Alejandra13P at 18:37, 14 March 2026

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	==See also==		==See also==
	~~{{Portal\|India}}~~
	* [[Nicobarese people]]		* [[Nicobarese people]]
	* [[Nicobarese languages]]		* [[Nicobarese languages]]

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2021-08-19T02:01:31Z

World War II

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{{Short description|Island group in the Indian Ocean}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Infobox islands
| name = Nicobar Islands
| native_name = 
| sobriquet = 
| image_name = Nicobar Islands.PNG
| image_size =
| image_caption = Location of the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean.
| image_alt =
| map_image = Nicobar Islands.jpg
| location = [[Bay of Bengal]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|7|05|N|93|48|E|region:IN_type:isle|display=inline,title}}
| archipelago = [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]
| total_islands = 22
| major_islands = [[Car Nicobar]], [[Great Nicobar]], [[Little Nicobar]]
| area_km2 = 1,841
| area_footnotes =
| rank =
| length_km = 
| length_footnotes =
| width_km = 
| width_footnotes =
| coastline_km = 
| coastline_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 642
| elevation_footnotes =
| highest_mount = [[Mount Thullier]]
| country = {{IND}}
| country_admin_divisions_title = Union territory
| country_admin_divisions = [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 =
| country_admin_divisions_1 =
| country_admin_divisions_title_2 =
| country_admin_divisions_2 =
| country_capital = [[Port Blair]] (on [[South Andaman Island]])
| country_largest_city = [[Malacca, Car Nicobar]]
| country_largest_city_population = 1,637
| country_leader_name =
| demonym =
| population = [http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_data_products_ani.html 36,842]
| population_as_of = 2011
| density_km2 = 20
| density_footnotes =
| ethnic_groups = [[Nicobarese people|Nicobarese]] [[Shompen]] [[Indian people|Mainland Indians]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| timezone1_DST = {{nowrap|not observed}}
| utc_offset1_DST = +5:30
| website = [http://www.and.nic.in www.and.nic.in]
| additional_info =
}}
The '''Nicobar''' {{IPAc-en|'|n|I|k|@|b|ɑːr}} Islands are an [[archipelago|archipelagic]] island chain in the eastern [[Indian Ocean]]. They are located in [[Southeast Asia]], 150 km north of [[Aceh]] on [[Sumatra]], and separated from [[Thailand]] to the east by the [[Andaman Sea]]. Located 1,300 km southeast of the [[Indian subcontinent]], across the [[Bay of Bengal]], they form part of the [[Union Territory]] of [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], [[India]].

[[UNESCO]] has declared the [[Great Nicobar Island]] as one of the [[World Network of Biosphere Reserves]].<ref name="Unesco">[http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/multimedia/photos/mab-2013/], The International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), added the following new sites to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/multimedia/photos/mab-2013/india/.</ref>

==Geography and population==
{{historical populations|11=1901|12=6,511|13=1911|14=8,818|15=1921|16=9,272|17=1931|18=10,240|19=1941|20=12,452|21=1951|22=12,009|23=1961|24=14,563|25=1971|26=21,665|27=1981|28=30,454|29=1991|30=39,208|31=2001|32=42,068|33=2011|34=36,842|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:<ref>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901]</ref>|align=right}}The Nicobar Islands cover a land area of 1,841 km2<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/place/Nicobar-Islands Nicobar Islands]. Encyclopedia Britannica.</ref> and had a population of 36,844 during the [[2011 Census of India|2011 Census]]. They comprise three distinct groups:

'''[[Car Nicobar Subdivision|Northern Group]]''':
* [[Car Nicobar]]
* [[Battimalv Island|Battimalv]]

'''[[Nancowry Subdivision|Central Group]]''':
* [[Chowra]], Chaura or Sanenyo
* [[Teressa Island|Teressa]] or Luroo
* [[Bompuka]] or Poahat
* [[Katchal Island|Katchal]]
* [[Camorta Island|Camorta]]
* [[Nancowry Island|Nancowry]] or Nancowrie
* [[Trinket Island|Trinket]]
* [[Man Island (Nicobar)|Laouk]] or "Isle of Man"
* [[Tillangchong]]

'''[[Great Nicobar Subdivision|Southern Group]]''' (Sambelong):
* [[Great Nicobar]] (922 km2, largest island of the Nicobars)
* [[Little Nicobar]]
* [[Kondul Island]]
* [[Pulo Milo]] or Pillomilo (Milo Island)
* [[Meroe Island|Meroe]], Trak, Treis, Menchal, Kabra, Pigeon and Megapod

Indira Point ({{coord|6.756378|93.827765}}) is the southernmost point of Great Nicobar Island and also of India itself, lying about 150 km north of [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]].

