Facts About Andaman & Nicobar
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The names ‘Andaman’ and ‘Nicobar’ are taken from the Malay Language
The name Andaman is presumed to be derived from Hanuman, who was known to the Malays as Handuman. The name Nicobar seems to be a corruption of the South Indian term ‘Nakkavaram’ (Land of the Naked) as indicated in the great Tanjore inscription of AD 1050. -
The most widely spoken language on the islands is not Andamanese or Nicobarese
The most widely spoken language on the islands is Bengali followed by Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Andaman Creole Hindi is also widely used as a trade language in the Andaman islands. -
Katchal Island received the first sun rise of the millenium
Katchal, a tiny island near Nicobar was virtually unknown till the Royal Greenwich Laboratory declared that it would be the first inhabited place on earth to catch the rays of the first sunrise of the millennium. -
The largest sea turtles in the world nest here
Andaman and Nicobar Islands have India’s best nesting beaches for three species of marine turtles – Hawksbill, Green turtle and world’s largest sea turtle, the Leatherback (Dermocheleys Coriacea). The nesting population of Leatherback turtles in Nicobar is one of the few colonies that exceeds 1,000 individuals in the Indo-Pacific, and is hence of global importance. -
Dugong, the gentle sea cow, is the state animal of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Large, plump marine vegetarians with short, paddle-like front flippers, the gentle Dugongs can be found grazing peacefully on sea grass in the warm coastal waters of the Andaman and Nicobar Island. These languid creatures, also called the ‘angel of the sea’. -
Pandunus or Nicobar Breadfruit is a rare fruit found and widely eaten in Nicobar
Pandanus is a densely arranged, wedge-shaped fruit that has an immensely hard, woody and fibrous body in which several narrow, edible seeds are embedded. Each section has a fleshy base that contains an aromatic pulp that, after cooking, is a staple food in Nicobar. -
Commercial fishing is banned in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Commercial fishing has been banned around the Andaman Islands for more than 4 decades. It is believed that in these waters, fish now die of old age. -
The only active volcano in India, the Barren Island, is present in Andaman Islands
Barren Island is the only active volcano not just in India but the whole of South Asia. Located approximately 135 km north east of Port Blair, this small 3-km-wide island contains a 1.6-km-wide crater partially filled by a cinder cone that has been the source of eruptions since the first was recorded in 1787. -
The largest living arthropod in the world, Birgus Latro or Robber crab, resides here
The Robber crab (Birgus Latro), also called the Coconut Crab, is the largest land-living arthropod in the world. They generally live on land, but at nights climb up the coconut trees and carve a hole into the tender coconuts to eat the soft kernel. -
The extremely narrow limestone Alfred Caves are home to Swiftlet birds that make edible nests
The limestone Alfred Caves of Diglipur change their shape every monsoon due to a chemical process. These extremely narrow caves are home to the Swiftlet birds that make a unique edible nest. -
Baratang in Andaman is the only place in India with mud volcanoes
A mud volcano is formed by emission of depressurized pore water and natural gases from decaying organic matter underground, accompanied by loud explosions and fire flares. This gradually forms a miniature volcano with rich, creamy mud crater at the top. -
Ross Island was once an important headquarter for the British and the Japanese.
The Ross Island was the erstwhile British headquarter for the most of the Andaman Islands from 1858 till it was rocked by an earthquake in 1941. In 1941, the Japanese converted the site into POW camp, and built war installations, remnants of which can still be seen. -
At Havelock Island, one can kayak through dense mangroves to reach the open sea
With an ecosystem of their own, the kayaking through the mangroves is an exciting way to view the Havelock island’s exotic wildlife. Acting as both a nursery as well as a breeding ground, the mangroves host a large number of life forms such as shrimps, algae, barnacles, oysters, sponges, mud lobsters and mangrove crabs to name a few. -
India’s southernmost point, the Indira Point, subsided by 4.25 metres during the 2004 Tsunami
India lost strategic land to the 2004 tsunami forever as large stretches of its southernmost tip, the Indira Point, about 120 km from the Indonesian shores, remain underwater years after the mammoth natural disaster. -
Andaman and Nicobar Island has India’s first and only joint tri-service defence command
The Andaman and Nicobar Command is India’s first and only joint tri-service command, with rotating three-star commanders-in-chief from the Army, Navy and Air Force reporting directly to the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.