Andaman & Nicobar - General Information
Area : 8,249 sq km
Population : 280,661 (1997)
Religion : Hinduism (67.52%), Christianity
(23.94%), Islam (7.60%), Others (0.94%)
Temprature :Maximum Temperature : 31°C
,Minimum Temperature : 23°C
Capital : Port Blair
Languages : Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam,
Nicobarese, Telugu
Best Time to Visit : December to early April
Literacy Rate : 73%
Climate : The climate in
the Andaman and Nicobar is tropical. The native
people of these islands are of Negroid and
Monogloid stocks. The main tribes are Onge,
Andamanese, Shompen, Nicobarese and Jarawa.
The number of tribals is fast dwindling.
Location : Located in the
Bay of Bengal, this group of 572 islands lies
193 km away from Cape Negrais in Myanmar,
1255 km from Calcutta, and 1190 km from Chennai.
The two important groups of islets are Ritchie's
Archipelago and Labyrinth Islands. The Nicobar
Islands are located to the south of the Andamans,
121 km from the Little Andaman Island. Of
the total 572 islands, only 36 islands are
inhabited. The Islands are located between
the latitudes 6° to 14° North and
longitudes 92° to 94° East.
Located in the Bay of Bengal, the Union Territory
of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is an archipelago
of over 572 islands, a majority of which are
uninhabited. The islands are surrounded by
coral reefs, sandy beaches and clear water.The
topography of the islands is Hilly and abounds
in evergreen forests. The sandy beaches on
the edge of meandering coastline are fringed
with coconut – palms that sway to the
rhythm of sea. The islands were used by the
British in the 19th century, mainly for imprisoning
Indian freedom fighters in the 'cellular jail'.
Little is known historically about Andaman
and Nicobar, a cluster of around 572 islands
of which less than 50 are populated, stretching
from the southern tip of Burma all the way
down south till Sumatra in Indonesia. It is
believed that Marco Polo was among the first
from the West to set foot on one of the islands.
Kanhoji Angre, a Maratha admiral had his base
on the island in the early 18th century. From
there, he attacked passing Portuguese, Dutch
and English merchant vessels on their way
to or from their various Asian colonies. In
1713, his navy even succeeded in capturing
the yacht of the British Governor of Bombay.
Despite many efforts by the British and later
a joint military force of British and Portuguese
naval forces, Kanhoji Angre was never defeated.
He died in 1729.
The British established their first colony
in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1789,
which was abandoned in 1796. The British finally
annexed the islands in the 19th century adding
them to their empire. They turned it into
a penal colony for Indian freedom fighters.
The construction of the infamous Cellular
Jail was completed in 1908. Hundreds of anti-British
Indians were tortured to death or simply executed
here. With the Second World War, Japanese
troops occupied the islands and the local
tribes initiated guerrilla activities to drive
them out. When India achieved independence
in 1947, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were
incorporated into the Indian Union.
The canopied rain forests of the islands
harbor 3,000 species of plants including mangroves,
epiphytes (130 ferns, 100 orchids), palms,
woody climbers, timbers (teak, mahogany, Andaman
paduk) and a wide variety of tropical fruits.
Marine fauna is diverse including a wide variety
of tropical fish and coral. Considering the
diversity and uniqueness of fauna and flora
and the fragile nature of the eco-system here,
96 sanctuaries spread over 466.218 sq km and
nine National Parks spread over 1153.938 sq
km have been notified on these islands.
Main tourist attractions of Andaman
and Nicobar Islands
The Cellular Jail : Originally
a British penal settlement, the Cellular Jail
epitomizes all the misery, the trials and
tribulations faced by the Indian freedom fighters,
many of whom were sent here to serve life
sentences. Now a national monument, the Cellular
Jail has a museum where exhibits depict prison
life in the early 1900,s. the saga of the
historic struggle is now brought live in a
moving son-et-lumiere.
Museum : The marine museum
exhibits almost 350 species of marine life
while the Anthropological Museum displays
the tools, implements, art and handicrafts
of the tribals in the territory.
Corbyn's Cove : About 4
kms. from Port Blair airport is palm fringed
beach ideal for swimming, surfing and sunbathing.
Mount Hariet : Ideally suited
for trekking, Mount Harriet, a picnic spot
par excellence offers a breathtaking view
of Port Blair.
Sippighat Farm : This is
a Government agricultural & demonstration
farm spread over in area of 80 acres.
Chidiya Tapu : Also known
as bird island this is the southern most tip
of South Andaman.
Wandoor Beach : Situated
on the West coast of South Andaman, it is
a beautiful place for diving, swimming and
picnicking. The wooden jetty at Wandoor is
the boarding place for Red Skin or Jolly Buoy
island famous for corals.
Viper Island : This island
offers beautiful sandy beaches and lush green
forest. Island camping at Radhanagar is real
exposure to the unpolluted nature for an environment
lover.
How to reach ?
By Air: Five weekly flights between
Calcutta and Port Blair and four flights between
Chennai and Vishakhapattnam connect the islands
to the mainland.
By Sea: There are around
three to four ships sailing between Haddo
Jetty, Port Blair in the Andamans and Calcutta
and Chennai on the mainland. There is one
sailing from Vishakhapattnam every two months.
The Shipping Corporation of India runs these
sailings. The distances between Port Blair
and some of the important cities on the mainland
are Calcutta - 1255 km, Chennai - 1190 km
and Vishakhapatnam - 1200 km
Local Transport: The Directorate
of Shipping Services maintains regular inter-island
foreshore and harbour ferry services to cater
to the needs of inter-island commuters. There
are local buses, bicycles, motorcycles, auto
rickshaws, and taxis available for local transport
on the islands.