==Geology==
The Nicobar Islands are part of a great [[island arc]] created by the collision of the [[Indo-Australian Plate]] with [[Eurasia]]. The collision lifted the [[Himalayas]] and most of the Indonesian islands, and created a long arc of highlands and islands, which includes the [[Arakan Yoma]] range of [[Burma]], the Andaman and Nicobar islands, and the islands off the west coast of [[Sumatra]], including the [[Banyak Islands]] and [[Mentawai Islands]].<ref name = wwf>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Nicobar Islands rain forests|id=im0133}}</ref>

==Climate==
The climate is warm and tropical, with temperatures ranging from 22 to 30 °C. Rainfall is heavy due to annual monsoons and measures around 3000 to 3800 mm each year.<ref name = wwf/>

==Ecology==
[[File:Caloenas nicobarica1.jpg|thumb|A [[Nicobar pigeon]]. While named after the Nicobar Islands, it is also found widely in the [[Malay Archipelago]]]]

The Nicobar Islands are recognised as a distinct [[terrestrial ecoregion]], the [[Nicobar Islands rain forests]], with many [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] species.<ref name = wwf/>

The vegetation of the Nicobars is typically divided into the coastal [[mangrove]] forests and the interior evergreen and deciduous [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]. Additionally, several islands contain extensive inland [[grassland]]s, though these are thought to result from human intervention.<ref name = wwf/>

As a result of lower sea levels during the [[ice age]]s, the Andaman Islands were linked to the Southeast Asian mainland, but it is not believed that the Nicobar Islands ever had a land bridge to the continent. Lower sea levels did link the islands to one another: Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar were linked to each other, and Nancowry, Chaura, Katchall, Trinka, Camorta, and the nearby smaller islands were linked to one another as well.

{{See also|Endemic birds of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands}}

===Protected areas===
Protected areas include [[Campbell Bay National Park]] and [[Galathea National Park]] on Great Nicobar.

A [[World Biosphere Reserve]] was declared on Grand Nicobar by [[UNESCO]] on May 31, 2013.<ref name=toi>{{cite news|title=''Nicobar Islands declared as world biosphere reserve''|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=31 May 2013|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/Nicobar-Islands-declared-as-world-biosphere-reserve/articleshow/20358478.cms|access-date=31 May 2013}}</ref> [[Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve]] has a total area of 103,870 ha. The core area of 53,623 ha comprises Cambell Bay and Galathea National parks. A buffer area of 34,877 includes lands adjacent to and between the two parks. There is also a transitional area of 10,070 ha, including 5,300 marine hectares.<ref>"Great Nicobar". Man and Biosphere Programme, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Accessed 1 August 2021. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/asia-and-the-pacific/india/great-nicobar</ref><ref name = wwf/>

==History==
=== Prehistory ===
[[File:Natives of Nicobar Islands.jpg|thumb|[[Nicobarese people]], c. 1870]]
The Nicobar Islands are believed to have been inhabited for thousands of years. Six indigenous [[Nicobarese languages]] are spoken on the islands, which are part of the [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic language family]], which includes [[Mon language|Mon]], [[Khmer language|Khmer]] and [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] languages of [[Southeast Asia]], and the [[Munda languages]] of India. An indigenous tribe living at the southern tip of Great Nicobar, called the [[Shompen people|Shompen]], may be of [[Mesolithic]] Southeast Asian origin.<ref>{{cite journal
| author = Rajni Trivedi| title = Molecular insights into the origins of the Shompen, a declining population of the Nicobar archipelago
| journal = Journal of Human Genetics | issue = 3 | volume = 51 | date = March 2006
| doi = 10.1007/s10038-005-0349-2 | pages = 217–226
| pmid = 16453062
|display-authors=etal| doi-access = free}}</ref>

