THE ISLANDS OF INDIAN UNION

THE ISLANDS OF INDIAN UNION:

As we have seen in the other pages of this blog ,India is having a vast geographical land. Besides this the country has the two group of islands :

1. The Lakshadweep Islands
2. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands 

1. THE LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS:(Total number of islands =43)

• The Lakshadweep Islands group lies near the Malabar coast of Kerala. This group of islands is composed of small coral islands.
• Earlier they were Known as Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi. In 1973 these were named as the Lakshadweeps.
• It covers small area of 32 sq. km.
• Kavaratti Island is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep.
• This island group has great diversity of flora and fauna.
• The Pitti Island, which is uninhabited has a bird sanctuary.

2. THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS: (Total number of islands =204)

• These are the elongated chain of islands located in the Bay of Bengal extending from North to South. These are Andaman and Nicobar islands.
• They are more numerous and scattered. total number of islands are 204.
• Total Area is 7950 square km.
• As of 2012 the population was 380500. 
• One of the seven union territories of India, are a group of islands at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.
• The territory is 150 km (93 mi) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar (Burma) by the Andaman Sea.

• The entire group of islands is divided into two broad categories : ( separated by the 10°N parallel)

1. The Andaman in the north 
2. Nicobar in the south. 

• The territory's capital is the Andamanese town of Port Blair.
• The capital of Nicobar Islands is Car Nicobar. 
• The islands host the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the only tri-service geographical command of the Indian Armed Forces.
• The Andaman Islands are home to the only known Paleolithic people, the Sentinelese people, who have no contact with any other people.

NOTE : 

• India's only active volcano is founded in the Barren island of the Andaman and nicobar group of islands.
• Duncan Passage is a strait in the Indian Ocean. It is about 48 km (30 mi) wide; it separates Rutland Island (part of Great Andaman)and Little Andaman. West of Duncan Passage is the Bay of Bengal; east is the Andaman Sea.
• Several small islands and islets lie along the passage. North to south, they are:

1. North Cinque Island
2. South Cinque Island
3. Passage Island
4. The Sisters
5. North Brother Island
6. South Brother Island

• Manners Strait is the branch of Duncan Passage that lies between North Cinque Island and Rutland Island.

Flora:

Map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands with an extra detailed area around Port Blair.

• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a tropical rainforest canopy, made of a mixed flora with elements from Indian, Myanmar, Malaysian and endemic floral strains. So far, about 2,200 varieties of plants have been recorded, out of which 200 are endemic and 1,300 do not occur in mainland India.
• The South Andaman forests have a profuse growth of epiphytic vegetation, mostly ferns and orchids. The Middle Andamans harbours mostly moist deciduous forests. North Andamans is characterized by the wet evergreen type, with plenty of woody climbers. 
• The North Nicobar Islands (including Car Nicobar and Batti Malv) are marked by the complete absence of evergreen forests, while such forests form the dominant vegetation in the central and southern islands of the Nicobar group. Grasslands occur only in the Nicobars, and while deciduous forests are common in the Andamans, they are almost absent in the Nicobars. The present forest coverage is claimed to be 86.2% of the total land area.
• This atypical forest coverage is made up of twelve types, namely:

1. Giant evergreen forest
2. Andamans tropical evergreen forest
3. Southern hilltop tropical evergreen forest
4. Cane brakes
5. Wet bamboo brakes
6. Andamans semi-evergreen forest
7. Andamans moist deciduous forest
8. Andamans secondary moist deciduous forest
9. Littoral forest
10. Mangrove forest
11. Brackish water mixed forest
12. Submontane forest

Fauna:

Rose island andaman

• This tropical rain forest, despite its isolation from adjacent land masses, is surprisingly rich with a diversity of animal life.
• About 50 varieties of forest mammals are found to occur in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 
• Some are endemic, including the Andaman Wild Boar. Rodents are the largest group with 26 species, followed by 14 species of bat. 
• Among the larger mammals there are two endemic varieties of wild boar, Sus scrofa andamanensis from Andaman and Sus scrofa nicobaricus  from Nicobar, which are protected by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (Sch I).
• Saltwater crocodile is also found in abundance. The State animal of andaman is the dugong, also known as the sea cow, which can be found in Little Andaman. Around 1962 there was an attempt to introduce the leopard, which was unsuccessful because of unsuitable habitat. These were ill-considered moves as exotic introductions can cause havoc to island flora and fauna.
• About 270 species of birds are found in the territory; 14 of them are endemic, the majority to the Nicobar island group. The islands' many caves are nesting grounds for the Edible-nest Swiftlets, whose nests are prized in China for bird's nest soup.
• The territory is home to about 225 species of butterflies and moths, including some of the larger and most spectacular of the world. Ten species are endemic to these Islands. Mount Harriet National Park is one of the richest areas of butterfly and moth diversity on these Islands.
• The islands are well known for prized shellfish, especially from the genera Turbo, Trochus, Murex and Nautilus. Earliest recorded commercial exploitation began during 1929. Many cottage industries produce a range of decorative shell items. Giant clams, green mussels and oysters support edible shellfishery. The shells of scallops,clams, and cockle are burnt in kilns to produce edible lime.

There are 96 wildlife sanctuaries, 9 National Parks and 1 Biosphere Reserve in these islands.