Andaman Islands | Nicobar Islands

Andaman and Nicobar Islands:

The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west and Burma (also known as Myanmar) to the north and east. Most of the islands are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India while a small number at the north of the archipelago belong to Burma.

Geography of Andaman and Nicobar Islands:

The Andaman Archipelago is an oceanic continuation of the Burmese Arakan Yoma range in the North and of the Indonesian Archipelago in the South. It includes some two hundred islands in the Bay of Bengal with the Andaman Sea to the east between the islands and the coast of Burma. North Andaman Island is 285 kilometres (177 mi) south of Burma although a few smaller islands including the three Coco Islands which belong to Burma are further north, while at the southern end of the archipelago the Ten Degree Channel separates the Andamans from the Nicobar Islands to the south. The highest point in the Andamans is Saddle Peak (720 metres (2,360 ft)).

The natural vegetation of the Andamans is tropical forest with mangroves on the coast. Most of the forests are evergreen but there are areas of deciduous forest on North Andaman, Middle Andaman, Baratang and parts of South Andaman Island. The rainforests of the islands are similar in composition to those of the west coast of Burma and are largely unspoilt despite logging and the demands of the fast-growing population driven by immigration from the Indian mainland. There are protected areas on Little Andaman, Narcondam, North Andaman and South Andaman but these are mainly aimed at preserving the coast and the marine wildlife rather than the rainforests. Threats to wildlife come from introduced species including rats, dogs, cats and the elephants of Interview Island and North Andaman.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Climate:

The climate is typical of tropical islands of similar latitude. It is always warm, but with sea-breezes. Rainfall is irregular, but usually dry during the north-east, and very wet during the south-west, monsoons.

Fauna of Andaman and Nicobar Islands:

The islands are home to a number of endemic species and more that live only here and on the Nicobar Islands to the south. Mammals endemic to the Andaman Islands include three white-toothed shrews: Andaman Spiny Shrew Crocidura hispida, Andaman White-toothed Shrew Crocidura andamanensis, and Jenkins' Shrew Crocidura jenkinsi. Also living on the islands, the Andaman Horseshoe Bat (rhinolophus cognatus), the Andaman Rat (rattus stoicus) and the South Andaman krait (Bungarus andamanensis). Endemic or near endemic birds include a serpent-eagle Spilornis elgini, a crake Rallina canningi, a wood-pigeon Columba palumboides, a cuckoo dove Macropygia rufipennis, a coucal Centropus andamanensis, a Scops Owl Otus balli, a hawk-owl Ninox affinis, the Narcondam Hornbill (Aceros narcondami), a woodpecker Dryocopus hodgei, a drongo Dicrurus andamanensis, a treepie Dendrocitta bayleyi and the White-headed Starling (sturnus erythropygius). The islands also have a number of endemic reptiles, toads and frogs. There is a sanctuary for saltwater crocodiles.

Weather in Langkawi / Andaman Weather:

How to Reach Andaman And Nicobar Islands:

Ship to Andaman:

Regular passenger ship services are available to Port Blair from Chennai, Calcutta and Vishakhapatnam and back. There are three to four sailings every month from Calcutta and Chennai to Port Blair and vice-versa. There is one sailing from Vishakhapatnam in a month. The voyage takes about 50 to 60 hours and the ship normally berths at Port Blair for about two to four days. Further information on schedules and tariffs can be obtained from:

Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.
Apeejay House, 4th Floor, Dinsa Wacha Road, Mumbai – 400 020

Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.
Shipping House, No. 13, Strand Road, Calcutta – 700 001

Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.
Jawahar Building, Rajaji Salai, Chennai – 600 001

The Deputy Director of Shipping Services,
A&N Administration, 6, Rajaji Salai, Chennai – 600 001

The Directorate of Shipping Services
A&N Administration, Phoenix Bay Jetty, Port Blair (For MV Nancowry and MV Swarajdweep)

Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.
Aberdeen Bazar, Port Blair – 744 101

M/s A.V. Bhanojirao and Garuda Pattabhiramayya & Co.
Post Box No. 17, Vishakapatnam (Agent – Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.)

Air Andaman:

Port Blair is connected with Chennai and Calcutta by air. Presently flights are operated by Alliance Air/Indian Airlines and Jet Airways.

Entry Formalities For Foreigners And Indians:

Foreigners:

All foreign nationals can stay in the islands for 30 days. This can be extended by another 15 days with permission. They require a permit to stay from the immigration authorities. In addition, permits can also be obtained from: Indian Missions Overseas, Foreigner’s Registration Offices at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta and the immigration authorities at the airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai.

The places covered by this permit for night halt are: South Andaman Island, Middle Andaman Island and Little Andaman Island (except tribal reserve), Neil Island, Havelock Island, Long Island, Diglipur, Baratang, North Passage and islands in the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park (excluding islands – Boat Hobday, Twin, Tarmugli, Malay and Pluto) Night halt in the Park is with permission only.

