Floating
in splendid, east of the Indian mainland is the archipelago of 5272 emerald
island, islets and rocks known as Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This Union
Territory is stretched over an area of more than 700 Kms. from north to south
with 36 inhabited islands. Once a hill range extending from Burma (Myanmar)
to Indonesia, these undulating islands are covered with dense forests and endless
variety of exotic flowers and birds. The topography of the islands is hilly and abounds in evergreen forests. The sandy beaches on the edge of meandering coastline are fringed with coconut-palms that sway to the rhythm of the sea. The sea around the islands offer excellent scope for water sports.
The rare flora and fauna, underwater marine life and corals, with crystal clear water and mangrove-lined creeks, offer a dream-view of the rare gifts of nature-lover, who seek absolute peace and tranquility in the lap of mother nature. Adventure tourism like trekking, island camping, snorkeling, scuba diving etc.. are the real attractions. A visit to these islands is a memorable lifetime experience.
Mythologically, the name Andaman was presumed to be derived from Hanuman, who was known to the Malays as Handuman. Since pre-historic times, these islands were the home of aboriginal tribes. The tribes of the Andaman group of islands were the home of aboriginal tribes.
The tribes of the Andaman group of islands are the Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, and Setinalese,
all
of Negrito origin, while the tribes of Nicobars are the Nicobarese and Shompens,
both of Mongoloid stock. The first settlement by the British took place in 1789, which was later abandoned in 1796. The second settlement was basically a penal settlement, taken up in 1858, after the First War of Independence, followed by the settlement of convicts, Moplas, come criminal tribes from Central and United Provinces, refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan, Burman and Sri Lanka as well ex-servicemen.
In these islands people of all faiths - Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs etc., and of all languages like Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Nicobari etc., live together in complete peace and harmony.
Inter-religion and inter-regional marriages are common. This amazing racial and cultural mix is correctly described as Mini-India.
Forests are the green gold of the islands. The reserved and protected forests extend over 86% area of the territory and the forest cover is more than 92%.
About 50% of the forests has been set aside as Tribal Reserves, National parks
and
Wildlife Sanctuaries, Which are inviolate. Luxuriant mangroves, perhaps the
richest in the world, occupy nearly 11.5 % of the territory.More than 150 plant and animal species are endemic in nature. Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is rich in corals, varieties of coloured fishes, sea turtles etc., beside other out of which 39 are endemic. Megaopde, Swiflet, Hornbaill and Pigeon are some of the specialities of the Andanman & Nicobar Islands.
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