Islands of India: Andaman-Nicobar & Lakshadweep

Indian islands are a frequently tested geography topic in Kerala PSC exams. Questions focus on location, formation type, key geographical features, and strategic importance. The tables below cover all exam-essential facts.

1. Overview of Indian Island Groups

Feature	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Lakshadweep
Location	Bay of Bengal	Arabian Sea
Formation	Tectonic (extension of Arakan Yoma range of Myanmar)	Coral atolls
Total islands	572 (about 37 inhabited)	36 (10 inhabited)
Capital	Port Blair	Kavaratti
Area	8,249 sq km	32 sq km
Population (Census 2011)	3,80,581	64,473
Nearest country	Myanmar (Andaman); Indonesia (Nicobar)	Maldives
Highest point	Saddle Peak (732 m) in North Andaman	Highest point about 5 m above sea level

2. Andaman and Nicobar Islands — Key Facts

Feature	Detail
Separated by	Ten Degree Channel (separates Andaman from Nicobar)
Southernmost point of India	Indira Point (Great Nicobar Island) — submerged partially in 2004 tsunami
Only active volcano in India	Barren Island (erupted multiple times; last activity 2017)
Dormant volcano	Narcondam Island
Highest peak	Saddle Peak (732 m, North Andaman)
Tribes	Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese (North Sentinel Island), Nicobarese, Shompen
Famous beach	Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island (rated among Asia’s best)
Ross Island	Now called Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep (renamed 2018)
Havelock Island	Now called Swaraj Dweep
Neil Island	Now called Shaheed Dweep

3. Andaman Islands — Renamed Islands (2018)

Old Name	New Name
Ross Island	Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep
Havelock Island	Swaraj Dweep
Neil Island	Shaheed Dweep

4. Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar

Tribe	Location	Status
Great Andamanese	Strait Island	About 50 individuals; nearly extinct
Onge	Little Andaman	About 100 individuals
Jarawa	South Andaman, Middle Andaman	About 400; limited contact
Sentinelese	North Sentinel Island	Uncontacted; estimated 50-100; protected by law
Nicobarese	Nicobar Islands	Largest tribal group; about 30,000
Shompen	Great Nicobar	About 200; semi-nomadic

5. Lakshadweep — Key Facts

Feature	Detail
Total islands	36 (12 atolls, 3 reefs, 5 submerged banks)
Inhabited islands	10
Capital	Kavaratti
Largest island	Andrott
Formation	Coral atolls (built on submarine Chagos-Laccadive Ridge)
Separated from Maldives by	Eight Degree Channel
Separated from Minicoy by	Nine Degree Channel
Nearest mainland state	Kerala (about 220-440 km from Kochi)
Official language	Malayalam
Religion	Predominantly Muslim
Literacy rate (Census 2011)	92.28% (highest among UTs)
Main occupation	Fishing, coconut cultivation, coir making
Smallest UT of India by area	Lakshadweep (32 sq km)

6. Important Channels

Channel	Separates
Ten Degree Channel	Andaman Islands from Nicobar Islands
Eight Degree Channel	Minicoy (Lakshadweep) from Maldives
Nine Degree Channel	Main Lakshadweep group from Minicoy
Duncan Passage	South Andaman from Little Andaman
Palk Strait	India (Tamil Nadu) from Sri Lanka

7. Strategic Importance

Aspect	Detail
Andaman and Nicobar Command	India’s only tri-service theatre command (Army, Navy, Air Force); at Port Blair
Location advantage	Controls access to Malacca Strait (one of world’s busiest shipping lanes)
INS Baaz	India’s southernmost naval air station (at Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar)
Lakshadweep	Strategic presence in Arabian Sea; monitoring sea lanes of communication
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)	Islands add approximately 6 lakh sq km to India’s EEZ

8. Other Important Indian Islands

Island/Group	Location	Key Feature
Majuli	Brahmaputra River, Assam	Largest river island in India
Sriharikota	Andhra Pradesh coast	ISRO’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Diu	Arabian Sea, off Gujarat coast	UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Pamban Island (Rameswaram)	Between India and Sri Lanka	Connected to mainland by Pamban Bridge
Sagar Island	Sundarbans, West Bengal	Ganga Sagar Mela held annually
Elephanta Island	Mumbai Harbour	UNESCO World Heritage cave temples
Divar Island	Goa, Mandovi River	Known for festivals and Portuguese heritage
New Moore/South Talpatti	Bay of Bengal	Disputed island (submerged; India-Bangladesh)

9. Flora and Fauna

Feature	Andaman and Nicobar	Lakshadweep
Vegetation	Tropical evergreen, mangroves	Coconut palms, coral reef ecosystem
Marine life	Coral reefs, dugong, saltwater crocodile	Coral reefs, tuna, sea turtles
Notable species	Andaman wild pig, Narcondam hornbill	Green sea turtle, butterfly fish
Marine National Park	Mahatma Gandhi Marine NP (Wandoor)	None (but marine protected areas exist)

10. Previous Year Question Patterns

• “Capital of Lakshadweep?” — Kavaratti
• “Ten Degree Channel separates?” — Andaman from Nicobar |
• “Only active volcano in India?” — Barren Island
• “Southernmost point of India?” — Indira Point (Great Nicobar)
• “Largest river island in India?” — Majuli
• “Havelock Island renamed as?” — Swaraj Dweep
• “Smallest UT by area?” — Lakshadweep
• “Tri-service command at Port Blair?” — Andaman and Nicobar Command
• “Largest island in Lakshadweep?” — Andrott
• “Eight Degree Channel separates?” — Minicoy from Maldives