Floating in splendid, east of the Indian mainland
is the archipelago of 5272 emerald island, islets
and rocks known as Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
This Union Territory is stretched over an area of
more than 700 Kms. from north to south with 36 inhabited
islands.
Once a hill range extending from Burma (Myanmar)
to Indonesia, these undulating islands are covered
with dense forests and endless variety of exotic
flowers and birds. The topography of the islands
is hilly and abounds in evergreen forests. The sandy
beaches on the edge of meandering coastline are
fringed with coconut-palms that sway to the rhythm
of the sea. The sea around the islands offer excellent
scope for water sports.
The rare flora and fauna, underwater marine life
and corals, with crystal clear water and mangrove-lined
creeks, offer a dream-view of the rare gifts of
nature-lover, who seek absolute peace and tranquility
in the lap of mother nature. Adventure tourism like
trekking, island camping, snorkeling, scuba diving
etc.. are the real attractions. A visit to these
islands is a memorable lifetime experience.
Mythologically, the name Andaman was presumed to
be derived from Hanuman, who was known to the Malays
as Handuman. Since pre-historic times, these islands
were the home of aboriginal tribes. The tribes of
the Andaman group of islands were the home of aboriginal
tribes. The tribes of the Andaman group of islands
are the Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, and Setinalese,
all of Negrito origin, while the tribes of Nicobars
are the Nicobarese and Shompens, both of Mongoloid
stock
The first settlement by the British took place in
1789, which was later abandoned in 1796. The second
settlement was basically a penal settlement, taken
up in 1858, after the First War of Independence,
followed by the settlement of convicts, Moplas,
come criminal tribes from Central and United Provinces,
refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan, Burman and
Sri Lanka as well ex-servicemen.
In these islands people of all faiths - Hindus,
Muslims, Christians, Sikhs etc., and of all languages
like Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi,
Nicobari etc., live together in complete peace and
harmony. Inter-religion and inter-regional marriages
are common. This amazing racial and cultural mix
is correctly described as Mini-India. Forests are
the green gold of the islands.
The reserved and protected forests extend over 86%
area of the territory and the forest cover is more
than 92%. About 50% of the forests has been set
aside as Tribal Reserves, National parks and Wildlife
Sanctuaries, Which are inviolate. Luxuriant mangroves,
perhaps the richest in the world, occupy nearly
11.5 % of the territory.
More than 150 plant and animal species are endemic
in nature. Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is
rich in corals, varieties of coloured fishes, sea
turtles etc., beside other out of which 39 are endemic.
Megaopde, Swiflet, Hornbaill and Pigeon are some
of the specialities of the Andanman & Nicobar
Islands.
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