=== Origin of the name ===
The earliest extant references to the name "Nicobar" is in the [[Sri Lanka]]n [[Pali]] [[Buddhist]] chronicles, the ''[[Dipavamsa]]'' (c. 3rd or 4th century CE) and the ''[[Mahavamsa]]'' (c. 4th or 5th century), which state that the children of the followers of the legendary founder of the Sri Lankan Kingdom, Vijaya, landed on ''Naggadipa'' (the island of the children, from the Pali '''nagga''' meaning 'naked').<ref>{{Cite book| title=The Mahavamsa or The Great Chronicle of Ceylon| author=Wilhelm Geiger (Tr)| year=1912| access-date=8 July 2013| publisher=Pali Text Society| url=http://what-buddha-said.net/library/pdfs/mahavamsa.geiger.pdf| quote=''P54 "The island where the children landed was called Naggadipa..." N: "l That is,'Island of children', from nagga 'naked'..." ''| isbn=978-81-206-0218-2| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512133050/http://what-buddha-said.net/library/pdfs/mahavamsa.geiger.pdf| archive-date=12 May 2012| url-status=dead}}</ref> The modern name is likely derived from the [[Chola dynasty]] name for the islands, '''''Nakkavaram''''' (may be referring open/naked land or naked mans land in [[Tamil language|Tamil]]) which is inscribed on the [[Thanjavur]] (Tanjore) inscription of 1050 CE.<ref>{{Cite book | title=Ancient Jaffna| author=C Rasanayagam| year=1926 | publisher=Asian Educational Society (reprint)| quote= ''P53 "Naggadipa, where the children are alleged to have landed, is certainly Nicobars, the Nakkavaram of the Tamils, ...''| isbn= 978-81-206-0210-6}}</ref><ref name="keay2001">{{Cite book | title=India: A History | author=John Keay | year=2001 | publisher=Grove Press | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ibLUu6RlvqwC | quote=''... and 'Nakkavaram' certainly represents the Nicobar islands ...'' | isbn=978-0-8021-3797-5}}</ref><ref name="britannica1998">{{Cite book | title=The New Encyclopædia Britannica | year=1998 | access-date = 16 November 2008 | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abRYAAAAMAAJ | quote=''... The name Nicobar probably is derived from Nakkavaram ("Land of the Naked") ...'' | isbn=978-0-85229-633-2}}</ref> [[Marco Polo]] (12th-13th century) also referred to this island as 'Necuverann'.

In the 15th century, Great Nicobar Island was recorded as "Cui Lan island" (翠蘭嶼) during the [[voyages of Zheng He]] in the [[Mao Kun map]] of the [[Wu Bei Zhi]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Wu Bei Zhi Map 17 |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/g7821rm.gct00058/?sp=17 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref>

=== Colonial period ===
The history of organised European [[colonisation]] on the islands began with the [[Danish East India Company]] in 1754/56. During this time they were administrated from [[Tranquebar]] (in continental [[Danish India]]) administrated under the name of '''Frederiksøerne'''; missionaries from the [[Moravian Church]] Brethren's settlement in [[Tranquebar]] attempted a settlement on [[Nancowry Island|Nancowry]] and died in great numbers from disease; the islands were repeatedly abandoned due to outbreaks of [[malaria]]: 1784–1807/09, 1830–1834 and finally from 1848 gradually for good. Between 1778 and 1783, [[William Bolts]] attempted to establish an [[Austrian colonization of the Nicobar Islands|Austrian colony on the islands]] on the mistaken assumption that [[Denmark–Norway]] had abandoned its claims to the islands.<ref name="ColVoy">{{cite web
|url = http://www.colonialvoyage.com/DanishP.html
|title = Chronoly of Danish Colonial Settlements
|first = Marco
|last = Ramerini
|publisher = ColonialVoyage.com
|access-date = 3 January 2010
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050404001731/http://www.colonialvoyage.com/DanishP.html
|archive-date = 4 April 2005
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>

[[Italy]] made an attempt at buying the Nicobar Islands from Denmark between 1864 and 1865. The Italian Minister of Agriculture and Commerce [[Luigi Torelli]] started a negotiation that looked promising, but failed due to the unexpected end of his office and the {{ill|second La Marmora Cabinet|it|Governo La Marmora II}}. The negotiations were interrupted and never brought up again.<ref>Ministero della Guerra, Ufficio Storico, Storia Militare della Colonia Eritrea, Vol. I, Roma 1935, pp. 15-16</ref>

[[Denmark]]'s presence in the islands ended formally on 16 October 1868 when it sold the rights to the Nicobar Islands to Britain,<ref name="ColVoy" /> which in 1869 made them part of [[British India]].