For Day Halt:

South Cinque Island, Ross Island, Narcondum Island, Interview Island, Brother Island, Sister Island and Barren Island ( Barren Island can be visited on board vessels only).

Indians:

Indian nationals need no permit to visit Andamans. However, permits are required to visit Nicobar Islands and other tribal areas, which are given in exceptional cases. Application on a prescribed form may be addressed to the Deputy Commissioner, Andaman District, Port Blair.

Dos & Don'ts in Andaman and Nicobar Islands:

Do’s:

Contact Tourist Information Centres/Tourist Police personnel for any assistance required.
Treat the National Parks as they are sanctum sanctorum of our precious natural heritage.
Obtain permits from the Chief Wildlife Warden for those having interest in photography/ videography/ investigation inside a sanctuary or a Marine National Park .
Make use of the service of authorized tourist guides.
While driving, follow the traffic rules, keep left. Carry legal documents like driving licence, permit, passport etc.
Consult life guards before entering the sea.
Swim in safe areas only.
Learn more about reefs, other marine life and tropical forest. This will make your visit more enjoyable.
Help us to keep the beaches and the environment clean.
Dispose off the garbage and plastics at proper places/dustbins.
Take care of the coral reef, not just for yourself, but also for all who follow.
Give your valuable comments and observations for ensuring better management of the tourist places/attractions.
Take back only photos and sweet memories, leave only footprints and ripples.
Encourage efforts to save coral reefs and tropical forests.
Obtain a transit pass from the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Division, Port Blair ,to transport any wild animal/trophy/article etc. outside the islands.
Foreign nationals are requested to obtain the required permit before entering /soon after landing on the islands.
Avail the services of authorized scuba dive centres only.
Avail the service of Scuba Dive Instructors having certification of international professional organizations like PADI, CMAS, NAUI, BSAC or SSI for safe diving experience.
Your concern for nature conservation is highly appreciated. Please inform local authorities/staff positioned in protected areas if you notice any undesirable activity.

Dont’s:

Foreign nationals may not enter the islands without permit.
Do not enter the National Parks without permission.
Do not take pictures of the airport, government dockyard, defence establishments, naval wharf, Dhanikari Dam and Chatham Saw Mill.
Do not collect, destroy or remove any living or dead animal/plant.
Do not collect dead coral or touch/break live coral. Please do not stand on the coral reef while snorkeling/Scuba diving.
Do not take video or film without permit, wherever such permits are required.
Do not take video, film or photographs inside Tribal Reserve areas or of the indigenous tribes.
Do not carry sea fans and seashells unless specific permits are obtained from the Fisheries Department.
Do not throw garbage and plastics in public places, beaches and into the sea.
Do not swim after consuming liquor.
Do not swim in unsafe waters during monsoon.
Nudity on beaches and public places is forbidden.
Do not Light fire in Protected Areas as it not only destroys forests but also damages wildlife habitat.
Person who commits breach of any of the conditions of the Wildlife protections shall be punishable by law.

history of Andaman and Nicobar Islands:

The name "Andaman" first appears in the work of Arab geographers of the ninth century (Soleyman in 851), though it is uncertain whether ancient geographers like Ptolemy also knew of the Andamans but referred to them by a different name. They were also described as being inhabited by fierce cannibalistic tribes by the Persian navigator Buzurg ibn Shahriyar of Ramhormuz in his tenth century book Ajaib al-Hind (The wonders of India), in which he also mentioned an island he called Andaman al-Kabir (Great Andaman). During the Chola Dynasty period in South India (800-1200AD), which ruled an empire encompassing southeastern peninsular India, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Maldives, and large parts of current day Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia, the island group was referred to as Timaittivu (or impure islands). Marco Polo briefly mentions the Andamans (calling them by the name "Angamanain"), though it is uncertain whether he visited the islands, or whether he met the natives if he did, as he describes them as having heads like dogs. His remark about their features may be the second-hand account of a local resident or fellow traveler, which is a frequent cause for certain exaggerated descriptions in Marco Polo's travels. Another Italian traveler, Niccolò de' Conti (c. 1440), mentioned the islands and said that the name means "Island of Gold". A theory that became prevalent in the late nineteenth century, and has since gained momentum, is that the name of the islands derives from the Sanskrit language, by way of Malay, and refers to the deity, Hanuman. In the Age of Exploration, travelers often noted the "ferocious hostility" of the Andamanese.

The Maratha admiral Kanhoji Angre used the Andamans as a base and "fought the British off these islands until his death in 1729."

British Occupation and Penal Colony:

In 1789 the government of Bengal established a naval base and penal colony on Chatham Island in the southeast bay of Great Andaman. The settlement is now known as Port Blair (after the Bombay Marine lieutenant Archibald Blair who founded it). After two years, the colony was moved to the northeast part of Great Andaman and was named Port Cornwallis after Admiral William Cornwallis. However, there was much disease and death in the penal colony and the government ceased operating it in May 1796.

