State of India - Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Area: 8,249 sq km

Population: 2,80,661

Capital Of City: Port Blair

Languages: Hindi,Nicobarese, Malayalam, Bengali, Tamil, Telug

Crops:

How You Know: The penal settlement, known as Kala Pani or Blackwaters, was called the `Siberia of India'. Prisoners ranging from freedom fighters to hard - core criminals were sent to the notorious `Cellular Jail' in Andamans, some never to be seen again. The Jail, completed in the year 1906 acquired the name, 'cellular' because it is entirely made up of individual cells for the solitary confinement of the prisoners. Today the jail has been renovated and converted into a museum of freedom fighters.

History: Popularly known as the 'Emerald Isles' the Andaman and Nicobar islands are located in the Bay of Bengal far from the Indian mainland. While the Andaman Islands lie about 1255 km from Calcutta and 1,190 km from Chennai, the Nicobar Islands are 121 kms South of the Andamans. The total number of islands in this archipelago (a collection of islands) is 572 but only 36 of these are inhabited, some by fascinating tribes which are far removed from the modern civilization. The capital city of Port Blair has been named after Lt. Reginald Blair, who conducted a survey of the area, in 1789. One of the fascinating features of the place are the houses built on poles. The existence of these islands was first reported in the 9th century by Arab merchants, who sailed past them, on their way to the straits of Sumatra. The first Western visitor was Marco Polo, who called it `the land of the head - hunters'. The islands were annexed by the Marathas in the late 17th century. The East India Company established a settlement here in 1789 but it was abandoned after a couple of years. Following the first war of Indian Independence in 1857, the British India Government set up the Cellular Jail for the deportation prisoners, which continued till the second World War.During the Second World War, Japanese forces occupied the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. But after the defeat of Japan in the Second World War, the British India Government reoccupied these islands and administered them till the Independence of the country in 1947. In 1956 the islands were formed into a Union Territory About 86% of the total area of the islands is under reserved and protected forest and 36% of the reserved forest has been earmarked as primitive tribal reserve. This is the habitat of tribes whose culture dates back to the Paleolithic era. Contact with the tribes is compleyely restricted by the Indian government. There are four Negrito tribes, viz., the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinalese in the Andaman group of islands and two Mongoloid tribes, viz. Nicobarese and Shompens in the Nicobar group of islands. The Nicobarese, the largest group of people on the island are of mixed Burmese, Malay, Mon and Shan origin. They are a friendly and cheerful lot, who do not accept money and prefer the barter system. Other interesting rituals include communicating with the dead! Covered with dense forests and endless variety of exotic flora and fauna these islands have lovely beaches and charming under-water corals and marine life. Apart from the area of restricted entry, there is an excellent scope for swimming, scuba diving, wind surfing, snorkeling and other water sports. The Jolly Buoy island offers a breathtaking view of the some of the world's most spectacular coral reefs. The experience of the under- water coral and marine life is breathtaking. Glass bottom boats help to take a closer look at the coral colonies.

Tourist Places: Cellular Jail, National Memorial, Anthropological Museum, Marine Museum, Water Sports Complex, Gandhi Park, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park; Islands like Ross, Viper, Havelock, Neil, Jolly, Buoy, Cinque, Red Skin, Middle and North Andaman; Beaches like Corbyn's Cove, Radha Nagar, Curt Bert Bay, Karmatang (both Turtle nesting areas), Sita Nagar, etc.