Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}

{{Infobox settlement

<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name                     = Andaman and Nicobar Islands

| image_skyline           = {{multiple image

| image_caption           = '''Clockwise from top-right''': Beach at [[Ross Island, North and Middle Andaman district|Ross]] and [[Smith Island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)|Smith island]]; [[Cellular Jail]] in [[Port Blair]]; [[Nicobar Islands]] aerial view; diving near [[Andaman Sea]]

| map_alt                  =  

| map_caption              = Location of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India

| coordinates             = {{coord|11.68|92.77|type:adm1st_region:IN-AN|display=inline,title}}

| coor_pinpoint            = Port Blair

| subdivision_name1        = [[East India]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=108,959825&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL | title=Eastern Region – Geological Survey of India | publisher=Geological Survey of India, MOI, Government of India | access-date=2 May 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090604/http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=108,959825&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL | archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

| established_title        = Established

| established_date        = 1 November 1956

| seat_type                = Capital and largest city

| seat                    = [[Port Blair]]

| leader_title            = [[List of Lieutenant Governors of Andaman and Nicobar Islands|Lieutenant Governor]]

| leader_name              = [[Devendra Kumar Joshi|Admiral (Retd.) Devendra Kumar Joshi]]

| leader_title1            = [[Chief Secretary (India)|Chief Secretary]]

| leader_name1            = Keshav Chandra, [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]

| leader_title2            = [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Lok Sabha constituency)|MP (Lok Sabha)]]

| leader_name2            = [[Kuldeep Rai Sharma]]

| leader_title3            = [[High Courts of India|High Court]]

| leader_name3            = [[Calcutta High Court|Calcutta High Court (Port Blair Bench)]]

| parts                    = [[List of districts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands|3]]

| area_footnotes           = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.and.nic.in/andaman/location.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218234103/http://www.and.nic.in/andaman/location.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 February 2015 |title=Andaman and Nicobar Administration |publisher=And.nic.in |access-date=8 July 2013}}</ref>

| area_total_km2           = 8249

| area_rank               = [[List of states and territories of India by area|29th]]

| population_total        = 380,520

| population_as_of        = 2012

| population_footnotes     = <ref>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/ Census of India] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614053639/http://www.censusindia.net/cendat/language/lang_table1.PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021202222932/http://www.censusindia.net/cendat/language/lang_table1.PDF |archive-date=2002-12-02 |url-status=live |date=14 June 2007}}, 2011. Census Data Online, Population.</ref>

| population_density_km2  = auto

| population_note          =  

| demographics_type1      = Languages

| demographics1_title1    = Official

| demographics1_info1      = {{hlist|[[Hindi]]|[[Indian English|English]]}}

| demographics1_title2    = Spoken

| demographics1_info2      = various (see {{section link|#Languages}})

| timezone1                = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]

| utc_offset1              = +05:30

| iso_code                = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-AN]]

| blank_name_sec1          = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] {{nobold|(2019)}}

| blank_info_sec1          = {{increase}}0.741 ({{colour|green|high}}) • [[List of Indian states and territories by Human Development Index|6th]]

| website                  = {{url|https://andaman.gov.in/}}

| module                  = {{Infobox place symbols| embedded=Yes

| region  = Andaman and Nicobar Islands

| country = India

| motto  = [[Satyameva Jayate]]<br/>(Truth alone triumphs)

| mammal = [[Dugong]]

| bird   = [[Andaman Wood Pigeon]]

| tree    = [[File:Andaman padauk 02.JPG|50px|left]] [[Andaman Padauk]]

| flower  = [[Lagerstroemia speciosa]] Pyinma

The '''Andaman and Nicobar Islands''' is a [[union territory]] of [[India]] consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the [[Bay of Bengal]] and the [[Andaman Sea]].<ref name="tribune-watchtower">{{cite news |last1=Sawhney |first1=Pravin |title=A watchtower on the high seas |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/a-watchtower-on-the-high-seas/720929.html |newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]] |access-date=16 April 2019 |date=30 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416050217/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/a-watchtower-on-the-high-seas/720929.html |archive-date=16 April 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> The territory is about {{convert|150|km|abbr=on}} north of [[Aceh]] in [[Indonesia]] and separated from [[Thailand]] and [[Myanmar]] by the [[Andaman Sea]]. It comprises two island groups, the [[Andaman Islands]] (partly) and the [[Nicobar Islands]], separated by the 150&nbsp;km (100 mile) wide [[Ten Degree Channel]] (on the [[10th parallel north|10°N parallel]]), with the Andaman islands to the north of this [[latitude]], and the Nicobar islands to the south (or by 179&nbsp;km; 111 miles). The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west. The island chains are thought to be a submerged extension of the [[Arakan Mountains]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Andaman and Nicobar: Beyond India's landmass|url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/andaman-and-nicobar-beyond-indias-landmass-12507|access-date=12 May 2021|website=www.downtoearth.org.in|language=en}}</ref>

