79+ Unknown Facts About Andaman & Nicobar Islands You Must Know !
Over 100 facts about India's most mysterious territory—from the uncontacted Sentinelese tribe and the horrors of Cellular Jail to the only active volcano in South Asia.
The name 'Andaman' is believed to be derived from 'Hanuman', the monkey god in Hindu mythology. 🐒
The 'Ten Degree Channel' is a 150 km wide channel that separates the Andaman group from the Nicobar group. 🌊
Indira Point subsided by 4.25 meters during the 2004 Tsunami and the lighthouse was partially submerged. 📉
The islands are closer to Myanmar (Yangon) and Indonesia (Sumatra) than to the Indian mainland. 🗺️
Katchal Island in the Nicobar group was declared the first inhabited place on earth to receive the first sunrise of the millennium (Jan 1, 2000). 🌅
The North Sentinel Island is home to the Sentinelese, the most isolated uncontacted tribe in the world. 🏹
The Sentinelese have lived there for an estimated 60,000 years, descending directly from the first humans out of Africa. 🌍
In 2018, American missionary John Allen Chau was killed by the Sentinelese after illegally landing on the island. ✝️
The Indian government has a 'Hands Off' policy and does not prosecute the tribe for killing intruders. ⚖️
The 'Jarawa' tribe was isolated until the late 1990s but now has limited contact due to the Andaman Trunk Road. 🛣️
The 'Shompen' tribe lives in the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve and is distinct from the Andaman tribes. 🛖
The 'Great Andamanese' tribe was once 5,000 strong but is now reduced to less than 50 individuals due to colonial diseases. 🦠
The tribes of Andaman are 'Negrito' (African origin), while the tribes of Nicobar (Nicobarese, Shompen) are 'Mongoloid' (Malay origin). 🧬
The Cellular Jail was known as 'Kaala Pani' (Black Water) because escape was impossible across the ocean. 🖤
It was designed as a 'Panopticon', meaning the guards in the central tower could watch all wings, but prisoners couldn't see each other. 👁️
The jail originally had 7 wings, but only 3 remain today. The others were destroyed by bombings and earthquakes. 🏚️
The bricks used to build the jail were imported from Burma (Myanmar) because local soil was not suitable. 🧱
Each cell was 13.5 x 7.5 feet with a ventilator located 3 meters high so prisoners couldn't look out. 🔒
Veer Savarkar was one of the most famous inmates; his cell is now a memorial visited by thousands. 🕯️
Prisoners were forced to extract 30 pounds of coconut oil manually every day; failure led to brutal whipping. 🥥
The jail had no dormitories, only solitary cells, to prevent prisoners from communicating and planning revolts. 🤐
Sher Ali Afridi, the prisoner who assassinated Viceroy Lord Mayo, was also an inmate here (though Mayo was killed at Hope Town). 🗡️
Andaman was the only part of India (along with Northeast pockets) to be occupied by Japan during WWII. 🇯🇵
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisted the Indian Tricolor in Port Blair on December 30, 1943, declaring it the first free Indian territory. 🇮🇳
The Japanese constructed massive bunkers along the coastlines, many of which are still visible today near Corbyn's Cove. 🛡️
The Japanese renamed Andaman as 'Shaheed-dweep' (Martyr Island) and Nicobar as 'Swaraj-dweep' (Self-rule Island). 🏷️
In 2018, PM Modi officially renamed Havelock Island to Swaraj Dweep and Neil Island to Shaheed Dweep to honor this history. 🔄
The Japanese committed horrific massacres, including the 'Homfrayganj Massacre' where 44 Indian civilians were executed for being spies. 🩸
Baratang Island is famous for 'Mud Volcanoes', which spew cold mud and natural gas instead of lava. 🌫️
Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep) has 'Radhanagar Beach', which was voted the 'Best Beach in Asia' by TIME Magazine. 🏖️
The waters of Havelock glow at night due to 'Bioluminescence' (phytoplankton), a rare phenomenon. ✨
Andaman has naturally formed 'Limestone Caves' in Baratang that can only be reached by a boat ride through crocodile-infested creeks. 🐊
The 'Natural Bridge' on Neil Island is a rock formation that looks exactly like a bridge, formed by sea erosion. 🌉
The islands are home to the 'Robber Crab' (Coconut Crab), the largest land-living arthropod in the world. 🦀
Commercial fishing has been banned in Andaman waters for decades, meaning fish here supposedly 'die of old age'. 🎣🚫
Great Nicobar is the only place in India where the 'Megapode' bird is found; it builds mounds to incubate eggs instead of sitting on them. 🥚
The Leatherback Turtle, the world's largest sea turtle, nests in the Galathea National Park in Great Nicobar. 🐢
The 'Narcondam Hornbill' is found ONLY on the tiny Narcondam Island and nowhere else on earth. 🦜
Ross Island (now Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island) was once known as the 'Paris of the East'. 🗼
Today, it is a ghost town where massive Banyan tree roots have strangled the colonial buildings, looking like a scene from 'Jungle Book'. 🌳
Foreign tourists require a RAP (Restricted Area Permit) to visit certain islands, though rules were relaxed in 2018. 🛂
Nicobar Islands are completely off-limits to tourists (both Indian and Foreign) to protect the tribal reserves. 🚫
Internet connectivity was extremely slow until the 'Chennai-Andaman Submarine Optical Fiber Cable' was launched in 2020. 📶
The islands have their own command of the armed forces: The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India's first tri-service command. 🎖️
Sea-planes operate between Port Blair and Havelock, offering an aerial view of the coral reefs. ✈️
Scuba diving is a major economy here; the coral reefs are among the least bleached in the world. 🤿
There is an island called 'Viper Island' where women prisoners were kept and where Sher Ali Afridi was hanged. 🐍
The 2004 Tsunami killed over 2,000 people in the islands and permanently altered the coastline. 🌊
Many Japanese soldiers died of starvation and disease in the jungles during the end of WWII, leading to rumors of haunted forests. 👻
Mount Harriet (now Mount Manipur) is featured on the back of the old ₹20 Indian currency note. 💸
The 'Elephant Beach' on Havelock was named because elephants used to swim there (for logging work historically). 🐘
Andaman has a 'Parrot Island' where thousands of parrots return home every evening at sunset, creating a deafening noise. 🦜🌇
There is a 'Rubber Plantation' in Wandoor, introduced by the government to check if rubber could grow there (it did). 🌳
Cinque Island is a geologically wonder: two islands connected by a sandbar that disappears during high tide. ⏳
