| Fainu | |
| Native Name: | ފައިނު |
| Native Name Lang: | dv |
| Settlement Type: | Inhabited island |
| Pushpin Map: | Maldives |
| Pushpin Relief: | y |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Maldives |
| Coordinates: | 5.4633°N 73.0347°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Maldives |
| Subdivision Type1: | Geographic atoll |
| Subdivision Type2: | Administrative atoll |
| Subdivision Name2: | Raa Atoll |
| Subdivision Type3: | Distance to Malé |
| Subdivision Name3: | 151.84km (94.35miles) |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Parts Type: | Geographic atolls |
| Parts Style: | list |
| Leader Title: | Council |
| Leader Title3: | Mayor |
| Leader Title4: | Island Chief |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Length Km: | 1.325 |
| Width Km: | 0.500 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 466 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Utc Offset: | +05:00 |
| Postal Code Type: | Assigned Letter |
| Postal2 Code Type: | Assigned Letter |
| Area Code Type: | Area code(s) |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Number of Islands |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Inhabited |
| Blank2 Name Sec2: | Uninhabited |
| Blank3 Name Sec2: | Total |
Fainu (Dhivehi: ފައިނު) is one of the inhabited islands of Raa Atoll. Fainu is situated in Raa Atoll which is officially known as North Maalhosmadulu Atoll. The island is located between the Kinolhas and Inguraidhoo. The island is 151.840NaN0 north of the country's capital, Malé.[2] From Fainu in a normal boat it takes about over 8 hours to reach capital city Male'.
Issues such as environmental degradation remain prominent. Maldives Human Development Report 2000 highlighted the poor irrigation system at place which is still unchanged. Also, Maldives State of the Environment Report 2002 highlighted the severe beach erosion problem faced by the island (notably the biggest island in Raa Atoll). Moreover, December 2004 - Indian Ocean tsunami left the island as the second most devastated in the atoll.
In 2018, a controversial project by the Maldivian government was set to destroy two-thirds of the vegetation of the island including dense jungle and cultivation land, to build an airport and luxury hotel on the island. The project will confine the residents of the island to just the settlement and they will lose access to half of the island's beach area. Activists have been campaigning raising concern about the need for the project when there is a domestic airport just 25 minutes away [3]
Being a small population, the island faces many challenges. Children's education remains a critical issue with every single child having to leave the island for secondary school. The first foreign teacher ever in the history of Fainu School started working in the academic year 2006.
R. Fainu Council
http://www.fainucouncil.gov.mv/
On 31 May 2004, the island won the award for no-smoking by the World Health Organization.