===Second World War===
During the [[World War II|Second World War]], the islands were [[Invasion and occupation of the Andaman Islands during World War II|invaded and occupied by Japan between 1942 and 1945]]. In May 1945, [[HMS Ceylon (30)|HMS ''Ceylon'']] shelled Japanese positions on the islands. The British regained possession of the islands after the [[Surrender of Japan]], announced on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945.

===Indian state===
Together with the [[Andaman Islands]], It became part of India in 1950 and was declared as a [[union territory]] of the nation in 1956.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Planning Commission of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujf2N5O4iKgC|title=Andaman and Nicobar Islands Development Report|publisher=Academic Foundation|year=2008|isbn=978-81-7188-652-4|edition=illustrated|series=State Development Report series|access-date=12 March 2011}}</ref>

===26 December 2004 tsunami===
On 26 December 2004, the coast of the Nicobar Islands was devastated by a 10–15 m high [[tsunami]] following the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake]]. At least 6,000 people were killed on the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]] with reports putting the death toll on [[Katchal Island]] alone at 4,600.

Several islands were heavily damaged with initial reports of islands broken in two or three pieces and coral reefs moved above water. Teressa Island was said to have been split into two pieces and Trinkat Island into three pieces. Some estimates said that the islands were moved as much as 100 feet (30 m) by the earthquake and tilted.

[[Indira Point]] subsided 4.25 m and the lighthouse there was damaged.

==Transportation==
* Airport: [[Car Nicobar]] CBD/VECX has an airstrip on [[Car Nicobar Air Force Base]] of 2717 by 43 meters on the South East coast near Malacca but does not offer commercial service. [[Great Nicobar]] has a small airstrip of approximately 1000 meters at Campbell Bay/Tenlaa on its East coast.
* Seaport: At least one small shipping dock is located in Campbell Bay on the East coast of [[Great Nicobar]]. [[Car Nicobar]] has a small dock at its Northern tip near Keating Point and Mus.

==Tourism ==
Andaman and Nicobar islands are also known as tourist attractions for water sports include snorkeling, scuba diving, parasailing, and under-sea walking.

==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
* [[Nicobarese people]]
* [[Nicobarese languages]]
* [[Shompen people]]
* [[Austrian colonization of the Nicobar Islands]]
* [[1881 Nicobar Islands earthquake]]
* [[Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve]]
* [[Great Nicobar]]
* [[Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370]]
* [[Indian Ocean]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* {{cite web
|url = http://www.andaman.org/NICOBAR/text.htm
|title = Nicobarese and Shompen
|publisher = The Andaman Association
|access-date = 1 July 2011
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110709082928/http://www.andaman.org/NICOBAR/text.htm
|archive-date = 9 July 2011
|df = dmy-all
}}{{dead|date=January 2021}}
* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_BrProvinces.htm#Andaman%20and%20Nicobar WorldStatesmen- India]

{{clear}}
{{Danish overseas empire|nocat=yes}}


{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Andaman and Nicobar Islands|Nicobar]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of the Indian Ocean]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Islands of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]
[[Category:Bay of Bengal]]
[[Category:British India]]
[[Category:Danish India]]
[[Category:Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]]
[[Category:Maritime Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Regions of India]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1950]]
[[Category:Pleistocene volcanoes]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of India]]
[[Category:Archipelagoes of India]]
[[Category:1754 establishments in the Danish colonial empire]]
[[Category:1868 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:Nicobar Islands| ]]

Nicobar Islands - Revision history

Alejandra13P at 18:37, 14 March 2026

CleanupBot II: Removed empty portal template using script

imported>Moonraker: /* World War II */