What are Andaman & Nicobar Islands famous for?
Isolated from the mainland of India, the place is a group of floating emerald islands and rocks. Andaman & Nicobar Islands are famous for housing exotic sea beaches bordered by coconut-palm trees and the transparent blue water, which is home to underwater corals and other marine life. The unpolluted air along with the mangrove-lined creeks and the rarest species of plant and animal life will make you fall in love with nature.
Location of Andaman & Nicobar islands
Geographically located at 11° 41' N and 92° 46' E, these islands are a part of the Bay of Bengal. Two groups of islands, the Andaman and the Nicobar islands lie towards the south eastern part of the Indian mainland.
Capital city of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
The capital city of this Union Territory is Port Blair, which is even the largest city of the place.
Total area covered by Andaman & Nicobar islands
The groups of islets, islands and rocks sprawl over a total area of 8, 250 sq. km.
Population of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
As per the Census 2011 report, these popular islands of the country have got a population of 3, 79, 944 with a population density of 46 people per sq. km.
Major languages used in Andaman and Nicobar islands
The main language of these islands is Nicobarese. However, official languages like Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and English are even being widely used there.
time zone followed in Andaman & Nicobar Islands
These islands of India follow the Indian Standard Time (I. S. T), which is Coordinated Universal Time (U. T. C) + 5:30 hrs.
S. T. D. code of islands of Andaman and Nicobar
The S. T. D. (Standard Trunk Dialing) code of these islands is 03192.
Climatic condition of Andaman & Nicobar islands
Being surrounded by sea, the islands of Andaman and Nicobar experiences a moderate temperature throughout the year. With a humidity of about 80 %, sea breezes help the temperature to range in between 23° C and 31° C. The inhabitants of the islands get wet monsoon in different phases in a year. Monsoon brought by the southwest wind sets in during mid-May and continues till early October. Then after a gap of about one and a half month, again monsoon from the northeast starts in the month of November and stretches till December.
Best time to visit Andaman & Nicobar islands
The best time to visit Andaman and Nicobar islands is the period in between the months of December and April.
How to reach Andaman & Nicobar islands
The islands of Andaman and Nicobar are well connected to the other parts of the country as well as the foreign places by air and waterways. The islands have even got bus and other modes of road transport for traveling internally. Being islands, the place is not connected to the other parts of the country by railways though.
- Airways: The Veer Savarkar Airport of Port Blair connects the islands to the other parts of the country by airways. Names of some of the different airline companies operating from the airport of these islands are mentioned below:
- Air Deccan
- Air Sahara
- Indian Airlines
- Jet Airways
- Waterways: Waterways serve the Andaman and Nicobar islands in both ways, external as well as internal transport. Port Blair, the intermediate port serves as the main port of these islands. The Directorate of Shipping Services sails 80 ships there. Apart from that ships are sailed by the Shipping Corporation of India (S. C. I.) from the major port cities of Chennai, Kolkata and Vishakapatnam. These ships generally sail two or three times per month.
- Roadways: Besides the internal water ways, most of the islands have got bus service and other road transportation services for traveling within the islands. Apart from the buses run by the state transport and private transport companies, residents of these islands are very fond of private taxis and auto-rickshaws. They even use motorcycles and bicycles for an easy and fast travel.
Major tourist attractions of Andaman & Nicobar Islands
The group of 572 islands of Andaman and Nicobar can be regarded as a naturalist's heaven for its clean environment and crystal clear water bodies. The different hilly areas covered by lush green rain forests and sun kissed sea beaches are some of the major tourist attractions of the place. These islands are even known for adventurous activities like scuba diving, trekking, snorkeling, camping and varied other water sports. Following are some of the famous tourist places, which one need not miss while his or her trip to the Andaman and Nicobar islands of India:
- Baratang
- Barren Island
- Cellular Jail
- Havelock Island
- Corbyn's Cove Beach
- Radhnagar Beach
- National Memorial Museum
- Fisheries Museum
- Ross Island
- Chidiya Tapu
- Mount Harriet
- Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park
- Gandhi Park
- Neil Island
- Katchal
Famous places to dine there
Andaman and Nicobar, being an island area, are mainly famous for varied sea food like crabs, fish, lobsters and prawns. Besides that vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine from India and China are even available. The renowned restaurants of these islands serve mouth watering continental cuisine as well. To explore the taste of Andaman and Nicobar, a food lover needs to visit some of the popular restaurants of the place, which are mentioned below:
- Mandalay Restaurant and Nico Bar: Indian, Chinese and continental cuisine
- Wild Grass Restaurant & Bar: Sea food
- Vishranti: Indian, continental and Chinese cuisine
- Corbyn's Delight Restaurant and Bar: North Indian, continental and Chinese cuisine
Where to stay in Andaman and Nicobar islands?
The islands of Andaman and Nicobar, being a prominent tourist destination, house numerous hotels ranging from luxurious to budget hotels. Mostly located in Port Blair, these hotels will ensure you a comfortable stay. Following are some of the hotels popular among the travelers to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India:
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Phoenix Bay, Sea Shore Port Blair, South Andaman India. Tel.: + 91 - 03192 - 233066/ 233382 |
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Last Updated on 03 October 2011