The islands host the [[Andaman and Nicobar Command]], the only tri-service geographical command of the [[Indian Armed Forces]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC)|url=https://www.drishtiias.com/loksabha-rajyasabha-discussions/andaman-and-nicobar-command-anc|access-date=8 December 2020|website=Drishti IAS|language=en}}</ref>

[[Rajendra Chola II]] (1051–1063 CE), used the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a strategic naval base to launch an expedition against the [[Srivijaya|Srivijaya Empire]] (Indonesia).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hultzsch |first=E. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.79603/page/n115/mode/2up?view=theater |title=South Indian Inscriptions: Tamil Inscriptions of Rajaraja, Rajendra Chola and Others in the Rajarajesvara Temple at Tanjavur |publisher=Superintendent, Government Press |year=1991 |volume=2 |location=Chennai |pages=109 |language=Tamil |chapter=Inscriptions on the walls of the central shrine |author-link=E. Hultzsch |access-date=21 September 2022 |issue=1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Nilakanta Sastri |first=K. A. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.4293/page/n229/mode/2up?view=theater |title=The Cholas |publisher=G. S. Press |year=1955 |edition=2nd |location=Chennai |pages=211–213 |chapter=Rajendra- (A.D. 1012-1044) |author-link=K. A. Nilakanta Sastri |access-date=21 September 2022}}</ref> The [[Cholas]] called the island Ma-Nakkavaram ("great open/naked land"), found in the [[Thanjavur]] inscription of 1050 CE.<ref>Government of India (1908). ''[https://archive.org/details/andamanandnicob00unkngoog/page/n67/mode/2up?view=theater The Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Local Gazetteer]''. p. 57. Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta. "'Land of the Naked' translates '''Nakkavaram''', the name by which the Islands appear in the great Tanjore inscription in 1050."</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cœdès |first=George |author-link=George Cœdès |date=1918 |title=Le Royaume De Srivijaya |trans-title=The Kingdom of Srivijaya |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43729861 |journal=Bulletin de l'École Française d'Extrême-Orient |language=French |volume=18 |issue=6 |pages=6 |doi=10.3406/befeo.1918.5894 |jstor=43729861 |url-access=registration |access-date=21 September 2022 |via=[[JSTOR]]}}</ref> European traveller [[Marco Polo]] (12th–13th century) also referred to this island as 'Necuverann' and a corrupted form of the Tamil name Nakkavaram would have led to the modern name Nicobar during the British colonial period.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Yule |first1=Henry |title=Hobson-Jobson: A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-Indian Words and Phrases, and of Kindred Terms, Etymological, Historical, Geographical and Discursive |title-link=Hobson-Jobson |last2=Burnell |first2=Arthur Coke |publisher=J. Murray |year=1903 |volume=1 |location=London |pages=624–625 |chapter=Nicobar Islands |chapter-url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Hobson_Jobson/PQYYAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA624&printsec=frontcover}}</ref>

 

The islands became a temporary shipping port of the [[Maratha Empire]] and its [[Maratha Navy|navy]] in the 17th century. The Maratha admiral [[Kanhoji Angre]] established a basic naval dominance in the islands and played a role in the annexation of the islands to India.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kukreja |first1=Air Marshal Dhiraj |title=Andaman and Nicobar Islands: A security challenge for India |url=http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/andaman-and-nicobar-islands-a-security-challenge-for-india/ |access-date=24 November 2021 |work=Indian Defence Review |date=1 January 2013}}</ref>

| editor =Christian Ignatius Latrobe

| year = 1812}}</ref>{{rp|7}} During 1754–1756 they were administrated from [[Tranquebar]] (in continental [[Danish India]]).<ref name="Haensel"/>{{rp|8}} The islands were repeatedly abandoned due to outbreaks of [[malaria]] between 14 April 1759 and 19 August 1768, from 1787 to 1807/05, 1814 to 1831, 1830 to 1834 and gradually from 1848 for good.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

