The Nicobar Islands are
located 50 km south of Little Andaman. 13 of the 19 Nicobar
Islands are inhabited by about 12,000 aboriginal tribesmen
most of whom live on Car Nicobar, the northern most of the
archipelago. Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands is 780 miles from Calcutta, 749 miles from
Chennai and120 miles from Cape Negrais in Myanmar.
| The bulk of the 239 Andaman Islands comprise of North, Middle and South
Andamans, which along with Baratang and Rut-Land forms one landmass known as the Great Andamans.
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The islands have a number of harbours notably Port Blair in
the south, Elphinstone and Bonington in the middle, Port
Cornwallis in the north and the landlocked Nancowry Harbour
between the islands of Kamotra and Nancowry.
The population density is 34 people per sq. km and the
literacy rate is 74 %. The main languages are Hindi, Bengali,
Tamil, Malyalam and Telugu. |
Over 90% of the territory is under forest cover which forms
the major source of income. About 50 % of the forest has been
set aside as Tribal Reserves, National Parks and Wildlife
Sanctuaries. Rich luxuriant mangroves occupy nearly 11.5 % of
the territory. More then 150 plant and animal species are
rife. Coconut, which grows in abundance, is the main item of
trade and diet of the locals.
Deserted beaches, exquisite coral life and clear waters offer
delightful opportunities for snorkeling and diving.
The main aboriginal group in the Andamans are the Onges, who
live on Little Andaman. Onges, like other Andamanese tribes,
are of Negrito origin. They are food-gatherers who hunt, fish
and collect honey, and are the only tribe on the islands, who
freely accept contact with the outside world. In the Nicobars,
the only aboriginals are the Shompens, who are averse to any
contact with the outside world. The Nicobarese, the largest
group, seem to be 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. Communing with the
dead is one of the many intriguing rituals practiced in
Nicobar.
Compiled by Puneet Sachdeva
Often referred to as the perfect tropical paradise, the Andaman
and Nicobar islands form the peaks of a vast submerged
mountain range that extends between Myanmar and Sumatra. This
colony of 300 islands stretch over 500 miles in the Bay of
Bengal. Situated east of the Indian mainland between the 6th
and 14th parallel of north latitude and between 92 degree and
94 degree of east longitude, the islands run on Indian time so
the sun rises at 4 am and darkness falls soon after 5 pm.
