Andaman and Nicobar Islands Guide, Facts About Andaman Nicobar

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Location

Bay of Bengal , 92° to 94° East Longitude, 6° to 14° North Latitude

Area

8,249 Sq. kms

Capital

Port Blair

Altitude

Varies from sea level to 732 metres

Maximum Temperature

31°C

Minimum Temperature

23°C

Forest Cover

92%, Forest Area = 86%

Average Annual Rainfall

3180.0 mm

Climate

Tropical throughout the year. Humidity is relatively high – 70% to 90%

Population

280,661 (1991).

Languages

Bengali, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Nicobarese, Telugu.

Urbanization Ratio

26.80%

Religion

26.80% Hinduism (67.52%), Christianity (23.94%), Islam (7.60%), Others (0.94%)

Literacy Rate

73%

Best Time to Visit

October to May Cottons throughout the year.

Clothing :

Cottons throughout the year.

Tour Booking

Hotels

GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

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.

Physical Features

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands comprise around 572 islands formed by a submarine mountain range, which separates the Bay of Bengal from the Andaman Sea . The islands attain maximum altitude at Saddle Peak (730 m), formed mainly of limestone, sandstone, and clay.

History

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.

People

Ethnicity Due to consistent emphasis of the government on progress and its encouragement to the mainlanders to settle there has resulted in the local tribes becoming a minority group in their own land.
The indigenous tribes are distinguished in two groups: the Onge, Sentinelese, Jarawa and Andamanese of Negroid descent living on the Andaman Islands and the Shompen and Nicobarese of Mongoloid descent living in the Nicobar Islands . Most of the tribes are on the verge of extinction. This sad destiny will most likely hit the Andamanese tribe first since their number is as low as thirty. The Sentinelese is the least studied tribe still living in isolation on the North Sentinel Island . Their number is estimated at 250. Outsiders attempting to make contact with them are driven away with bows and arrows. They continue to maintain a unique lifestyle living in harmony with nature just as they have done for thousands of years. Arts and Crafts The main crafts of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands include shell and exotic woods crafted for the tourists, palm mats, and beautiful natural shells. Due to the fear of over exploitation of the Islands ' natural resources, trade of some products is now banned. Attire Being far removed from the present civilization, the aboriginal people did not wear any clothes till recently. The Sentinelese do not wear anything even now while the Jarawas use only adornments of bark and shell, like necklaces, arm bands, waist bands etc. The Shompens are semi nomadic and cover their body below the waist only. The people of Car Nicobar Island have totally given up the traditional dress of tassel or coconut leaf petticoat and now wear modern clothes. The Onges survived without dress for centuries but have gradually adapted to the dress code of the mainland. Use of traditional items of adornment like necklaces made of shell, waistbands and headbands of bark fiber are now restricted to ceremonial occasions.

Economy

Industry The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has a vast forest resource base with 7,171 sq km of the total area of island covered by forests. A large variety of timber is found in the Andaman group of islands. The Islands have reported the occurrence of diatomaceous earth, gold, limestone, nickel, selenite and sulphur. The Oil And Natural Gas Commission is continuing the exploration for oil and gas there.
The Union Territory has a number of small scale, village and handicrafts units. The number of export-oriented units is also increasing in the agro-processing sectors. The Andaman and Nicobar Integrated Development Corporation has made its presence felt in civil supplies, tourism, fisheries, industries, and industrial financing activities. Agriculture Around 50,000 hectares of land is under cultivation here. Paddy is the main food crop and is mostly cultivated in the Andaman group of islands, whereas coconut and areca nut are the main cash crops of the Nicobar group of islands. Different kinds of fruits such as mango, sapota, orange, banana, papaya, pineapple and some root crops are also grown on the islands.