In 1858, the British again established a colony at Port Blair, which proved to be more permanent. The primary purpose was to set up a [[penal colony]] for criminal convicts from the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/44137988|author=MATHUR, L. P.|title=A Historical Study of Euro-Asian Interest in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands|year=1967|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume=29|page=60|jstor=44137988}}</ref> The [[Cellular Jail]], which was used to house [[political prisoner]]s, was constructed on the islands.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/41856271|author=Murthy, R.V.R.|title=Cellular Jail:a Century of Sacrifices|year=2006|journal=The Indian Journal of Political Science|volume=67|issue=4|pages=879–888|jstor=41856271}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/cellular-jail-india-integral-country-fight-freedom-independence-british-colony-andaman-and-nicobar-islands-port-blair-sushil-dasguputa-a7883691.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111041305/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/cellular-jail-india-integral-country-fight-freedom-independence-british-colony-andaman-and-nicobar-islands-port-blair-sushil-dasguputa-a7883691.html |archive-date=2020-11-11 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=How India's Cellular Jail was integral in the country's fight for freedom|date=14 August 2017|website=The Independent}}</ref>

During the independence of both India (1947) and [[Burma]] (1948), the departing British announced their intention to retain possession of the island chain, and use them to resettle [[Anglo-Indians]] and [[Anglo-Burmese people|Anglo-Burmese]] on these islands, to form their own nation, although this never materialised. The islands, as a possession of the British Indian Empire, claimed as an asset to allocated, by both the Congress Party and Muslim League, during partition negotiations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Manmadhan |first=Ullattil |date=2021-08-12 |title=When Pakistan Claimed the Andaman and Nicobar Islands |url=https://www.livehistoryindia.com/story/places/when-pakistan-claimed-the-andaman-and-nicobar-islands |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=www.livehistoryindia.com |language=en}}</ref> The Islands were later used to resettle peoples displaced by the partitions of the British Indian Empire, with a substantial number of displaced East Bengali families offered land on the islands, in exchange for clearing forests and establishing agricultural colonies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bengali settlers in the Andaman Islands: the performance of homeland {{!}} IIAS |url=https://www.iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/bengali-settlers-andaman-islands-performance-homeland |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=www.iias.asia}}</ref> Responsibility for the administration of the islands was transferred from Viceroy Mountbatten, to President [[Rajendra Prasad]], in 1950, and was declared as a union territory of the India, in 1956.<ref name="Planning Commission Report">{{cite book|title=Andaman and Nicobar Islands Development Report|series=State Development Report series|author=Planning Commission of India|edition=illustrated|publisher=Academic Foundation|year=2008|isbn=978-81-7188-652-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ujf2N5O4iKgC|access-date=12 March 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209011823/https://books.google.com/books?id=ujf2N5O4iKgC|archive-date=9 December 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

India has been developing defence facilities on the islands since the 1980s. The islands now have a key position in India's strategic role in the Bay of Bengal and the [[Strait of Malacca|Malacca Strait]].<ref>{{cite book|title=India's Defence Strategy and the India-ASEAN Relationship, RSIS Monograph No.28 |author=David Brewster|url= https://www.academia.edu/7716140 |access-date=24 August 2014}}</ref>

The capital of the union territory, Port Blair, is located {{convert|1255|km|abbr=on}} from [[Kolkata]], {{convert|1200|km|abbr=on}} from [[Visakhapatnam]] and {{convert|1190|km|abbr=on}} from [[Chennai]].<ref name="Planning Commission Report"/>{{rp|33}} They are grouped with [[South India]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Andaman and Nicobar - Wikitravel|url=https://wikitravel.org/en/Andaman_and_Nicobar|access-date=9 November 2021|website=wikitravel.org}}</ref> The northernmost point of the Andaman and Nicobars group is {{convert|901|km|abbr=on}} away from the mouth of the [[Hooghly River]] and {{convert|280|km|abbr=on}} from Myanmar Mainland. Indira Point at 6°45’10″N and 93°49’36″E at the southern tip of the southernmost island, Great Nicobar, is the southernmost point of India and lies only {{convert|200|km|abbr=on}} from [[Sumatra]] island in [[Indonesia]].

