The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar is
a long and narrow broken chain of islands, lying east of the Indian mainland,
in the Bay of Bengal. It is situated between 6 degree to 14 degree North
Latitude and 92 degree to 94 degree East Longitude, with an area of approximately
8249 sq km and a population of 0.36 million. The territory consists of
two distinct groups of islands i.e. Andaman and Nicobar. There are more
than 3000 islands, islets and rocks in the archipelago while only about
300 of them are of appreciable size. Of these only 39 islands are inhabited.
The northern most point is 'Landfall island' which is 901 kms away from
the mouth of Hoogly river and about 190kms from Burma. The southern-most
island is 'Great Nicobar', the southern-most tip of which 'Pygmalian Point'
now 'Indira Point' is about 150 kms away from Indonesia.
The original inhabitants of the islands lived in the
forests on hunting and fishing. Besides, these islands are home to the
aboriginal tribes such as the Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas and Sentinalese,
all of Negrito origin, while the tribes of Nicobars is the Nicobarese
and Shompens, both of Mongoloid origin. The topography of the islands
is hilly and abounds in evergreen forests. The sandy beaches on the edge
of meandering coastline are fringed with coconut-palms. The sea around
the islands offer excellent scope for water sports. The rare flora and
fauna, underwater marine life and corals, with crystal clear water and
mangrove-lined creeks, offer a dream-view of the rare gifts of nature.
The clean and wide roads, free of filth as well as unpolluted fresh air
attract any nature-lover. Adventure tourism like trekking, island camping,
scuba diving, etc. are the real attractions. The other main features that
reflect the uniqueness of the islands are:-
- One of the best possible subtropical and tropical climate;
- Vast marine potential with 3 lakhs sq km exclusive economic
zone;
- Nearer to international trade corridor indicating potential
for containers port;
- Negligible industrial disputes;
- High literacy rate;
- No pollution; etc.
Besides, the Government of Andaman and Nicobar has provided
an enabling environment through several policy measures and incentives
in order to encourage inflow of investment into the various sectors of
its economy.
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