Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India. It consists of 836 islands grouped into two island groups, the northern Andaman Islands and the southern Nicobar Islands, separated by a 150 km (93 mi) wide channel of which only 31 are inhabited. Port Blair is the capital and largest city of the territory, located about 1,190 km (740 mi) from Chennai and 1,255 km (780 mi) from Kolkata in mainland India. The islands are sandwiched between the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Andaman Sea to the east with the northern-most point located 901 km (560 mi) from the mouth of Hooghly river. Indira Point at 6°45’10″N and 93°49’36″E at the southern tip of Great Nicobar is the southernmost point of India.
The territory shares maritime borders with Indonesia located about 165 km (103 mi) to the south, Myanmar located 280 km (170 mi) to the north-east and Thailand located 650 km (400 mi) to the south-east. The islands occupy a total land area of approximately 8,249 km2 (3,185 sq mi) with a population of 380,581 as per the 2011 census. The territory is divided into three districts: Nicobar, South Andaman, and North and Middle Andaman with the capitals at Car Nicobar, Port Blair and Mayabunder respectively.
Genetic and cultural studies suggest that the indigenous Andamanese people may have been isolated from other populations during the Middle Paleolithic era, more than 30,000 years ago. Archeological evidence of civilization has been dated back to 2,200 years. In the 11th century CE, Cholas, one of the three Tamil kingdoms, used the islands as a naval base to launch expeditions in South East Asia. The Danish were the first Europeans to arrive on the islands in 1755. The islands became part of the British Raj in 1868. During the Second World War, the islands were invaded by the Japanese Empire. After Indian Independence in 1947, the region became a province and later a union territory after the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1950.
The islands host the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the only geographical command operated jointly by the three major wings of the Indian Armed Forces: the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. While Hindi and English are the official languages, the major spoken languages include Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. Indigenous people speak any of the Andamanese or Nicobarese family of languages. Hinduism is the majority religion in the union territory, with a significant Christian minority. The islands are also home to the Sentinelese people, an uncontacted tribe.
Etymology
The name Andaman might have been derived from Handuman, after the Indian God Hanuman from the Hindu epic Ramayana.[3] The place was called with a similar name by the Malay, who used to be involved in slave trade in the region.[4] The place was also referred by various names such as Angademan by Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE and Angamanian by Marco Polo in 13th century CE.[3] Nicobar, which was located in the sea route connecting South India to South East Asia, was known as Nakkavaram, meaning "open/naked land" borrowed from Tamil language which later became Nicobar.[5] In the middle ages (500-1500 AD), Nicobar was known as Lankhabatus in Arabia, probably a mis-transcription of the name Nakkavaram. An 11th-century CE work Kathasaritsagar indicates the name as Narikel Dweep.[5] Marco Polo termed the island as Necuverann, while the islands were known as Lo-Jan Kuo in China, a translation of Nakkavar with the same meaning.[5]
Infrastructure
There is no single power grid connecting all the islands and independent power houses caters to the power requirements of individual islands.[98] The islands have an installed power capacity of 68.46 MW with majority of the power generated from diesel power plants and a single hydroelectric powerplant of 5.25MW on Kalpong river.[99] In 2016, a new 15-megawatt diesel power plant was established in South Andaman with Japanese assistance.[100][101] IN 2022, the government proposed additional power plants and infrastructure to be developed in Great Nicobar.[102]
4G mobile service is provided by various telecom operators in the islands.[103] Till 2020, Internet was provided through satellite links and access was limited. Bharat Broadband Network started work on laying fiber optic submarine cables connecting the islands with Chennai in December 2018.[104][105] On 10 August 2020, the undersea optical fibre cable went live, which enabled high-speed broadband connections in the islands.[106][107][108]
Education
The first primary school in the islands was established in 1881.[109] During Independence, 12 schools were functioning on the islands including one high school.[109] As of 2023, there are 428 schools functioning in the islands with a total enrolment of 86,081 students.[109] Jawaharlal Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyalaya was the first institute of higher education, established in 1967.[110] Mahatma Gandhi Government College was established in 1990 and is affiliated to Pondicherry University.[111] Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Government Polytechnic was established in 1984 and the affiliated engineering college, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Institute of Technology was established in 1989.[112] Andaman Law College is the only law college in the state, established in 2016.[113] The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences was established in 1963.[114]