Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Difference between revisions

<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->

| name                    = Andaman and Nicobar Islands

| image_seal              = [[File:Seal_of_Andaman_Government.png|125px]]

| total_width              = 290

| perrow                  = 1/2/2

| image2                   = Floaters @ Andaman.jpg

| image3                  = Ross and Smith island, Andaman Nicobar Island.jpg

| alt3                    = Ross and Smith island

| image4                   = Sunset at Andaman Islands.jpg

| alt5 = Andaman Islands

| 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]]; sunset at [[Andaman Islands|Andaman Island]]; diving near Andaman

| leader_name1            = Jitendra Narain, [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]

<!--|unit_pref = Metric or US or UK -->

| parts_type              = [[List of districts in India|Districts]]

| parts                    = 3

| area_rank                = [[List of states and territories of India by area|28th]]

| 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 |date=14 June 2007}}, 2011. Census Data Online, Population.</ref>

| demographics_type1      = Languages<ref name="langoff">{{cite web|url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322000632/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM50thReport.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 March 2015 |page=109 |title=50th Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India |date=16 July 2014 |access-date=6 November 2016}}</ref>

| demographics1_info1      = [[Hindi]], [[English language|English]]<ref name="langoff" />

| demographics1_info2      = [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Hindi]], [[Nicobarese languages|Nicobarese]], [[Malayalam]], [[Sadri language|Sadri]], [[Kurukh language|Kurukh]], [[Munda languages|Munda]], [[Kharia language|Kharia]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.andaman.gov.in/web/guest/general-information |title=www.andaman.gov.in |access-date=27 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120055809/http://www.andaman.gov.in/web/guest/general-information |archive-date=20 November 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

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

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 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). 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 Andaman Islands are also home to the [[Sentinelese people]], an [[uncontacted people|uncontacted tribe]]. The Sentinelese might be the only people currently known to not have reached further than a [[Paleolithic|Paleolithic level of technology]];<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.andaman.gov.in/web/guest/indigenous-tribes|title=Andaman & Nicobar Administration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218205553/http://www.and.nic.in/andaman/tribes.php|archive-date=18 February 2015|url-status=dead|work=and.nic.in}}</ref> however, this is disputed, as evidence of metalwork was found on their island.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pandit| first=T. N. |year=1990 |title=The Sentinelese |pages=17–20 |location=Kolkata |publisher=Seagull Books |isbn=978-81-7046-081-7 }}</ref>

===Chola imperial period===

[[Rajendra Chola II]] of the [[Chola Dynasty]] (modern-day South India), used the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a strategic naval base to launch an expedition against the [[Srivijaya|Srivijaya Empire]] (modern-day Indonesia). The Cholas called the island Ma-Nakkavaram ("great open"), found in the [[Thanjavur]] inscription of 1050 CE. European traveller [[Marco Polo]] (12th–13th century) and referred to this island as 'Necuverann' a modified form of the Tamil name Nakkavaram, which then led to the modern Anglicized name 'Nicobar' during the British colonial period.<ref name="goi1908">{{Cite book|title=The Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Local Gazetteer |author=Government of India |publisher=Superintendent of Government Printing, Calcutta |year=1908 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rrwBAAAAYAAJ |quote=''... In the great Tanjore inscription of 1050 CE, the Andamans are mentioned under a translated name along with the Nicobars, as '''Nakkavaram''' or land of the naked people.}}</ref>

During the independence of both India (1947) and [[Burma]] (1948), the departing British announced their intention to resettle all [[Anglo-Indians]] and [[Anglo-Burmese people|Anglo-Burmese]] on these islands to form their own nation, although this never materialised. It became part of India in 1950 and was declared as a union territory of the nation 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>

On 26 December 2004, the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were devastated by a {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} high [[tsunami]] following [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean]]. More than 2,000 people lost their lives, 4,000 children were orphaned or suffered the loss of one parent, and at least 40,000 people were rendered homeless. More than 46,000 people were injured.<ref name="TCLEE 30">{{cite book|title=Sumatra-Andaman Islands Earthquake and Tsunami of December 6, 2004: Lifeline Performance |year=2007 |publisher=ASCE, Technical Council on Lifeline Earthquake Engineering |location= Reston, VA |isbn=9780784409510 |url=http://www.asce.org/Product.aspx?id=2147486137&productid=5511 |editor=Carl Strand and John Masek |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024115815/http://www.asce.org/Product.aspx?id=2147486137&productid=5511 |archive-date=24 October 2013}}</ref> The worst affected Nicobar islands were [[Katchal Island|Katchal]] and [[Indira Point]]; the latter subsided {{convert|4.25|m|abbr=off}} and was partially submerged in the ocean. The lighthouse at Indira Point was damaged but has been repaired since. A significant portion of the union territory was submerged and subsequently lost to sea. The territory which measured {{convert|8073|km2|abbr=on}} before the tsunami now stands at {{convert|7950|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref>[[Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on India]]</ref>

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). [[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. 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>

{{India census population

|title= Population growth

|estimate=

|footnote=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>

|1901=24649|1911=26459|1921=27086|1931=29463|1941=33768}}

Before 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>

|caption = Languages of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (2011)<ref name="langs"/>

|label3 = [[Telugu language|Telugu]]|value3 = 13.25 |color3 = deepskyblue

|label5 = [[Nicobarese languages|Nicobarese]] |value5 = 7.65 |color5 = forestgreen

|label9 = [[Mundari language|Mundari]] |value9 = 1.22 |color9 = limegreen

|label11 = Others |value11 = 3.50 |color11 = grey

[[Hindi]] is the official language of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, while [[English language|English]] is declared an additional official language for communication purposes.<ref name=":0" /> As of the 2011 census, [[Bengali language|Bengali]] is spoken as the first language by 28.49 per cent of the Union Territory's population followed by [[Tamil language|Tamil]] (15.20%), [[Telugu language|Telugu]] (13.24%), [[Hindi]] (12.91%), [[Nicobarese languages|Nicobarese]] (7.65%) and [[Malayalam]] (7.22%). [[Sadri language|Sadri]] (5.53%), and tribal languages [[Kurukh language|Kurukh]] (3.96%), [[Mundari language|Mundari]] (1.22%) and [[Kharia language|Kharia]] (1.07%) are also spoken by Adivasis originally from the Chota Nagpur Plateau.<ref name="langs">{{Cite web|date=2011|title=C-16 - Population by Mother Tongue - Andaman and Nicobar Islands|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-3500.XLSX|url-status=live|website=censusindia.gov.in|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708051630/http://www.censusindia.gov.in:80/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-3500.XLSX |archive-date=8 July 2018 }}</ref>

|color1 = Orange

|color2 = DodgerBlue

| align = left

| direction = vertical

| image1 = North Bay Island, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.jpeg

| caption1 = Tourist enjoying scuba diving

| image2 = A majestic view of the sky.jpg

| caption2 = The view of the sky at sunset, from [[Neil Island]].

Most parts the song ''[['96 (film) #Soundtrack|Life Of Ram]]'' got shot in this island which is featured in the 2018 [[Tamil language]] film [['96 (film)|'96]].