The
Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is known throughout
the country as 'Kalapani' because of their having been a penal
settlement under the British Rule. The islands lie in a long
and narrow broken chain, approximately north-south sprawling
like an arc. Andaman group of islands and the Nicobar group
of islands, have entirely different population and problems.
The dreaded 10o channel which is about 145 km wide and 400
fathoms deep separates the two groups.
This territory comprises islands some of which are large
such as North Andaman, Middle Andaman, South Andaman, Baratang,
Little Andaman in the Andaman group and Car Nicobar. Situated
in the Bay of Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar islands constitute
one of the most important union territories. This is a group
of big and small picturesque islands forming a narrow broken
chain in the form of a north-south arc and is situated at
16oN and 14oN latitude and 92oE and 94oE longitude. Geologically
the islands appear to have been part of the land mass of
South east Asia comprising North East India, Burma, Thailand,
Malaysia and Indonesia.
Port Blair, the head quarters of the islands is 1255kms
from Calcutta (by sea), 1191kms from Madras and 580kms from
Yangon (Rangoon).
This territory consists of two distinct groups of islands-Andaman
and Nicobar. There are more than 3000 islands, islets and
rocks in the archipelago while only about 300 of them are
of appreciable size. Of these only 39 islands are inhabited.
The northern most point is Landfall Island which is 901kms
away from the mouth of Hoogly River and about 190kms from
Burma. The southern-most island is Great Nicobar, the southern-most
tip of which Pygmalian Point now Indira Point is about 150kms
away from Sumatra (Indonesia).
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
the sea. The sea around the islands offers excellent scope
for adventure water sports. The rare flora and fauna, underwater
marine life and corals, crystal clear water and mangrove
lined creeks, offer a dream view of the rare gifts of nature.
The clean roads as well as unpolluted fresh air attract
any nature lover, who seeks absolute peace and tranquility
in the lap of Mother Nature. Adventure tourism like trekking,
island camping, snorkeling, scuba diving, etc., are the
major attractions here. A visit to these islands is a memorable
lifetime experience.