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{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} varieties of wild boar, ''Sus scrofa andamanensis'' from Andaman and ''Sus scrofa nicobaricus'' from Nicobar, which are protected by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (Sch I). The [[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. These were ill-considered moves as exotic introductions can cause havoc to island flora and fauna. [[Elephant|Elephants]] also can be found in forested or mountainous areas of the islands; they were brought over from the mainland to help with timber extraction in 1883.<ref>{{cite web|title=The incredible life of India's iconic swimming elephant|url=https://qz.com/india/749169/the-incredible-life-of-indias-iconic-swimming-elephant/|access-date=22 June 2020|date=4 August 2016|work=qz.com|first=Maria|last=Thomas}}</ref>

About 270 species of birds are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 14 species of which are endemic. The islands' many [[caves]] are nesting grounds for the edible-nest swiftlet, whose nests are prized in [[China]] for [[bird's nest soup]].<ref name="soup">R. Sankaran (1999), ''[http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_birds8.pdf The impact of nest collection on the Edible-nest Swiftlet in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100704194845/http://www.traffic.org/species-reports/traffic_species_birds8.pdf |date=4 July 2010}}''. Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, India.</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Singh|first=Shiv Sahay|date=21 April 2019|title=In a first, east Asian birds make Andaman stopover|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/in-a-first-east-asian-birds-make-andaman-stopover/article26905336.ece|access-date=7 March 2021|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

| source = [[Census of India]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html|title=Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901|website=Census of India : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India}}</ref>

150 years ago, the original population of the islands – the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, were estimated to be around 5,000. The population of islands increased massively due to the policies of Govt of India into islands under [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] in the late 1960s, that brought settlers from other parts of the country.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sekhsaria|first=Pankaj|title=How a statist vision of development has brought Andaman's tribals close to extinction|url=https://scroll.in/article/833293/how-a-statist-vision-of-development-has-brought-andamans-tribals-close-to-extinction|access-date=21 November 2020|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref>

|'''''Totals'''''||align="right"|7,950||align="right"|356,152||align="right"|380,581||

The majority of the population, however, are speakers of immigrant languages. These include [[Bengali language|Bengali]] (the first language of 28.5% of the inhabitants of the union territory), [[Tamil language|Tamil]] (15.2%), [[Telugu language|Telugu]] (13.2%), [[Hindi]] (12.9%), [[Malayalam]] (7.2%). [[Sadri language|Sadri]] (5.5%), and [[Kurukh language|Kurukh]] (4%).<ref name="Langs2011">{{cite web|title = C-16: Population by mother tongue, India - 2011| author = Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India| url = https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10191| access-date = 7 November 2022}}</ref>

|thumb = right

|caption = Religion in Andaman and Nicobar (2011)<ref name="census2011">{{cite web|title=Population by religion community – 2011|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS|website=Census of India, 2011|publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825155850/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS|archive-date=25 August 2015}}</ref>

|value2 = 21.7

|value3 = 8.51

|value4 = 0.33

|value6 = 0.5

 

[[File:Sri-vetrimalai-murugan-temple-port-blair-tourism-entry-fee-timings-holidays-reviews-header.jpg|thumb|Thiru. Vettrimalai Murugan temple - Port Blair]]

A total of {{convert|48675|ha}} of land is used for agriculture purposes. [[Paddy (unmilled rice)|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. Field crops, namely, [[pulses]], [[oilseeds]] and vegetables are grown, followed by [[Rice|paddy]] during [[Rabi crop|Rabi]] season. Different kinds of fruits such as [[mango]], [[Manilkara zapota|sapota]], [[Orange (fruit)|orange]], [[banana]], [[papaya]], pineapple and [[root crops]] are grown on hilly land owned by farmers. Spices such as pepper, [[clove]], [[nutmeg]], and [[cinnamon]] are grown under a multi-tier cropping system. [[Rubber]], [[red oil]], [[Palm (plant)|palm]], [[noni]] and [[cashew]] are grown on a limited scale in these islands.

*Andaman and Nicobar college

Government of India has proposed the development of [[Great Nicobar Island|Great Nicobar]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-22 |title=Development of Great Nicobar: strategic imperative and ecological concerns |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/great-nicobar-development-project-proposal-concerns-8281844/ |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> A terminal, two townships, Solar Power and an strips will be created for logistics and tourism purposes. This will give boost to Nicobar Islands and expected to provide employment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramakrishna |first=Ishika |date=2022-10-20 |title=Massive infrastructure project threatens Great Nicobar Island |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/environment/massive-infrastructure-project-proposed-by-central-government-threatens-great-nicobar-island/article65991977.ece |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=frontline.thehindu.com |language=en}}</ref> However project is considered as threat to indigenous communities on Nicobar Islands.

