Nicobar Islands
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Official website | https://andaman.nic.in/ |
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The Nicobar Islands /ˈnɪkəbɑːr/ are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, 150 kilometres (93 mi) northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) southeast of the Indian subcontinent, across the Bay of Bengal, they are part of India, as the Nicobar district within the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Together with the Andaman Islands to their north, the Nicobar Islands serve as a maritime boundary
UNESCO has declared the Great Nicobar Island as one of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.[1]
Geography
The Nicobar Islands cover a land area of 1,841 square kilometres (711 sq mi)
- Chowra, Chaura or Sanenyo
- Teressa or Luroo
- Bompukaor Poahat
- Katchal
- Camorta
- Nancowry or Nancowrie
- Trinket
- Laoukor "Isle of Man"
- Tillangchong
Southern Group (Sambelong):
- Great Nicobar(922 km2 or 356 sq mi, largest island of the Nicobars)
- Little Nicobar
- Kondul Island
- Pulo Miloor Pillomilo (Milo Island)
- Meroe, Trak, Treis, Menchal, Kabra, Pigeon and Megapod
Indira Point (6°45′23″N 93°49′40″E / 6.756378°N 93.827765°E) is the southernmost point of Great Nicobar Island and also of India itself, lying about 150 kilometres (93 mi) north of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Geology
The Nicobar Islands are part of a great
Climate
The climate is warm and tropical, with temperatures ranging from 22 to 30 °C (72 to 86 °F). Rainfall is heavy due to annual monsoons and measures around 3,000 to 3,800 mm (120 to 150 in) each year.[3]
Ecology
The Nicobar Islands are recognised as a distinct
The vegetation of the Nicobars is typically divided into the coastal mangrove forests and the interior evergreen and deciduous tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. Additionally, several islands contain extensive inland grasslands, though these are thought to have resulted from human intervention.[3]
As a result of lower sea levels during the ice ages, the Andaman Islands were linked to the Southeast Asian mainland, but it is not believed that the Nicobar Islands ever had a land bridge to the continent. Lower sea levels did link the islands to one another: Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar were linked to each other, and Nancowry, Chaura, Katchall, Trinka, Camorta, and the nearby smaller islands were linked to one another as well.
Protected areas
Protected areas include Campbell Bay National Park and Galathea National Park on Great Nicobar.
A
Population
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1901 | 6,511 | — |
1911 | 8,818 | +3.08% |
1921 | 9,272 | +0.50% |
1931 | 10,240 | +1.00% |
1941 | 12,452 | +1.98% |
1951 | 12,009 | −0.36% |
1961 | 14,563 | +1.95% |
1971 | 21,665 | +4.05% |
1981 | 30,454 | +3.46% |
1991 | 39,208 | +2.56% |
2001 | 42,068 | +0.71% |
2011 | 36,842 | −1.32% |
source:[6] |
The islands had a population of 36,842 in 2011.[7] The indigenous ethnic groups are the Nicobarese and the Shompen. Local languages include Shompen and the languages of the tin Nicobarese group.
History
Prehistory
The Nicobar Islands are believed to have been inhabited for thousands of years. Six indigenous Nicobarese languages are spoken on the islands, which are part of the Austroasiatic language family, which includes the Mon, Khmer, and Vietnamese languages of Southeast Asia, and the Munda languages of India. An indigenous tribe living at the southern tip of Great Nicobar called the Shompen, may be of Mesolithic Southeast Asian origin.[8]
Origin of the name
The earliest extant references to the name "Nicobar" is in the
In the 15th century, Great Nicobar Island was recorded as "Cui Lan island" (翠蘭嶼) during the
Colonial period
Organised European
Second World War
During the
Indian state
Together with the Andaman Islands, it became part of India in 1950 and was declared as a union territory of the nation in 1956.[17]
26 December 2004 tsunami
On 26 December 2004, the coast of the Nicobar Islands was devastated by a 10-to-15-metre-high (33 to 49 ft)
Several islands were heavily damaged with initial reports of islands broken in two or three pieces and coral reefs moved above water. Teressa Island was said to have been split into two pieces and Trinkat Island into three pieces. Some estimates said that the islands were moved as much as 30 metres (100 ft) by the earthquake and tilted.
Indira Point subsided 4.25 metres (13.9 ft) and the lighthouse there was damaged.
Transportation
- Airport: Great Nicobarhas a small airstrip of approximately 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) at Campbell Bay/Tenlaa on its East Coast.
- Seaport: At least one small shipping dock is located in Campbell Bay on the East coast of Great Nicobar. Car Nicobarhas a small dock at its Northern tip near Keating Point and Mus.
See also
- Nicobarese people
- Nicobarese languages
- Shompen people
- Austrian colonization of the Nicobar Islands
- 1881 Nicobar Islands earthquake
- Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve
- Great Nicobar
- Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370
- Indian Ocean
References
- ^ [1], The International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), added the following new sites to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/multimedia/photos/mab-2013/india/.
- ^ Nicobar Islands. Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ^ a b c d e "Nicobar Islands rain forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ "Nicobar Islands declared as world biosphere reserve". The Times of India. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ "Great Nicobar". Man and Biosphere Programme, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Accessed 1 August 2021. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/asia-and-the-pacific/india/great-nicobar
- ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
- ^ "Demography | District Nicobar, Government of Andaman and Nicobar | India". Retrieved 7 November 2022.
- PMID 16453062.
- ISBN 978-81-206-0218-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2013.)
P54 "The island where the children landed was called Naggadipa..." N: "l That is,'Island of children', from nagga 'naked'..."
"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 8 July 2013.{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link - ^ Abū Zayd al-Sīrāfī (2017). Accounts of China and India. New York University Press.
- ISBN 978-81-206-0210-6.
P53 "Naggadipa, where the children are alleged to have landed, is certainly Nicobars, the Nakkavaram of the Tamils, ...
- ISBN 978-0-8021-3797-5.
... and 'Nakkavaram' certainly represents the Nicobar islands ...
- ISBN 978-0-85229-633-2. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
... The name Nicobar probably is derived from Nakkavaram ("Land of the Naked") ...
- ^ "Wu Bei Zhi Map 17". Library of Congress.
- ^ a b Ramerini, Marco. "Chronoly of Danish Colonial Settlements". ColonialVoyage.com. Archived from the original on 4 April 2005. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ Ministero della Guerra, Ufficio Storico, Storia Militare della Colonia Eritrea, Vol. I, Roma 1935, pp. 15-16
- ISBN 978-81-7188-652-4. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
External links
- "Nicobarese and Shompen". The Andaman Association. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011. Archived 9 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- WorldStatesmen- India