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 Island
- 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.
Some other Island of India
- 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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