Great Nicobar Island
UTC+5:30) | |
---|---|
PIN | 744301 |
Area code(s) | 03192 |
ISO code | IN-AN-00[2] |
Official website | andaman |
Literacy | 84.4% |
Avg. summer temperature | 32.0 °C (89.6 °F) |
Avg. winter temperature | 28.0 °C (82.4 °F) |
Sex ratio | ♂/♀ |
Census Code | 35.638.0002 |
Official Languages | Punjabi, English, Tamil Southern Nicobarese (regional) |
Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar Islands of India, north of Sumatra. It is part of India, in the Nicobar district within the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
History
The Nicobar Island has been well known to Indian mariners since the time of the seafaring Cholas.[3]
In the 15th century, Great Nicobar Island was recorded as "Cui Lan island" (翠蘭嶼) during the
Great Nicobar Island was severely affected by the
Geography
Great Nicobar is located 180 km (110 mi) to the north of the island of Sumatra. The island covers 921 km2 (356 sq mi) but is sparsely inhabited, with a population of 8067. It is largely covered by rainforest and known for its diverse wildlife.
Topography
The island has several rivers, including the Alexandra, Amrit Kaur, Dogmar and Galathea. Virtually all rivers flow in a southern or southwesterly direction, which is indicative of the general slope of the terrain across the island. There are undulating hills throughout the island, with the main range running in a north–south orientation. Mount Thullier, which is part of this range, has the highest elevation of any point in the Nicobars, at 642 m above sea level.[5]
Indira Point (6°45’10″N and 93°49’36″E) is the southernmost point of the Great Nicobar Island and India itself. Indira Point subsided 4.25 m in the 26 December 2004 tsunami and the lighthouse there was damaged. The lighthouse was subsequently made functional.
Ecology
The island is part of the Nicobar Islands rain forests ecoregion. Plant communities include mangroves and coastal forests near the seashore, and evergreen and deciduous forests in the interior.[6]
The majority of the island is designated as the
Demography
The island is home to the Shompen people.[7]
Transportation
There is a 915m airstrip at Campbell Bay/Tenlaa on the East coast.[8][9]
- Seaport: At least one small shipping dock is located in Campbell Bay.
- The International Container Transshipment Terminal, Great Nicobar Island is a proposed mega transshipment deep water port.
The
Great Nicobar Development Plan
The
Indira Point
It is located 540 km and more than a day's sea voyage from Port Blair,
Indira Point lighthouse
Indira Point has a 35 m high cast iron (with red and white bands) lighthouse with 16 nautical miles range. The lighthouse has (RACON (Code 'G') ii DGPS station) with a 300 mm 4 panel revolving light inside a 2.5 m diameter lantern house (BBT). It is an important landmark on the international shipping lane Colombo-Singapore route via Malacca Strait that passes south of Indira Point. It also has a helipad.[19]
2004 tsunami
The tsunami which resulted from the Indian Ocean earthquake of 2004 inundated much of the area. This partly damaged the lighthouse, which subsided 4.25 m.[20] As a result of this subsidence, the coast retreated and the sea moved permanently inland. The lighthouse has since been repaired.[21]
The base of the lighthouse was 5 m above sea level when constructed in 1972. After the tsunami, the sea floor fell and the base was less than 1 m above sea level. Since then, the subsidence has decreased somewhat as the ocean floor slowly rebounds, and the lighthouse base become more elevated. Indira point was mostly submerged.
See also
Image gallery
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Map
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Map of Great Nicobar Island
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Locator
References
- ^ "Islandwise Area and Population – 2011 Census" (PDF). Government of Andaman.
- ^ Registration Plate Numbers added to ISO Code
- ^ "Nicobar Islands | islands, India | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
- ^ "Wu Bei Zhi Map 17". Library of Congress.
- ISBN 81-7041-836-4,
... The main hill range runs from the north to south. Average height of the hills is 300m to 400m. The highest peak is Mount Thullier ...
- ^ "Nicobar Islands rain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- PMID 16453062.
- ^ "Missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 'Deliberately Diverted' Towards Andaman and Nicobar Islands: List of Unused Airports Where the Plane Possibly Landed [Photos]". International Business Times.
- ^ "Runways – Campbell Bay Airport Campbell Bay, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India".
- ^ "Naval air station opened in Campbell Bay". The Hindu. 31 July 2012.
- ^ "INS Baaz to keep hawk eye on threats in Indian Ocean Region". The Times of India. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013.
- ^ NITI Aayog's Vision for Great Nicobar Is at Great Odds With Islanders' Reality, Rishika Pardika, Science, The Wire, 29/05/2021
- ^ EJOLT. "Great Nicobar development plan, Nicobar islands, India | EJAtlas". Environmental Justice Atlas. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
- ^ "Memories of Andaman and Nicobar Island on 18th October". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ ISBN 81-269-0640-5.
- ISBN 81-7625-347-2.
- ^ "Rondo Island, The Rich Uninhabited Island". Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ India seeks to aid Indonesia in developing port in Aceh, Economic Times, 19 May 2018.
- ^ "Welcome to INDIRA POINT LIGHT HOUSE". Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ^ Bilham, Roger. "Indira Point Lighthouse Subsidence 2004–2005".
- ^ "Defunct Indira Point Lighthouse RACON repaired". oneindia.in. Retrieved 26 December 2012.