Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Andaman & Nicobar Islands are around 3700 km. away from Delhi and consists of only 0.03% population of India. It is a Union Territory Island governed by the central government. It plays a big role in the Indian economy in terms of tourism and aqua resources.
| Topic | Data/Facts |
| 1 History | 1.1 Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 38 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Earlier it was part of Danish India. 1.2 The Union Territory was established on 1st November, 1956. |
| 2 Geography | 2.1 Climate: (i) The Climate of Andaman & Nicobar Islands is described as Tropical climate. (ii) Andaman and Nicobar Islands has a humid Weather and has no winter season. Rain season lasts for 180 days in a year. The southwest monsoon touches the Indian soil first in the Andamans and then proceeds towards the Indian mainland. (iii) The rainy season happens twice a year under the influence of Southwest monsoon in mid-May to September, and Northeast monsoon in November To January. There is medium to heavy rain during the monsoon, in the months from May to mid September and November to mid December. (iv) It is quite hot in the months of March to May in the Andamans. 2.2 Agriculture: (i) Paddy, the main food crop, is mostly cultivated in Andaman group of islands, whereas coconut and arecanut are the cash crops of Nicobar group of islands. (ii) Field crops, namely, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables are grown, followed by paddy during Rabi season. (iii) Different kinds of fruits such as mango, sapota, orange, banana, papaya, pineapple and root crops are grown on hilly land owned by farmers. (iv) Spices such as pepper, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon are grown under a multi-tier cropping system. (v) Rubber, red oil, palm, noni and cashew are grown on a limited scale in these islands. 2.3 Natural Resources: The main Andaman and Nicobar Islands mineral deposits islands are copper and chromite. 2.4 Major rivers: Kalpong River 2.5 Animals: (i) About 50 varieties of forest mammals are found to occur in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Some are endemic, including the Andaman wild boar. Rodents are the largest group with 26 species, followed by 14 species of bat. Among the larger mammals there are two endemic varieties of wild boar. (ii) Saltwater crocodile is also found in abundance. The State Animal of Andaman is the dugong, also known as the sea cow, which can be found in Little Andaman. Around 1962 there was an attempt to introduce the leopard, which was unsuccessful because of unsuitable habitat. (iii) About 270 species of birds are found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands .14 species from them are endemic, the majority of Nicobar island group. The islands’ many caves are nesting grounds for the edible-nest swiftlet, whose nests are prized in China for bird’s nest soup. The islands also serve as a stopover site for several migratory birds such as Horsfield’s bronze cuckoo, Zappey’s flycatcher and Javan pond heron. (iv) The territory is home for about 225 species of butterflies and moths. Ten species are endemic to these Islands. Mount Harriet National Park is one of the richest areas of butterfly and moth diversity on Andaman and Nicobar Islands. (v) The islands are well known for prized shellfish, especially from the genera Turbo, Trochus, Murex and Nautilus. Earliest recorded commercial exploitation began during 1929. Many cottage industries produce a range of decorative shell items. Giant clams, green mussels and oysters support edible shellfishery. The shells of scallops, clams, and cockle are burnt in kilns to produce edible lime. 2.6 Neighbour: Surrounded by The Bay of Bengal 2.7 Capital city: Port Blair 2.8 Total Land Area: (i) Total area is 8,249 sq. km. (ii) 29th largest among states and UTs in India. 2.9 Other Important Facts: The only volcano in India, Barren Island, is located in Andaman and Nicobar. It is an active volcano and had last erupted in 2017. It also has a mud volcano situated in Baratang Island. These mud volcanoes have erupted sporadically, with recent eruptions in 2005 believed to have been associated with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The previous major eruption recorded was on 18 February 2003. The locals call this mud volcano Jalki. There are other volcanoes in the area. This island’s beaches, mangrove creeks, limestone caves, and mud volcanoes are some of the physical features. |
| 3 Forestry | 3.1 Forest: (i) Forest Cover: 6,742.78 sq. km. (ii) Very Dense Forest: 5,677.52 sq. km. (iii) Moderately Dense Forest: 683.89 sq. km. (iv) Open Forest: 381.37 sq. km. (Data as per ISFR 2019 assessment) 3.2 National Parks: (i) Campbell Bay National Park, Great Nicobar (ii) Galathea National Park, Great Nicobar (iii) Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Wandoor (iv) Middle Button Island National Park, Port Blair (v) Mount Harriet National Park, Port Blair (vi) North Button Island National Park, Port Blair (vii) Rani Jhansi Marine National Park, South Andaman (viii) Saddle Peak National Park, Great Nicobar (ix) South Button Island National Park, Great Nicobar 3.3 Wild Life Sanctuary: Andaman & Nicobar Islands have 96 Wildlife Sanctuaries. A few among them are listed below. (i) Arial Island Wildlife Sanctuary (ii) Bamboo Island Wildlife Sanctuary (iii) Barren Island Wildlife Sanctuary (iv) Battimalv Island Wildlife Sanctuary (v) Belle Island Wildlife Sanctuary (vi) Benett Island Wildlife Sanctuary (vii) Bingham Island Wildlife Sanctuary (viii) Blister Island Wildlife Sanctuary (ix) Bluff Island Wildlife Sanctuary (x) Bondoville Island Wildlife Sanctuary (xi) Brush Island Wildlife Sanctuary (xii) Buchanan Island Wildlife Sanctuary (xiii) Chanel Island Wildlife Sanctuary (xiv) Cinque Islands Wildlife Sanctuary (xv) Clyde Island Wildlife Sanctuary |
