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Distance
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1,190km from Madras, 1,220km from Calcutta
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Area
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8,249 sq km
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Location
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Bay of Bengal
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East Longitude
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92 degrees to 94 degrees
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North Longitude
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6 degrees to 14 degrees
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No of Islands
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572
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Population
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450,000
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Capital
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Port Blair
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Temperature
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23 degree C (min) to 30 degree C (max)
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Humidity
Level
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70% to 90%
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Highest
Peak
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Saddle Peak (732 meters)
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Rainy
Season
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May to October
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Clothing
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Light cottons throughout the year
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Best
Time to Visit
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Mid-November
to April in
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 Introduction
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The
Andamans and Nicobar Islands are this and
much more. As much a visual delight as a
naturalists wonder, the archipelago of 572
islands, islets and rocks, is brimming with
options for adventure, relaxation, nature
walks or cultural feasts.
Situated in the Bay of Bengal, about 1000-km
off the East Coast of India, they stretch
across more than 700 km from North to South
with 36 inhabited islands.
The
archipelago is believed to have been part of
a mountain range that extended from Burma to
Indonesia. It still retains its original
topography of hilly terrain with dense
tropical forests. Supporting nearly 2000
species of plants (more than 200 endemic
species) and more than 250 species of birds.
The islands were shrouded in mystery for
centuries before they were first colonised
by the British in 1789. Being cut off from
the rest of the world, the social and
cultural development of its inhabitants was
also in complete isolation and the entire
population consisted of aborigines.
For
those without chartered flights and private
yachts, getting there is difficult in the
best of times, flights are filled by
government officials, and the ship schedules
are as erratic as the rain. Moreover, you
can practically see very little of the 700
Km. island group as most of them are
uninhabited and there is no way you can get
there unless you have your own yacht. If you
are an ordinary mortal, the unwieldy
bureaucracy makes its presence felt at every
step. You need a permit for virtually every
thing that you do around here but the
inviting lagoons and the long beaches more
than compensates for all the trouble.
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The
People
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The
aborigines can be classified into two main
groups. The tribes of Andamans of Negrito
origin and the tribes of Nicobar of
Mongoloid stock. Great Andamanese, Onges,
Jarawas, and Sentinalese reside in the
Andamans while only two tribes the
Nicobarese and Shompes live in Nicobar. Due
to the interaction of some of these tribes
with the mainlanders, and the ensuing
diseases contracted, they are at a risk of
being exterminated. To save these tribes,
the government of India has set up protected
areas where they can live their original
life styles. A couple of tribal groups,
especially the Sentinelese (in North
Sentinel Island) are even now hostile
towards outsiders! However their numbers do
not exceed even a few hundreds and they live
in protected areas where no one would ever
volunteer taking you to.
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Recent
History
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The
Andaman and Nicobar Islands were colonised
by the British in the 19th century, for use
as a penal colony. Freedom fighters were
transported to the dreaded `Kala Pani` to
serve their sentence. Since then, a large
number of people have made it their home.
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Andaman
Today
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Today,
most of the 300,000 people on the
Andamans are mainlanders or their
descendants and live in South Andaman.
They have come from all across India,
especially Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
Port Blair, the capital city of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands in South
Andaman has a truly cosmopolitan
texture with people of all religions,
castes and cultures, living in
peaceful coexistence. And for this
reason, the Andamans and Nicobar
Islands are also called mini.
The
island has a lot to offer to an avid
tourist. Out of the total area nearly
50% comprises Tribal Reserves,
National Parks and Wildlife
Sanctuaries. Mahatma Gandhi Marine
National Park exhibits a variety of
corals, coloured fish, sea turtles and
other sea animals. Site seeing tours,
scuba diving, snorkelling, trekking,
island camping and relaxing are some
of the other activities one can
indulge in. |
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The
Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands are in
the Bay of Bengal and Port Blair, is almost
equidistant from Chennai and Calcutta.
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By
Air |
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The
only airstrip in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands is at Port Blair.
There are regular flights for Port
Blair from Calcutta and Chennai. The
flight takes about 2 hours from either
of these two cities.
Indian Airlines and a couple of
private airlines fly on these routes a
couple of times each week. |
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By
Sea |
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Calcutta,
Chennai, and Visakhapatnam are the
entry points by sea. Ships set sail
about 4 times every month from Chennai
and Calcutta and once every month from
Visakhapatnam. The journey takes 60
hours from Chennai, 66 hours from
Calcutta, and 56 hours from
Visakhapatnam.
Bookings begin one month in advance
and the tickets are issued 3 days
before sailing. The ships are
organised and managed by the shipping
corporation of India. |
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Bookings
begin one month in advance and the
tickets are issued 3 days before
sailing. The ships are organised and
managed by the shipping corporation of
India. |
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