Internet access on the islands used to be limited and unreliable, since all connectivity to the outside world had to go through [[Satellite Internet access|satellite links]]. [[Bharat Broadband Network]] started work on laying a [[Fiber-optic communication|fibre optic]] [[Submarine communications cable|submarine cable]] running from the five islands to [[Chennai]] on 30 December 2018, with completion expected in December 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 August 2020|title=PM Modi inaugurates 2,312-kilometre undersea optical fibre cable link between Andaman-Chennai|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/narendra-modi-chennai-andaman-nicobar-islands-submarine-optical-fibre-project-6548424/|access-date=10 August 2020|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/its-2018-but-still-tough-to-get-online-in-the-andamans/article22785543.ece|title=It's 2018, but still tough to get online in the Andamans|last=Sridhar|first=Lalitha|date=17 February 2018|work=The Hindu|access-date=8 November 2018|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> On 10 August 2020, PM [[Narendra Modi]] formally inaugurated the [[Chennai]]–Andaman undersea [[Submarine communications cable|Optical fibre cable]] which enables high-speed broadband connections in the Union Territory. The submarine cable also connects [[Port Blair]] to [[Swaraj Dweep]], [[Little Andaman]], [[Car Nicobar]], [[Kamorta Island|Kamorta]], [[Great Nicobar Island|Great Nicobar]], [[Long Island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)|Long Island]] and [[Rangat]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Andaman and Nicobar islands' fast-speed internet will depend on a 2,300 kilometre-long fibre optic cable|url=https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/pm-modi-andaman-and-nicobar-islands-fast-speed-internet-will-depend-on-a-2300-kilometer-long-fiber-optic-cable/articleshow/77460772.cms|access-date=11 August 2020|website=Business Insider}}</ref> The initial bandwidth of the cable is 400 [[Data-rate units#Gigabit per second|Gbit/s]], roughly 400 times more than what the islands possessed before the fibre link.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 June 2018|title=BSNL to enhance bandwidth 400 times in Andaman and Nicobar island in 2 years|url=https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/bsnl-to-enhance-bandwidth-400-times-in-andaman-and-nicobar-island-in-2-years/1221457/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181108184401/https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/bsnl-to-enhance-bandwidth-400-times-in-andaman-and-nicobar-island-in-2-years/1221457/|archive-date=8 November 2018|access-date=8 November 2018|website=Financial Express}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=10 August 2020|title=PM Modi inaugurates Chennai-Andaman & Nicobar submarine optical cable project - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/pm-modi-inaugurates-chennai-andaman-nicobar-submarine-optical-cable-project/articleshow/77456251.cms|access-date=10 August 2020|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

On 10 August 2020, PM [[Narendra Modi]] announced plans for the construction of a transshipment port in the [[Great Nicobar Island]] at a cost of ₹10,000 crore to provide shippers an alternative to similar ports in the region. The move is aimed at improving the ease of doing business of the country and enhancing maritime logistics.<ref>{{Cite web|last=www.ETHRWorld.com|title=India plans Rs 10,000 cr transshipment port at Great Nicobar Island: PM - ETHRWorld|url=https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/industry/india-plans-rs-10000-cr-transshipment-port-at-great-nicobar-island-pm/77466638|access-date=10 August 2020|website=ETHRWorld.com|language=en}}</ref>

==Popular culture==

The [[National Film Awards|National Award]] winning [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam]] film ''[[Kaalapani]]'' was set against backdrop of the [[Cellular Jail|Port Blair's Cellular Jail]]. It is one of the films that was extensively shot in the islands.<ref>{{Cite news|title=കാലാപാനി എന്ന വിസ്മയം; ഷൂട്ട് 60 ദിവസം; അന്നത്തെ മെഗാ ബജറ്റ്; കുറിപ്പ്|url=https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/features/2020/04/09/kalapani-movie-24-years-special-article.html|access-date=21 November 2020|work=ManoramaOnline|date=9 April 2020|language=ml}}</ref>

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{{Countries and territories of Southeast Asia}}

[[Category:Andaman Sea]]

[[Category:States and union territories of India]]