Alimathaa, Alimanthey, or Maahiri) was an important early outpost and secondary port in Candu atoll’s coconut plantation system
The early Portuguese, Dutch, and French maritime maps consistently record Candu Atoll, a name phonetically rendered from the Dhivehi Kandhoo or Kandu. In modern geography this atoll is known as Peros Banhos in the Chagos Archipelago. The names correspond through a clear linguistic and cartographic sequence.
In Maldivian geographical tradition an atoll commonly takes the name of its most prominent or identifying island. The atoll was therefore called Kandhoo Atoll after Kandhoo Island. In Dhivehi, Kandu or Kandhoo literally means “corner island.” When French cartographers later mapped the region they translated that meaning directly into French and named the island Île du Coin, which means exactly “Corner Island.”
The modern name of the atoll, Peros Banhos, comes from the Portuguese navigator Pêro dos Banhos, whose ship ran aground on its reefs in the sixteenth century. Even after European charts shifted toward Pêro dos Banhos and then Peros Banhos, older maps from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries-among them those associated with Jean Lattré-continued to show dual labeling of the banks as Adu and Candu, referring to Addu Atoll and Kandhoo Atoll.
That cartographic record is prominent historical evidence of the ancient maritime footprint and cultural links shared between the Maldives and the Chagos island groups, long before European colonial administration drew new borders.
Early role as a hub, then an outpost
French settlement of Peros Banhos began in the mid-18th century after earlier Portuguese sighting (1513). Coconut plantations using enslaved labor from Mozambique and Madagascar were established from the 1780s–1810s, with a concession granted for Peros Banhos around 1813. The atoll became part of the British “Oil Islands” after 1814, producing coconut oil and later copra for export mainly to Isle de France ( spelled Île de France) was the official name of Mauritius during its period of French colonial rule, which lasted from 1715 to 1810.
Academic accounts note that Île Diamant ( Alimathaa, Alimanthey, or Maahiri ) initially served as a capital or main operational point for the group before the permanent headquarters shifted to Île du Coin (the largest island, ~127–89 ha depending on measurement). Île du Coin developed the Perch Settlement with a church, school, hospital, jail, jetty, and more substantial masonry buildings; it was the only island with year-round population (up to several hundred at peaks). Diamant, Grande Soeur, Île Manoël, and Île Pierre had buildings and were used seasonally or as secondary ports. Diamant’s position near the channel supported its role as the atoll’s second port. Permanent habitation existed on only about eight of the ~32 islets; most others had basic lodging for rotating work crews
The plantations were consolidated under companies such as the Société Huilière de Diego et Peros (1883) and later the Chagos Agalega Company. By the late 19th–20th centuries the focus had shifted from oil pressing on-site toward copra (dried coconut meat) for export. Peros Banhos( Candu atoll )contributed meaningfully to output; mid-
19th-century figures show it producing tens of thousands of veltes of oil, though Diego Garcia was the largest producer.
In the sultanate era: coconut palms were state and family property, providing copra, coir, toddy, and oil. Malé sent survey teams to mark trees, a practice called rukugai thajjehun, to distinguish government trees from private ones. This reduced theft and disputes on islands with scarce land. Surveys were annual into the early 20th century, involving skilled navigators and seafarers. Notably, Kerafa Alifulhu Kaleyfaanu and his family participated in these surveys, including trips to the Chagos. In the late 1930s, the Sultan of the Maldives continued sending expeditions to count and mark coconut palms in Candu Atoll/Foalhavahi.
Rukugai Thajjehun
The Ownership Code: The quantity of stamps adhered to a specific traditional code:
1 thah – Owned by an individual
2 thah – Owned by the community / people of the island
3 thah – Owned by the government
4 thah – Jointly owned by the government and the people of the island
5 thah – Trees planted for shrines or religious purposes
The economy was predominantly reliant on coconuts, with native vegetation largely replaced by palm plantations. Following the abolition of slavery, the workforce comprised a mix of descendants of former enslaved individuals, along with indentured and native Maldivian Golaavehi laborers. By the 1960s, Peros Banhos had a population of a few hundred residents until the expulsions occurred to accommodate the Diego Garcia military facility. Many islands, including Diamant, remain dominated by abandoned palm trees.
In 2026 a small group displaced population returned to Île du Coin ( Candu Island.)
The distance between Île du Coin and Île Diamant within the Peros Banhos atoll (Chagos Archipelago) is approximately 21 kilometers (13 miles) (Alimanthey, or Maahiri).
The coconut landscape of these islands is frequently assessed from a conservation perspective, often referred to as “coconut chaos,” sparking debates over the restoration of native vegetation versus the preservation of cultural plantation heritage.
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