Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Union territory of ANI is located in the Indian Ocean,and geographically is considered part of Southeast Asia.It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, separated by the 10° N parallel, with the Andamans to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobars to the south. The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west.

The territory's capital is the Andamanese town of Port Blair. The territory's population as per the most recent (2001) Census of India was 356,152. Added together, the total land area of the territory is approximately6,496 km².

First inhabitants

The Andaman and Nicobar islands have been inhabited for several thousand years, at the very least. The earliest archaeological evidence yet documented goes back some 2,200 years; however, the indications from genetic, cultural and linguistic isolation studies point to habitation going back 30,000 to 60,000 years, well into the Middle Paleolithic.

In the Andaman Islands,the various Andamanese peoples maintained their separated existence through the vast majority of this time, diversifying into distinct linguistic, cultural and territorial groups. By the 1850s when they first came into sustained contact by outside groups, the indigenous peoples of the Andamans were:

In total, these peoples numbered somewhere around 7,000 at the time of these first encounters. As the numbers of settlers from the mainland increased (at first mostly prisoners and involuntary indentured  labourers, later purposely recruited farmers), these indigenous peoples lost territory and numbers in the face of punitive expeditions by British troops,land encroachment and the effects of various epidemic diseases. The Jangil and most of the Great Andamanese groups soon became extinct; presently there remain only approximately 400–450 indigenous Andamanese, the Jarawa and Sentinelese in particular maintaining a steadfast independence and refusing most attempts at contact.

The indigenous peoples of the Nicobars (unrelated to the Andamanese) have a similarly isolated and lengthy association with the islands. There are two main groups:

Pre-colonial era

The islands provided a temporary maritime base for ships of the Marathas in the 17th century. The legendary admiral Kanhoji Angre harassed colonial shipping routes with a base in the islands

British colonial period

After an initial attempt to set up a colony in the islands by the British was abandoned after only a few years (1789–1796), asecond attempt from 1858 proved to be more permanent. The primary purpose was to set up a penal colony for dissenters and independence fighters from the Indian subcontinent.

The British used the islands as an isolated prison for members of the Indian independence movement. The mode of imprisonment was called Kalapani. The Cellular Jail in Port Blair was regarded as the "Siberia" of British India.The islands were administered as a Chief Commissioner's Province.The British continued their occupancy until the Japanese invasion and occupation of the Andaman Islands during World War II.

Indian control

The islands were nominally put under the authority of the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Netaji visited the islands during the war, and renamed them as "Shaheed"(Martyr) & "Swaraj" (Self-rule). General Loganathan, of the Indian National Army was made the Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Island. On 22 February, 1944 he along with four INA officers-Major Mansoor Ali Alvi, Sub. Lt. Md. Iqbal, Lt. Suba Singh and stenographer Srinivasan arrived at Lambaline airport of Port Blair.On 21 March,1944 the Headquarters of the Civil Administration was established near the Gurudwara at Aberdeen Bazaar. On 2 October, 1944, Col. Loganathan handed over the charge to Maj. Alvi and left Port Blair, never to return. The islands were reoccupied by British and Indian troops of the 116 Indian Infantry Brigade on 7 October 1945, to whom the remaining Japanese garrison surrendered.

At the independence of both India (1947) and Burma (1948), the departing British announced their intention to resettle all Anglo-Indians and Anglo-Burmese on the islands to form their own nation, although this never materialized. It became an Indian union territory (UT) in 1950.

Recent history

On 26 December 2004the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were devastated by a 10 metre high tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. At least 5,930 people (possibly an accurate estimate) were believed to have been killed on the Nicobar and Andaman Islands during the disaster. One of the worst affected island was Katchal and Indira Point, the southernmost point of India, which got submerged under the ocean.

While newer settlers of the islands suffered thegreatest casualties from the tsunami, most of the aboriginal people survivedbecause oral traditions passed down from generations ago warned them toevacuate from large waves that follow large earthquakes.

Geography  There are 572 islands in the territory, of which only approximately 38 are permanently inhabited. Most of the islands (about 550) are in the Andamans group, 26 of which are inhabited. The smaller Nicobars comprise some 22 main islands (10 inhabited). The Andamans and Nicobars are separated by a channel(the Ten Degree Channel) some 150 km wide.

