There are over 570 islands in the territory, of which only some 38 are permanently inhabited. Most of the islands (about 550) are in the Andamans group, 26 of which are inhabited. The smaller Nicobars are comprised of some 22 main islands (12 inhabited). The Andmans and Nicobars are separated by a channel (the Ten Degree Channel) some 150 km wide. The total area of the Andaman Islands is some 6,408 km2; that of the Nicobar Islands approximately 1,841 km2.

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.

The islands are in two groups: the Andamans and the Nicobar, with a ten-degree channel separating the two. 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.

Name origins

The name Andaman presumably comes from Handuman, which is Malay for the Hindu god Hanuman. The name Nicobar is Malay for land of the naked (people).

First inhabitants

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been inhabited for several thousand years, at the very least. The earliest archaeological evidence yet documented goes back some 2,200 years; however, the indications from genetic, cultural and linguistic isolation studies point to habitation going back 30,000 to 60,000 years, well into the Middle Paleolithic.

In the Andaman Islands, the various Andamanese peoples maintained their separated existence through the vast majority of this time, diversifying into distinct linguistic, cultural and territorial groups. By the 1850s when they first came into sustained contact by outside groups, the indigenous peoples of the Andamans were:
the Great Andamanese, who collectively represented at least 10 distinct sub-groups and languages;
the Jarawa;
the Jangil (or Rutland Jarawa);
the Onge; and
the Sentinelese (most isolate of all the groups).

In total, these peoples numbered somewhere around 7,000 at the time of these first encounters. As the numbers of settlers from the mainland increased (at first mostly prisoners and involuntary indentured labourers, later purposefully recruited farmers), these indigenous peoples lost territory and numbers in the face of land encroachment and the effects of various epidemic diseases. The Jangil and most of the Great Andamanese groups soon became extinct; presently there remain only approximately 400-450 indigenous Andamanese, the Jarawa and Sentinelese in particular maintaining a steadfast independence and refusing most attempts at contact.

The indigenous peoples of the Nicobars (unrelated to the Andamanese) have a similarly isolated and lengthy association with the islands. There are two main groups:
the Nicobarese, or Nicobari, living throughout many of the islands; and
the Shompen, restricted to the interior of Great Nicobar.

pre-Colonial era

The islands provided a temporary maritime base for ships of the Marathas in the 17th century. The legendary privateer and admiral Kanhoji Angre harassed colonial shipping routes with a base in the islands.

British colonial period

After an initial attempt to set up a colony in the islands by the British was abandoned after only a few years (1789-1796), a second attempt from 1858 proved to be more permanent. The primary purpose was to set up a penal colony for dissenters and independence fighters from the Indian subcontinent.

The British used the islands as an isolated prison for members of the Indian independence movement. The mode of imprisonment was called Kalapani. The Cellular Jail in Port Blair was regarded as the “Siberia” of British India.

The British continued their occupancy until the Japanese took over during World War II.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India. Informally, the territory’s name is often abbreviated to A and N Islands, or ANI. It is located in the Indian Ocean, in the southern reaches of the Bay of Bengal.

It is comprised of two island groups -the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands - which separate the Andaman Sea to the east from the Indian Ocean. These two groups are separated by the 10° N parallel, the Andamans lying to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobars to the south. The capital of this territory is the Andamanese town of Port Blair.

The territory’s population as per the most recent (2001) Census of India was 356,152. Added together, the total land area of the territory is approximately 8,249 km2.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands with its administrative headquarters at Port Blair, appears in history as old as the period of Lord Rama. Hanumanji is believed to have landed here on the way to Sri Lanka, in search of Mata Sita. The islands were inhabited until mid 19th century by aboriginal tribes whose main occupation was hunting using bows and arrows.

The Andaman group of islands consists of North Andaman, Middle Andaman, South Andaman, Little Andaman, and many smaller islands 1000 km off the east coast of India. The islands form the peaks of a vast submerged mountain range that extends for almost 1000 km between Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Sumatra. The Nicobar group of islands, which begin 50 km south of Little Andaman, comprise Great Nicobar, Car Nicobar, Nancowry, Katchal and Chowra. While geographically and ethnically close to Myanmar, politically the islands belong to India.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands is an archipelago of 572 islands adrift in the Bay of Bengal, the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands stretches over an area of more than 700 sq. kms. Located in the Bay of Bengal between India and Burma (Myanmar), the topography of the islands is generally hilly with heavy rain forests. Farming and fishing are the main industries of the indigenous people.

The islands have brilliant tropical flora. The islands are endowed with evergreen thick forests and tropical trees with mangrove swamps on the water’s edge. Part of the islands are hilly. The beaches have white sand and coral reef , unpolluted sparkling clear water which is excellent for snorkeling.

The clean and wide roads, free of filth as well as unpolluted fresh air attract any 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.

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, some criminal tribes from Central and United Provinces, refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan, Burma and Sri Lanka as well as ex-servicemen

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is rich in corals, varieties of colored fishes, sea turtles etc., besides other marine life. It is a birds paradise - more than 271 varieties of birds inhabit the idyllic landscape, out of which 39 are endemic. Megapode, Swiftlet, Hornbill and Nicobar Pigeon are some of the specialties of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.