In 1824 Port Cornwallis was the rendezvous of the fleet carrying the army to the First Burmese War. In the 1830s and 1840s, shipwrecked crews who landed on the Andamans were often attacked and killed by the natives, alarming the British government. In 1855, the government proposed another settlement on the islands, including a convict establishment, but the Indian Rebellion of 1857 forced a delay in its construction. However, since the rebellion gave the British so many prisoners, it made the new Andaman settlement and prison an urgent necessity. Construction began in November 1857 at Port Blair using inmates' labor, avoiding the vicinity of a salt swamp that seemed to have been the source of many of the earlier problems at Port Cornwallis.

In 1867, the ship Nineveh wrecked on the reef of North Sentinel Island. The 86 survivors reached the beach in the ship's boats. On the 3rd day, they were attacked with iron-tipped spears by naked islanders. One person from the ship escaped in a boat.

For some time sickness and mortality were high, but swamp reclamation and extensive forest clearance continued. The Andaman colony acquired notoriety following the murder of the Viceroy Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo on a visit to the settlement (8 February 1872) by a Muslim convict, a Pathan from Afghanistan, Sher Ali. In the same year the two island groups, Andaman and Nicobar, were united under a chief commissioner residing at Port Blair.

Japanese occupation:

The Andaman islands were later occupied by Japan during World War II. The islands were nominally put under the authority of the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (Provisional Government of Free India) headed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Netaji visited the islands during the war, and renamed them as Shaheed (Martyr) & Swaraj (Self-rule). On December 30, 1943 during the Japanese occupation, Subhas Chandra Bose, who was controversially allied with the Japanese, first raised the flag of Indian independence. General Loganathan, of the Indian National Army, was Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which had been annexed to the Provisional Government. Before leaving the islands, the Japanese rounded up and executed 750 civilians. After the end of the war they briefly returned to British control, before becoming part of the newly independent state of India.

At the close of the Second World War the British government announced its intention to abolish the penal settlement. The government proposed to employ former inmates in an initiative to develop the island's fisheries, timber, and agricultural resources. In exchange inmates would be granted return passage to the Indian mainland, or the right to settle on the islands. The penal colony was eventually closed on August 15, 1947 when India gained its independence. It has since served as a museum to the independence movement.

Recent history:

In 1974, a film crew and anthropologist Trilokinath Pandit attempted friendly contact by leaving a tethered pig, some pots and pans, some fruit and toys on the beach at North Sentinel Island. One of the islanders shot the film director in the thigh with an arrow. The following year, European visitors were repulsed with arrows.

On August 2, 1981, the ship Primrose grounded on the North Sentinel Island reef. A few days later, crewmen on the immobile vessel observed small black men were carrying spears and arrows and building boats on the beach. The captain of the Primrose radioed for an urgent airdrop of firearms so the crew could defend themselves, but did not receive them. Heavy seas kept the islanders away from the ship. After a week, the crew were rescued by an Indian navy helicopter.

On January 4, 1991, Pandit made the first known friendly contact with the Sentinelese.

Until 1996, the Jarawa met all visitors with flying arrows. From time to time they attacked and killed poachers on the lands reserved to them by the Indian government. They also killed some workers building the ATR Andaman Trunk Road, which traverses Jarawa lands. The first peaceful contact with the Jarawa occurred in 1996. Settlers found a teenage Jarawa boy named Emmei near Kadamtala town. The boy was immobilized with a broken foot. They took Emmei to a hospital where he received good care. Over several weeks, Emmei learned a few words of Hindi before returning to his jungle home. The following year, Jarawa individuals and small groups began appearing along roadsides and occasionally venturing into settlements to steal food. The ATR may have interfered with traditional Jarawa food sources.

In April 1998, American photographer John S Callahan organized the first surfing project in the Andamans, starting from Phuket in Thailand with the assistance of Southeast Asia Liveaboards (SEAL), a UK owned dive charter company. With a crew of international professional surfers, they crossed the Andaman Sea on the yacht Crescent and cleared formalities in Port Blair. The group proceeded to Little Andaman Island, where they spent ten days surfing several spots for the first time, including Jarawa Point near Hut Bay, and the long right reef point at the southwest tip of the island, named Kumari Point. The resulting article in SURFER Magazine, "Quest for Fire" by journalist Sam George, put the Andaman Islands on the surfing map for the first time. Footage of the waves of the Andaman Islands also appeared in the film "Thicker than Water", shot by cinematographer Jack Johnson, who later achieved worldwide fame as a popular musician. Callahan went on to make several more surfing projects in the Andamans, including a trip to the Nicobar Islands in 1999.

On 26 December 2004 the coast of the Andaman Islands was devastated by a 10-metre (33 ft) high tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. On 11 August 2009 a magnitude 7 earthquake struck near the Andaman Islands, causing a tsunami warning to go into effect. On 30 March 2010 a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck near the Andaman Islands.

Boa Sr., the last speaker of the ancient language Bo, died on January 28, 2010, at the age of 85.

Thursday, July 7, 2011