The total area of the Andaman Islands is some 6,408 km² (2,474 sq mi);that of the Nicobar Islands approximately 1,841 km²(711 sq mi).

Demographics The major languages spoken in the Andamans in numerical order are Bengali (25.95%),Hindi (18.4%), Tamil (17.84%), Nicobarese and Telugu (12.93%). Other languages include Malayalam and English .The majority of Andamans are Hindus, but there are significant Muslims and Christian and Sikh minorities.

Foreigners wishing to visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands require a Restricted Area Permit; however, there are now available on arrival at Port Blair's Veer Savarkar Airport.

Administrative Divisions- Andaman & Nicobar Islands are divided into 3 districts.

North and Middle Andaman district  :Headquarters: Mayabunder, Diglipur Sub-Division Diglipur, Mayabunder Sub-Division -Mayabunder taluk, Rangat taluk

South Andaman district Headquarters: Port Blair, Port Blair Sub-Division Port Blair taluk, Ferrargunj taluk, Little Andaman Sub-Division Little Andaman taluka (HutBay)

Nicobar District: Headquarters:Car Nicobar, Car Nicobar Sub-Division Car Nicobar taluk, Nancowrie Sub-Division-Nancowrie taluk,Kamorta taluk,Teressa taluk,Katchal taluk. Great Nicobar Sub-Division -Great Nicobar taluk (Campbell Bay), Little Nicobar taluk

Andaman & Nicobar Islands are blessed with a unique tropical rain forest canopy, made of a mixed flora with elements from Indian, Myanmarese, Malaysian and endemic floral strains. So far, about 2,200varieties of plants have been recorded, out of which 200 are endemic and 1,300do not occur in mainland India.

The South Andaman forests have a profuse growth of epiphytic vegetation, mostly ferns and orchids. The Middle Andamans harbours mostly moist deciduous forests. North Andamansis characterised by the wet evergreen type, with plenty of woody climbers. The north Nicobar Islands (including Car Nicobar and Battimalv) are marked by the complete absence of evergreen forests, while such forests form the dominant vegetation in the central and southern islands of the Nicobar group. Grasslands occur only in the Nicobars, and while deciduous forests are common in the Andamans, they are almost absent in the Nicobars. The present forest coverage is claimed to be 86.2% of the total land area.

This atypical forest coverage is made-up of twelve types namely:

Timber

Andaman Forest abounds in aplethora of timber species numbering 200 or more, out of which about 30 varietiesare considered to be commercial. Major commercial timber species are Gurjan(Dipterocarpus spp.) and Padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergioides). The following ornamental woods are noted for their pronounced grain formation:

Padauk being sturdier than teak is widely used for furniture making.

Burr and the Buttress formation in Andaman Padauk are world famous for their exceptionally unique charm and figuring. The largest piece of Buttress known from Andaman was a dining table of 13' x 7'. The largest piece of Burrwas again a dining table to seat eight persons at a time.

The holy Rudraksha (Elaeocarps sphaericus) and aromatic Dhoop/Resin trees also occur here.

Fauna

This tropical rain forest despite its isolation from adjacent land massesis surprisingly rich with a diversity of animal life.

Mammals

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 varieties of wild boar, Sus scrofa andamanensis from Andaman and S. s. nicobaricus from Nicobar, which are protected by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (Sch I). The Spotted Deer Axis axis,Barking Deer and Sambar were all introduced to the Andaman District, though the Sambar did not survive. 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. Interview island (the largest wildlife sanctuary in the ANI) in Middle Andaman holds a population of feral elephants. These elephants were brought in for forest work by a timber company, which subsequently released them when it went bankrupt. This population has been subject to research studies.

 Birds

ANI has also 270 species of birds (including endemics); the Nicobar island group has a higher endemicity than the Andamans and there are a total of 14 species endemic to ANI. The State Bird of the Andamans is the Andaman Wood pigeon. Some endemic birds of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are:

Butterflies and moths

With about 225 species, the A&N Islands house some of the larger and most spectacular butterflies of the world. Ten species are endemic to these Islands. Mount Harriet National Park is one of the richest areas of butterfly and moth diversity on these Islands.

Shells