The Islands of India (Lakshadweep & Andaman & Nicobar)

The Islands of India

• The major Island groups of India are Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep in Arabian Sea.
• Andaman and Nicobar Island was formed due to collision between Indian plate and Burma minor plate which is a part of Eurasian plate.
• Andaman and Nicobar islands are southward extension of arakan Yoma range of Myanmar.
• Lakshadweep islands are coral Islands. These islands are part of reunion hotspot volcanism.
• Other than these two groups there are Islands of indo-gangetic delta in between India and Sri Lanka.

Andaman and Nicobar Island

• Also called emerald Island.

Location And Extent

• • • Situated roughly between 6°N – 14°N and 92°E – 94°E for a distance of 590 km.
    • The most visible feature of the alignment of these Islands is there narrow longitudinal extent.
    • Neil Island exchange from landfall island in the north (in the Andaman) to the Indira point in the south (in great Nicobar Island)

Origin

• • • The Andaman and Nicobar Island has a geographical affinity with the tertiary formation of Himalaya and form a part of its southern loop continuing southward from Arakan Yoma range of Myanmar.
    • The entire range of Island is divided into broad categories –
      • • The Andaman in north
        • The Nicobar in south
    • They are separated by a water body which is called as 10° channel.
    • The Andaman Island are further divided into –
      • • Great Andaman
          • • North Andaman
            • Middle Andaman
            • South Andaman
        • Little Andaman
    • Little Andaman is separated from great Andaman by Duncan passage.

Characteristics and features

• • • Archipelago is composed of 265 big and Small Island. (203 Andaman Island and 62 Nicobar Island)
    • Among the Nicobar Islands, the great Nicobar is the largest. It is the southernmost Island and is very close to Sumatra island of Indonesia. The Car Nicobar is the northernmost.
    • Most of these islands are made of tertiary sandstone, limestone and shales resting on basic and ultrabasic rocks of volcanoes.
    • The Barren and Narcondam Island, note of Port Blair are volcanic Island (these are the only active volcanoes in India).
    • Some of the islands are friged with coral reefs. Many of them are covered with thick forests and most of the islands are mountainous.
    • Saddle peak in North Andaman is highest peak (737 m).
    • These islands are formed by granite rock.
    • These island receive conventional rainfall and have any equatorial type of vegetation.
    • They have warm topical climate all-round the year with two monsoon.
    • Island make an accurate curve convex to West.

Lakshadweep Island

• In the Arabian Sea there are three island groups namely –
  • • • Amindivi Islands – consists of six main island of Amini, Keltan, Chetlat, Kadmat, Bitra and Petrumul Par.
      • Laccadive Islands – consisting of five main islands of Androth, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Pitti and Suheli Par.
      • Minicoy Islands.
• These islands collectively known as Lakshadweep islands.

Location

• • • Scattered in Arabian Sea between 8° N to 12° N and 71° E to 74° E longitude.
    • These islands are located to a distance of 280 – 480 km off the Kerala coast.

Origin

• • • Entire Island is built on coral reefs.

Important Islands

• • • Amindivi and Cannanore island in north
    • Minicoy is largest island with area of 453 sq. Km.

Chief Characteristic

• • • Consist of approx. 36 Islands of which 11 are inhabitant.
    • These islands have not South orientation, only Androth have east west orientation.
    • Most of island have low elevation and do not rise more than 5 m above sea level.
    • These islands have calcium rich soil – organic limestone and scattered vegetation of palm species.
    • One typical feature of these island is formation of crescentic reef and a lagoon in east and west respectively.
    • Their eastern seaboard is steeper.
    • The island of this archipelago have storm beaches consisting of undisclosed pebbles, shingles, cobbles and boulders on eastern sea boundary.
    • Their topography is flatland relief feature such as hills, streams, valleys etc. are absent.
    • Amendivi Island is northernmost and Minicoy Island is southernmost.

The New Moore Island

• • It is a small uninhabited offshore island of sandbar formation in Bay of Bengal, off the coast of Ganga Brahmaputra delta region.
  • It emerged in Bay of Bengal in the aftermath of the bhola cyclone in 1970. It keeps on emerging and disappearing.
  • Although island was uninhabited and there were no permanent settlement or station located on it, both India and Bangladesh claimed sovereignty over it because of the speculation over the existence of oil and natural gas in the region.
  • The issue of sovereignty is also the part of larger dispute over the Redcliff award methodology of setting the boundary between the two nations.

Other important Islands of India

1. Majauli – Assam

• • World’s largest freshwater island (Brahmaputra River). India’s first island district.

2. Salsette- Mumbai

• • India’s most populous island. Mumbai is situated on this island.

3. Sriharikota-

• • A barrier island, on this island the satellite launching station of ISRO is located.

4. Aliabet – Gujarat

• • India’s first offshore oil well site. About 45 km from Bhavnagar. It is in Gulf of Khambhat.

5. Pamban Island –

• • Lies between India and Sri Lanka.

6. Abdul Kalam Island – Orissa

• • Also called Wheeler Island
  • Renamed as Abdul Kalam island in 2015
  • It is a missile launching station in Bay of Bengal.
  • The first successful land to land test of Prithvi missile was conducted on from the mainland and it landed on the uninhabited Wheeler Island on Nov. 30, 1993.

That’s it for this post on the Islands of India.

In the next post (Click here), we would study in detail about the Indian Desert.