About Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a chain of islands in the Bay of Bengal, far closer to Myanmar and Indonesia than to the Indian mainland. Known for white-sand beaches, coral reefs and dense tropical forest, they are also home to some of the world's most isolated indigenous peoples. The capital is Sri Vijaya Puram, known until 2024 as Port Blair.
- Status
- Union territory since 1956
- Capital
- Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair)
- Area
- about 8,250 km²
- Population
- about 3.8 lakh (2011 census)
- Districts
- 3: South Andaman, North and Middle Andaman, Nicobar
- Languages
- Hindi and English; Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Nicobarese are widely spoken
Geography
The territory is made up of two groups of islands, the Andamans in the north and the Nicobars in the south, separated by the Ten Degree Channel. Most of the several hundred islands are uninhabited. Barren Island is India's only active volcano, and Indira Point on Great Nicobar is the southernmost point of India. The islands were badly hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004.
History
After 1857 the British turned the Andamans into a penal colony, and the Cellular Jail, completed in 1906, held many leaders of the freedom struggle; it is now a national memorial. The islands were occupied by Japan during the Second World War, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose raised the Indian flag in Port Blair in December 1943. Several islands have since been renamed in his honour and that of other freedom fighters, among them Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep (Ross Island) and Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island).
People
Most residents today are settlers from mainland India. The islands are also home to indigenous communities including the Great Andamanese, Jarawa, Onge, Sentinelese and Shompen, as well as the Nicobarese. Their reserves are protected and closed to visitors.
Places to visit
The Cellular Jail and its light-and-sound show, Radhanagar Beach on Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep (Neil Island), the coral reefs of Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep with its ruined British settlement.
Page added October 2026.