Facts on Andaman and Nicobar Islands




Facts on Andaman and Nicobar Islands suggest that Andaman and Nicobar is a host of over 570 islands. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is located in the Indian Ocean, with 38 islands that are permanently inhabited by the people.
Facts on Andaman and Nicobar Islands suggest that Andaman and Nicobar has its capital at Port Blair. A snapshot on the facts about Andaman and Nicobar islands are as follows:
  • Location :
    • Latitude-6° to 14°North.
    • Longitude-92° to 94°.
  • Area-8,249 square kilometers.
  • Capital-Port Blair.
  • Climate-Tropical climate.
  • Temperature-23°(minimum) and 31° (maximum).
  • People-Onge, Jarawa, Andamanese and Sentinelese of Negroid descent; Shompen and Nicobarese of Mongoloid descent.
  • Population-280,661.
  • Languages-Nicobarese, Telegu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Bengali.
  • Religion-Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and others.
  • Highest Peak-Saddle Peak.
  • Flora-Magroves, epiphytes, woody climbers, timbers, palms, and tropical fruit trees.
  • Fauna-Different types of fishes and corals.
  • Crops-Coconut, Areca nut, Paddy, etc.
  • Fruits-Mango, Orange,Papaya, Banana, Sapota, Pineapple, etc.

A study of Andaman and Nicobar Islands suggest that Andaman and Nicobar Islands houses a number of tourist destinations that attracts tourists throughout the world. Some of such locations are:
  • Islands:
    • Cinque Island
    • Jolly Buoy
    • Red Skin Island
    • Havelock Island
    • Ross Island
    • Barren Island, etc.
  • Beaches:
    • Corbyn's Cove abd Chirya Tapu
    • Harminder Bay Beach
    • Ramnagar Beach
    • Radhanagar Beach
    • Karmatang Beach, etc.
  • Museums:
    • Fisheries Museum
    • National Memorial
    • Anthropological Museum, etc.
  • Monument:
    • Cellular Jail.
  • Picnic Spots:
    • Chidiya Tapu
    • Corbyn's Cove Tourism Complex
    • Mount Harriet, etc.

These were some important facts on Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

For further information on Facts On Andaman and Nicobar Islands, read on:

State Animal

There is a wide range of Andaman and Nicobar Islands state animal. Since this union territory is a detached place, it exhibits a variety of animals. The rain forests of the Nicobar Islands have twenty-five species of mammals, which originally belong to this place. Four out of these 25 species are purely endemics.

The major dwelling places of the state animal in Andaman and Nicobar Islands are 9 national parks, 96 wildlife sanctuaries and 1 biosphere reserve.

The state animal of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are wild pig or Sus scrofa and macaque or Macaca fascicularis umbra, which are abundantly found in the Nicobar Islands. A rare tree-shrew or Tupaia nicobarica is also one of the state animals at Andaman and Nicobar Islands. All these animals have been declared threatened species by the IUCN in the year 2000.

The wild pigs found here are of two different varieties - Sus Scrofa andamanensis found in the Andaman Islands and the SS nicobaricus found in the Nicobar Islands. Both these species are endemic. Other animals that are found in abundance in these islands and form a major part of Andaman and Nicobar Islands state animal include the spotted deer, which has many classifications like the Barking Deer, the Axis and the Sambar Deer. Many elephants are also found here.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have as many as 7 Marine and 55 terrestrial species of mammals. The major vertebrates of the union territory are dolphins, dugongs, salt water crocodiles, whales, ea snakes, and sea turtles. All these species are found in abundance in the place.

State Bird

Andaman and Nicobar Islands state bird is wood pigeon. The wood pigeon is an endemic bird that is found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The state bird of Andaman and Nicobar Islands possess a long tail. The wood pigeon resembles the common pigeon, the only difference is that it has a longer tail than an usual pigeon.

The physical feature of the state bird at Andaman and Nicobar Islands shows that the bird has a whitish head: there is a criss-cross pattern on the neck of the bird. The state bird in Andaman and Nicobar Islands has a gray appearance: the anterior parts of the bird is slate gray in color, where as the posterior part emits a pale blue gray color. Further, the bird has a metallic green color on the upper part of its body. A typical feature of the bird is that it contains a reddish bill, which has a yellowish tip. Another typical characteristic of the bird is its purplish red orbital skin.

