16 Little-Known Facts About Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal have thousands of hidden gems as islands and islets, similar to the Mediterranean Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Apart from the world famous Bali, Singapore and Borneo, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have made an indelible mark on the map of island tourism. In the last 20 years, Andaman Islands have attracted more tourists than ever before in spite of the tsunami attack. I happened to read some fascinating facts about the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and I am happy to share with you some of the facts that you would find interesting and unique.

1. The most widely spoken language on the islands was Tamil once but Bengali pushed it down.
2. The Katchal island belongs to the Nicobar archipelago (Katcha theevu in Tamil). It honored by the Indian Postal Department by releasing a stamp depicting the first sunrise of the millennium that received by Katchal Island.
3. The legendary traveler Marco Polo landed on this archipelago and left behind some debatable views.
4. A huge herbivorous and hence considered as a gentle mammal, the Dugong is a sea cow that lives in this region. It is also a state symbol of Andaman

5. Here is a proof of the existence of Paleolithic tribe in North Sentinel Island. They do not allow anyone to land on their island. And They are dangerous tribe.

They are the original inhabitants of the Andaman Islands in which only about 35 islands are inhabited.

Some More Facts

6. “No Fishing” in Andaman and Nicobar. The people and the Government love their marine life The rare and the largest sea turtle, green turtle, the clown fish along with the dolphins and whales are fiercely protected.
7. The name Hanuman, a Hindu God must have been the origin of the name Andaman. The Malays used to call Hanuman as Handaman.
8. The world’s largest sea turtle, ‘Leatherback’ is found in the Andaman Islands.  They found in other parts of the world, also.
9. This orange and white fish is called ‘ClownFish’ is a native of Andaman and hence endemic.

10. 10. Barren Volcano is the only active volcano in South Asia. It is located in the Barren Island, about three hours ferry ride from Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar.

10. Look at the image of Nicobar Breadfruit.

It looks like a jackfruit to me. It is also known as the Pandanus Palms. This fruit is available in the Nicobar Islands. The leaves cooked with rice for added aroma.

12. Coconut crab with another name called ‘robber crab’ is found in the Andaman beaches.

OMG! It is big and quite scary.

13. A bird’s nest is edible! The Swiftlet bird builds its nest with its saliva. It hardened over time and the natives make a soup from the nest. Amazing nature!
14. Mud Volcano in Baratang Island! An explosion of mud had occurred in 1983.

The underground organic matter produced gases after decay and this must have escaped from the earth. An extraordinary act of nature!

15. India’s first seaplane was introduced in Andaman in a bid to develop tourism.
16. The Japanese occupied Andaman and Nicobar islands during World War II. They stayed there for 3 years!