Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep | ||
---|---|---|
Clockwise from top: Laccadive sea;and Kalpeni Island | ||
Formation 1 November 1956 | | |
Government of Lakshadweep | ||
National Parliament | Parliament of India | |
• Lok Sabha | 1 seat | |
High Court | Kerala High Court | |
Area Bread fruit | ||
List of Indian state and union territory symbols |
Lakshadweep (Malayalam:
The islands occupy a total land area of approximately 32.62 km2 (12.59 sq mi) with a population of 64,473 as per the
Archaeological evidence from
The name Lakshadweep means "one
Etymology
The name Lakshadweep is derived from Lakṣadvīpa meaning "one hundred thousand islands" presumably from
History
Early history
While it was presumed that Lakshadweep could have been part of the
The islands have long been known to sailors, first indicated by an anonymous reference in the
Middle ages
Local traditions attribute the first settlement on the islands to
European colonization
In the late 15th century CE, the islands came under the control of the
Post Independence
After the
Geography
Lakshadweep is an
The islands are the northernmost of the Lakshadweep–Maldives–Chagos group of islands, which are the tops of a vast undersea mountain range, the
Climate
The islands have a tropical monsoon climate, bordering on a tropical savanna climate. The weather is warm throughout the year with temperatures ranging from 20 to 32 degree Celsius. While tropical cyclones arising in the Arabian Sea rarely strike the islands due to its smaller size, winds and waves associated with them can alter the features of the islands considerably.[14]
Climate data for Lakshadweep 1981–2010, extremes 1996–2012 | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 35.3 (95.5) |
35.3 (95.5) |
38.0 (100.4) |
37.8 (100.0) |
37.0 (98.6) |
37.8 (100.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
34.8 (94.6) |
33.3 (91.9) |
35.0 (95.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
36.3 (97.3) |
38.0 (100.4) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.2 (88.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
32.4 (90.3) |
33.2 (91.8) |
32.8 (91.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.9 (87.6) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.3 (88.3) |
31.4 (88.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 25.8 (78.4) |
26.0 (78.8) |
27.0 (80.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.6 (81.7) |
25.9 (78.6) |
25.7 (78.3) |
25.8 (78.4) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.1 (79.0) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.3 (79.3) |
Record low °C (°F) | 22.5 (72.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 8.3 (0.33) |
2.0 (0.08) |
0.5 (0.02) |
5.6 (0.22) |
85.1 (3.35) |
260.5 (10.26) |
400.1 (15.75) |
395.5 (15.57) |
309.6 (12.19) |
99.1 (3.90) |
27.5 (1.08) |
9.1 (0.36) |
1,602.9 (63.11) |
Average rainy days | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 6.5 | 16.0 | 16.1 | 12.5 | 10.0 | 9.3 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 79.5 |
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST )
|
69 | 68 | 67 | 67 | 72 | 79 | 80 | 78 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 70 | 73 |
Source: India Meteorological Department[34][35] |
Flora and fauna
The Lakshadweep archipelago is part of the
There are over 600 recorded species of marine fishes, 78 species of
Animal | Butterfly fish (Chaetodon falcula) | |
Bird | Sooty tern (Sterna fuscata) | |
Tree | Bread fruit (Artocarpus incisa)
|
|
Flower | Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) |
Administration and politics
The islands form a part of the union territory of Lakshadweep and is administered by a
For administration, the territory is divided into ten sub-divisions headed by sub-divisional officers except in Minicoy and Agatti, which are headed by deputy collectors.