Furthermore, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands state bird is found in the forests of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The bird is generally found in the dense forest, especially in the regions where broad leaved tress are found.

State Tree

There is a wide range of trees in the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.Andaman and Nicobar Islands state tree can be broadly classified into two categories: the mangrove and coastal trees and the inland deciduous and evergreen trees.

According to statistical reports, the total forest area of the union territory is 7,171 square kms of its whole area. The state tree of Andaman and Nicobar Islands exhibit a wide range like the semi evergreen tropical trees, swamp trees, evergreen wet tropical trees, littoral trees, deciduous moist trees and mangrove trees. The Middle Andaman grows the majority of the deciduous trees. The evergreen trees are rampant in the Northern Nicobar Islands.

The state tree at Andaman and Nicobar Islands include the evergreen trees of Kamorta, Great Nicobar and Katchall, which are Sideroxylon longipetiolatum, Calophyllum soulattri, Garcinia xanthochymus, Mangifera sylvatica and Pisonia excelsa. Katchall and Kamorta also contain the species of Radermachera lobbi, Bentinckia nicobarica, Artocarpus peduncularis and Symplocos leiostachya. T. bialata and Terminalia procera are the major deciduous state trees in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.They grow at the relatively lower levels of the Great Nicobar.

Plenty of timber grows in the Andaman Islands. As many as 200 varieties of timber is available in this part of the union territory, though only 30 out of them are commercially viable.

The commercial varieties of timber include Marble wood, Padauk, Silver Grey, Kokko, Gurjan and Chooi. The Padauk variety is used in a large scale to make furniture. The Elaeocarps sphaericus variety is another important timber used for making fragrance sticks and rudrakshas - an object used in Hindu rituals. The other Andaman and Nicobar Islands state tree of commercial use are coconut, different vegetables, Mango, Orange, Pineapple, Papaya, Rubber and Palm.

Capital

The capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Port Blair. Port Blair contains 350 islands in the Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands.

Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a travelers paradise. The scenic beauty, picturesque setting and a mesmerizing ocean- all contribute largely towards tourism in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

It is noteworthy that among the 350 islands, only a handful of the islands are inhabited by people: most of the islands in Port Blair are yet to be touched by human settlements. The solitary islands in the interior parts of the island are still isolated; many areas in Port Blair still remains unexplored.

Talking about the history of Port Blair at Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it can be said that Port Blair, like the Andaman and Nicobar Island, does not contain a glorious past. In the 19th century, Port Blair contained a prison that was used to give life sentences to the guilty convicted of a charge against the British Empire. In fact, the whole of Andaman and Nicobar Islands was known as 'Kalapani' by the Indians, where they suffered abandonment.

Although, it was a taboo to visit Port Blair during the 20th century; but today, Port Blair witnesses thousands of tourists who come to the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to experience the wild thrill of adventure sports and also to enjoy the exotic beauty of the island.

Besides, Port Blair is known for a number of destinations that deserve special mention in this context, viz.:
  • Gandhi Park
  • Mount Harriet
  • Madhuban
  • Collinpur
  • Chidiya Tapu
  • Mahatma Gandhi National Park
  • Sippighat Farm
  • Mini Zoo, etc.
Moreover, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands houses more than 242 species of birds, 78 species of reptiles, 46 species of mammals, etc.; and it is these features that attracts tourists from across the world.

Telephone Codes

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands telephone codes are quite a few in number. These telephone codes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands belong to the different places of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which is one of the union territories of the Indian subcontinent. The ISD code for Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 91.

