October 5, 2023

Islands in India – Andaman & Nicobar – Lakshadweep

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Major island groups of India are the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea.

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Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Andaman and Nicobar Island archipelago is composed of 572 big and small islands.
These islands extend about 590 km area.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands were formed due to a collision between the Indian Plate and the Burma Minor Plate (part of the Eurasian Plate).
Andaman and Nicobar Islands are southward extensions of the Arakan Yoma range of Myanmar.
Aarakan Yoma is an extension of Purvanchal Hills.
Andaman islands are divided into three main islands
- North Andaman
- Middle Andaman
- South Andaman
Duncan passage separates Little Andaman from South Andaman.
Great Andaman is separated by 10° Channel from the Nicobar group of islands.
Port Blair, the capital of Andaman Nicobar Islands lies in the South Andaman island.
Among the Nicobar islands, the Great Nicobar is the largest and southernmost island
Great Nicobar island is very close to Sumatra island of Indonesia.
6° Channel separates Great Nicobar island and Sumatra.
Most of these islands are made of tertiary sandstone, limestone, and shale resting on basic and ultrabasic volcanoes
Barren island is the only active volcano in India and South Asia (it erupted last time in 1994-95).
Narcondam island is a dormant volcano.
Saddle peak (737 m) in North Andaman is the highest peak here.
Some islands are fringed with coral reefs.
Many of them are covered with thick forests.

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Lakshadweep Islands are located at a distance of 280 km-480 km off the Kerala coast.
The entire island group is built of coral deposits (Atoll), tiny islands surrounded by fringing reefs.
There are approximately 36 islands of which 11 are inhabited.
Andrott is the largest and Minicoy is the 2nd largest island.
The entire group of islands is broadly divided by the 11° channel, north of which is the Amini Island and to the south of the Canannore Island.
Amendivi Islands are the northernmost while the Minicoy island is the southernmost.
Kavaratti is the capital of Lakshadweep Island.
Lakshadweep Islands are the northernmost of the Lakshadweep-Maldives-Chagos group of islands.
8° Channel forms the boundary between Minicoy and Maldive islands.
This channel is also known as the Minicoy Channel or Maliku Kandu.
Most of the islands have low elevations and do not rise more than five meters above sea level.

Salsette Island
- Salsette is the most populous island in India.
- Mumbai city is located on Salsette island.
- Ulhas river and Vasai creek divided it from the mainland.
Sriharikota Island
- A barrier island in Bay of Bengal.
- Located in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.
- On this island, Satish Dhawan Launch Station is located
Aliabet
- India’s first off-shore oil well site in the Gulf of Khambat.
- It is located in Gujarat, about 45 km from Bhavnagar.
New Moore Island
- It is in the Ganga delta.
- It is also known as Purbasha Island.
- In 2010, it was reported to have been completely submerged by the rising seawater due to Global warming.
Pamban Island
- Also called Rameshwaram
- It lies between India and Sri Lanka and is separated by the Pamban channel.
Wheeler Island
- It is on the Odisha coast
- Wheeler Island is a missile launching station in the Bay of Bengal.
Diu
- UT of India, located in the Gulf of Khambat.

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