The territory elects one member to the
Name | Sub-division | Area (km2) |
Population (2011) |
---|---|---|---|
Aminidivi Islands | |||
Bitra | Bitra | 0.10 | 271 |
Chetlat | Chetlat | 1.174 | 2,347 |
Kiltan | Kiltan | 1.7 | 3,946 |
Kadmat | Kadmat | 3.34 | 5,404 |
Amini | Amini | 2.67 | 7,661 |
Laccadive Islands | |||
Andrott | Andrott | 4.9 | 11,191 |
Agatti
|
Agatti
|
3.84 | 7,556 |
Kalpitti | 0.085 | – | |
Bangaram
|
0.57 | –[c] | |
Thinnakkara | 0.522 | – | |
Parali I | 0.089 | – | |
Parali II | – | ||
Parali III | – | ||
Kavaratti | Kavaratti | 4.22 | 11,221 |
Pitti (Bird Island) | 0.001 | – | |
Valiyakara | 0.395 | – | |
Cheriyakara | 0.383 | – | |
Kalpeni | Kalpeni | 2.79 | 4,419 |
Pitti I | 0.028 | – | |
Pitti II | – | ||
Cheriyam | 0.537 | – | |
Kodithala | 0.0027 | – | |
Thilakam I | 0.055 | – | |
Thilakam II | – | ||
Thilakam III | – | ||
Minicoy
| |||
Minicoy
|
Minicoy
|
4.801 | 10,447 |
Viringili | 0.025 | – | |
Total | 32.69[d] | 64,473 |
Demographics
According to the
Religion and ethnicity
Languages
Malayalam written in the Malayalam script was introduced as the primary language of Lakshadweep during the British Raj, while previously a type of Arabic script, which is also known as Ponnani script or Arabi Malayalam script, was used for writing the language.[69] The policy is continued with Malayalam serving as a link language on the islands including Minicoy.[70]
Economy
The economy is dependent on
With a vast lagoon area and an exclusive economic zone of 400,000 km2 (150,000 sq mi), fishery is a major industry.[72] The estimated annual production is 21,016 tonnes of which 60% is tuna and related fishes with 60% of the total converted to dried products with 40% allocated for local consumption.[72] Commercial fishing is concentrated around 11 islands with skipjack tuna and yellowfin tuna being the only commercial varieties fished.[72] Fishing is done using mechanized fishing boats, traditional country crafts and country crafts fitted with motors.[72] The government runs a tuna canning factory.[72]
The tourist industry in Lakshadweep traces to 1974, when the Bangaram atoll was opened for international tourism.
Infrastructure
There is no single power grid connecting the islands and independent power houses caters to the power requirements of individual islands.[80] Minicoy was the first island to be electrified in 1962 followed by Kavaratti in 1964 and others later, with Bitra being the last island to be electrified in 1982.[80] Two diesel generators were established in 1962, generating 51.6 Kilo Watt.[80] As of 2012[update], the installed capacity is 18.5 Mega Watt from 41 diesel generators and 12 solar photovoltaic systems.[80]
The world's first ever experimental low-temperature thermal desalination plant opened on Kavaratti in 2005, which uses the temperature difference between warm surface seawater and much colder seawater at 500 m (1,600 ft) depth to generate potable water as well as energy, was put in place to produce 100,000 litres/day of potable water from seawater.[81][82] The technology was developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology and government announced plans to build three further plants.[83]
Transportation
The islands are served by
As of 2019[update], there are 228 km (142 mi) of paved roads and no
Indian Navy operates INS Dweeprakshak, a naval based under the Southern Naval Command, commissioned in 2012.[94] There are ten minor ports, one each on all inhabited islands.[95]
Education
The first
See also
- Coral reefs in India
- Andaman and Nicobar
Notes
- ^ Though technically a fish, it is classified as the official animal of the union territory
- ^ Though one of the islands—Parali 1 island, part of Bangaram Atoll—has been completely inundated by 2017,[4] official sources maintain the count at 36.[5]
- ^ Bangaram island has a floating population
- bankswhich form part of the archipelago
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Further reading
- R. C. Majumdar (1979) The History of Ancient Lakshadweep, Calcutta.
- S. Anandan, Lakshadweep – Between the sea and a hard place, The Hindu, 30 May 2021.
External links
- Lakshadweep travel guide from Wikivoyage