| 4 Economy | 4.1 Major Economic Data: (i) GDP Growth: 12.12% (2018-19) (ii) GDP: 8,846 Crore INR (2018-19) (iii) GDP Rank: 33rd (iv) Per Capita Income: 223,377 INR (2018-19) 4.2 Industries: Major industries are as under: – (i) There are 1,374 registered small-scale, village and handicraft units. (ii) Two units are export-oriented in the line of fish processing activity. (iii) Apart from this, there are shells and wood-based handicraft units. (iv) There are also four medium-sized industrial units. SSI units are engaged in the production of polythene bags, PVC conduit pipes and fittings, paints and varnishes, fiberglass and mini flour mills, soft drinks, and beverages, etc. (v) Small scale and handicraft units are also engaged in shell crafts, bakery products, rice milling, furniture making, etc. |
| 5 Transportation | 5.1 Air and Sea Ports are the major modes of transportation in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. 5.2 Other Important facts: Another mode of transport is ship which has routes from Chennai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. The journey takes approximately three days and two nights. 5.3 Major Air Ports: International Airports: Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair Indian Air Force Stations: (i) INS Baaz, Campbell Bay (ii) Car Nicobar Air Force Base, Car Nicobar (iii) INS Kohassa, Diglipur |
| 6 Infrastructures | 6.1 Power installed Capacity: (i) Total Power: 74.52 MW (ii) Thermal: 40.05 MW (iii) Nuclear: 0 (iv) Hydro: 0 (v) Renewable Energy Source: 34.47 MW |
| 7 Census and Demography | 7.1 Demographic Data: (i) Population: 380,581 (3.81 Lakhs) (ii) Male: 202,871 (iii) Female: 177,710 (iv) Gender Ratio: 876 females per 1000 males (v) Population Growth: 6.86% (vi) Percentage of total population of the country: 0.03% (vii) Density: 46/sq. km. (viii) Rural Population: 237,093 (62.30%) (ix) Urban Population: 143,488 (37.70%) (Based on 2011 census) 7.2 Major Religion followers: (i) Hinduism: 264,296 (69.45%) (ii) Christianity: 80,984 (21.28%) (iii) Islam: 32,413 (8.52%) (iv) Jainism: 31 (0.01%) (v) Buddhism: 338 (0.09%) (vi) Sikhism: 1,286 (0.34%) (Based on 2011 census) |
| 8 Culture | 8.1 Major Festivals: (i) Island Tourism Festival (ii) Puppet Show (iii) Diwali (iv) Christmas Day (v) Durga Puja (vi) Onam (vii) Pongal 8.2 Folk Dance: Nicobari Dance 8.5 Major Religious Places: (i) Sri Laxmivinayakar (ii) Sri Karpaga Vinayakar (iii) Sri Laxminarayana (iv) Lord Iyyappan (v) Jama Masjid (vi) Police Masjid (vii) Junglighat Masjid (viii) Roman Catholic (ix) Ceylon Pentecot (x) Poilce Gurudwaras (xi) Dr. Dewan Singh Gurudwara (xii) Bahais Temple |
| 9 Education | 9.1 State Literacy Data: (i) Total: 294,281 (86.63%) (ii) Male: 164,377 (90.27%) (iii) Female: 129,904 (82.43%) 9.2 Major Institutions: (i) Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences (ii) Andaman Law College (iii) Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Institute of Technology (iv) Jawaharlal Nehru Government College (v) Mahatma Gandhi Government College (vi) Tagore Government College of Education |
| 10 Tourism | 10.1 The Andamans are an archipelago of over 570 tropical islands, of which only 36 are inhabited. In 2004 Radhanagar beach at Havelock Island was bestowed with the title of “Asia’s Best Beach” and as the world’s seventh most spectacular beach by Time Magazine. 10.2 Major Tourist Spots: (i) Cellular Jail (ii) Havelock Island (iii) Radhanagar Beach (iv) Ross Island (v) Viper Island (vi) Neil Island (vii) Baratang Island |
| 11 Sports | 11.1 State Game: Andaman & Nicobar Islands are known for the water sports. All types of water sports are there except Surfing. 11.2 Major Stadium: Netaji Stadium, Port Blair 11.3 International Players from the state: Cricket: Gerald Seeley Cycling: Deborah Herold |
| 12 Governance & Administrative Divisions | 12.1 Administrative divisions: (i) Number of Districts: 3 (ii) Number of Tehsils: 7 (iii) Number of Urban Towns: 4 (iv) Number of Villages: 547 (v) Number of Inhabited Islands: 38 (vi) Number of Un-Inhabited Islands: 518 12.2 Official Languages: (i) Hindi (ii) English (Based on census-2011) 12.3 Constituent Facts: (i) Number of Parliament seats: Lok Sabha : 1 Rajya Sabha : Nil (ii) Number of Gram Panchayats: 69 12.4 Chief Secretary: Keshav Chandra, IAS 12.5 Lieutenant Governor: Admiral (Retd.) Devendra Kumar Joshi First Lieutenant Governor: Manohar Lall Kampani (1982) 12.6 Judiciary: High Court : Calcutta High Court (Port Blair Bench) 12.6.1 The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 12.6.2 It was established on 1st July, 1862. (i) Number of Judges: 72 (ii) (Permanent: 54 Addl: 18) (iii) Judge Retirement Age: 62 |
| 13 Other Important facts | 13.1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: (i) Cellular Jail (ii) Ross Island (iii) The Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve 13.2 Number of Archaeological Sites: Cellular Jail 13.3 UT Symbols: UT Animal: Dugong UT Bird: Andaman Wood Pigeon UT Flower: Lagerstroemia speciosa Pyinma UT Tree: Andaman Padauk |
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