separates the Archipelago into two groups; 
the northern, containing the inhabited islands of Chitlac, Kiltan 
Kadamum, and Ameni with the uninhabited island of Bitra and the 
open reefs of Pirmalpar, Cheriapani and Cherbaniani, which are 
attached to the administrative district of South Kanara, and thus 
owe direct allegiance to British India ; and the southern, contain¬ 
ing the inhabited islands of Minikoi, Kalpeni, Anderut, Korati and 
Akati, with the three uninhabited islands of Suheli (on the Suhelipar 
reef), and Bangaro and Tangaro (on the reef on which Akati is 
situated), which belong to the Bibi of Cannanore, and thus only 
indirectly acknowledge British suzerainty.* It will be observed 
that only one of the atolls of the western chain—that on which 
Akati stands—has an inhabited island, whereas of the other two the 
only one without an inhabited island is the Piti sandbank, which, 
however, is of a somewhat different nature from the other atolls men¬ 
tioned, being in reality a sunken bank of the same type as Koradivh 
and Elikalpeni. 
* Since, however, the people of Minikoi do thug acknowledge themselves Indian 
snbiects, and since, except for the accident of population, the island has no greater 
claim to be considered a member of the Maidive than of the Laccadive group, it is 
better to deal with Minikoi along with the Laccadives, which are patently Indian 
islands, than along with the Maldives, which acknowledge the suzerainty of 
Ceylon. 
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