Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | ||
---|---|---|
Clockwise from top-right: Havelock Island | ||
Formation 1 November 1956 | | |
Government of Andaman and Nicobar Islands | ||
• Lieutenant governor | Devendra Kumar Joshi | |
• Chief secretary | Chandra Bhushan Kumar, IAS | |
National Parliament | Parliament of India | |
• Lok Sabha | 1 seat | |
High Court | Calcutta High Court (Port Blair Bench) | |
Area Emblem of Andaman and Nicobar Islands | ||
Bird | Andaman wood pigeon | |
Flower | Pyinma | |
Mammal | Dugong | |
Tree | Andaman Padauk | |
List of Indian state and union territory symbols |
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a
The territory shares
Genetic and cultural studies suggest that the indigenous Andamanese people may have been isolated from other populations during the
The islands host the
Etymology
The name Andaman might have been derived from Handuman, after the Indian God
History
Early history
Genetic and cultural studies suggest that the indigenous Andamanese people may have been isolated from other populations during the Middle Paleolithic era, which ended 30,000 years ago.[6] Archeological evidence obtained from middens have been dated the earliest civilisations back to 200-300 BCE.[7] The islands have been mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE.[4][5]
Middle ages
The
In the 11th century CE,
European colonisation
The European

Between 1778 and 1783,
In 1858, the British established a colony near
World War II

During the
Local people were often killed on trivial matters with the largest being the
Post independence
During the
On 26 December 2004, the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar islands experienced 10 m (33 ft) high tsunami waves following an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean which resulted in more than 2,000 casualties, 46,000 injuries and rendering at least 40,000 homeless.[34] The locals and tourists on the islands suffered the greatest casualties while the indigenous people largely survived unscathed due to movement to high grounds following the oral traditions passed down over generations that warned them to evacuate following earthquakes.[35]
Geography

The territory consists of 836

The northernmost point of the islands is 901 km (560 mi) away from the mouth of the
The islands have a 1,962 km (1,219 mi) long coast-line.
Flora and fauna
The islands have

There are more than 8300 species of fauna of which 1117 are endemic to the islands.

There are about 270 species of birds in the islands of which 90 are endemic.
There are more than 1350 species of
Animal | Dugong (Dugong dugon) | |
Bird | Andaman wood pigeon (Columba palumboides) | ![]() |
Tree | Andaman padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergioides)
|
![]() |
Flower | Pyinma (Lagerstroemia hypoleuca) | ![]() |
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1901 | 24,649 | — |
1911 | 26,459 | +7.3% |
1921 | 27,086 | +2.4% |
1931 | 29,463 | +8.8% |
1941 | 33,768 | +14.6% |
1951 | 30,971 | −8.3% |
1961 | 63,548 | +105.2% |
1971 | 115,133 | +81.2% |
1981 | 188,741 | +63.9% |
1991 | 280,661 | +48.7% |
2001 | 356,152 | +26.9% |
2011 | 380,581 | +6.9% |
2019 | 434,192[a] | +14.1% |
Source: Census of India[57][36] |
As per the
The Andaman islands were populated by the
Languages
The Andamanese people speak about a dozen endangered Andamanese languages, which belong to two families, Great Andamanese and Ongan that are unrelated to each other or to any other language group.[66] There are two unattested languages: Sentinelese, spoken by Sentinelese people, who refuse contact with outsiders, which might be related to Ongan as per Anvita Abbi and Jangil, which became extinct in the 1920s.[67][68] Indigenous to the Nicobar Islands are the Shompen language, spoken by Shompen people and the five Nicobarese languages, which form part of the Austroasiatic language family and are spoken by about 29,000 people or 7.6% of the population.[69][65]
The majority of the population, however, are speakers of immigrant languages which include
Administration and politics
The islands form a part of the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is administered by a
Name | Capital | Area (km2)[77] |
Population (2011)[78] |
Tehsils[78] |
---|---|---|---|---|
North and Middle Andaman | Mayabunder | 3,302 | 105,597 | Diglipur, Mayabunder, Rangat |
South Andaman | Port Blair | 3,106 | 238,142 | Port Blair, Ferrargunj, Little Andaman |
Nicobar | Car Nicobar | 1,841 | 36,842 | Car Nicobar, Nancowry, Great Nicobar |
The indigenous communities have their own system of administration. There are long term settlements known as baraij and short-term settlements known as chang. The coast-dwellers (aryoto) have semi-permanent settlements and the interior groups (eremtaga) dwell on temporary settlements, which enable them to migrate during dry seasons.[7]
Economy
As of 2022[update], the
As of 2008[update], there were 1,833 registered small-scale industries with majority being involved in engineering, woodworking and textiles apart from 21 factories.[83] District Industries Centre (DIC) is the body responsible for the development of small and medium industries in the islands.[83] Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO), established in 1988, is responsible for the development and economic growth of the islands.[83]
Tourism

Tourism is one of the major contributors to the economy of the islands. The islands had more than 400,000 visitors in 2016 with a 94% contribution from domestic tourists.
Major attractions include the
Transportation

The islands are served by
There are 23 ports along the islands with a major port at
As of 2018[update], there are 422 km (262 mi) long
Infrastructure
Power
There is no single power grid connecting all the islands and independent power houses caters to the power requirements of individual islands.
Telecommunication
4G mobile service is provided by various telecom operators in the islands.[106] Till 2020, Internet was provided through satellite links and access was limited. Bharat Broadband Network started work on laying fiber optic submarine cables connecting the islands with Chennai in December 2018.[107][108] On 10 August 2020, the undersea optical fibre cable went live, which enabled high-speed broadband connections in the islands.[109][110][111]
Education
The first primary school in the islands was established in 1881.
In popular culture
- Arthur Conan Doyle refers to the Andaman islands in the Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of the Four.[118]
- Bengali author Sunil Gangopadhyay based the events of one his Kakababu-series adventure thriller novels, Sabuj Dwiper Raja (1976), on the islands. In 1979, it was made into a film of the same name, shot extensively on the islands.[119][120]
- The National Award winning Malayalam film Kaalapani was set against backdrop of the Port Blair's Cellular Jail and was extensively shot in the islands.[121]
- The Netflix Original Series, Kaala Paani, is based on a fictional illness that spreads in the islands.[122]
See also
Notes
- ^ Projected
References
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