The names of the places along with their STD telephone codes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands are provided in the list below. This telephone codes at Andaman and Nicobar Islands given below cover both the districts of the union territory of Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands. List of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Telephone Codes A thorough list of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands telephone codes is provided below.
  • Kalighat Telephone Code: 03192
  • Katchlal Telephone Code: 03192
  • Port Blair Telephone Code: 03192
  • Kadamtala Telephone Code: 03192
  • Andaman Islands Telephone Code: 03192
  • Neil Telephone Code: 03192
  • Rangat Telephone Code: 03192
  • Mayabander Islands Telephone Code: 03192
  • Havolock Telephone Code: 03192
  • Nancowry Telephone Code: 03192
  • Gouldari Telephone Code: 03192
  • Campwell Bay Telephone Code: 03192
  • Bidhgunj Telephone Code: 03192
  • Guptapara Telephone Code: 03192
  • Diglipur Telephone Code: 03192
  • Garcacharma Telephone Code : 03192
  • Lapathyok Telephone Code: 03193
  • Ferrangannj Telephone Code: 03192
  • Nicobar island Telephone Code: 03193

Pin Codes

Andaman and Nicobar Islands pin code is the very base of the postal system of the union territory. Each pin code of Andaman and Nicobar Islands refer to different places in the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Every pin code in Andaman and Nicobar Islands along with the names of the places they refer to is given below. The pin code of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a six digit number, beginning with 744 followed by the area postal code.

List of Andaman and Nicobar Pin Code numbers The list of Pin code at Andaman and Nicobar Islands provided below pertain to both the districts of Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands of the union territory.
  • Aberdeen Bazar Pin Code: 744204
  • Campwell Bay Pin Code: 744302
  • Bakultala Pin Code: 744208
  • Diglipur Pin Code: 744202
  • Car Nicobar Pin Code: 744301
  • Kadamtala Pin Code: 744209
  • Hemlauk Pin Code: 744211
  • Mayabandar Pin Code: 744204
  • Kapanga Pin Code: 744309
  • Bambooflat Pin Code: 744107
  • Port Blair Pin Code: 744101
  • Haddo Pin Code: 744102
  • Betapur Pin Code: 744201
  • Jangli Ghat Pin Code: 744103
  • Hut Bay Pin Code: 744207
  • Long Island Pin Code: 744203
  • Kapanga Pin Code: 744304
  • Mayabunder Pin Code: 744204
  • Marine Jetty Pin Code: 744101
  • Nancowrie Pin Code: 744303
  • N S Building Pin Code: 744101
  • New Secretariate Building Pin Code: 744105
  • Shadipur Pin Code: 744106
  • Port Blair Head Office Pin Code: 744101
  • Neel Island Pin Code: 744104
  • Oral Katcha Pin Code: 744210
  • Ranghat Pin Code: 744205
  • Wimberly Gunji Pin Code: 744206

Population

Population of Andaman and Nicobar islands take into account the inhabitants of about 38 of the 500 odd islands that comprise the entire Union territory. Given the total land area of the islands, the total population of Andaman and Nicobar islands taken together according to the 2001 census amounted to a shade above 350, 000. The population of Andaman and Nicobar islands is spread over the two districts of Andaman and Nicobar. A tehsil wise division of the total population in Andaman and Nicobar islands are given below:

Andaman District

Name of the Tehsil Population
Ferragunj 48,628
Diglipur 42,877
Mayabander 23,912
Port Blair 159,845
Ranagat 38,324

Nicobar District

Name of the Tehsil Population
Car Nicobar 20,292
Nancowry 21,776

The population of Andaman and Nicobar islands features a number of ethnicities. Given the small area, it is surprising to notice the sheer variety of ethnic groups that comprise Andaman and Nicobar islands population. The tribal communities of Andaman and Nicobar belong to both the African and Mongoloid groups. Some of them still continue with the primitive hunter-gatherer way of lives, some depend solely on fishing. There are also the descendants of the prisoners who were sent here as penal measures, and they also contribute largely to the population of the area. Some of the major proto-African Negroid tribes within the population at Andaman and Nicobar islandsare:
  • Jarawa
  • Onge
  • Santinelese
The Shompen and the Nicobase are the two main Mongoloid tribes of Andaman and Nicobar. Many of these tribes have fearfully low number of people left and are s taring extinctions. The many earthquakes and natural disasters including the tsunami, have made a lasting damage tot he total demographic strengths of these tribes.

Last Updated on: 2nd April 2013