Islands of India: Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep
Complete notes on the islands of India for competitive exams: the Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep groups, their channels, capitals, volcanoes and extreme points.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 4 min read
India is not only a peninsula: beyond its mainland coast lie more than a thousand islands, islets and rocks, and two of their groups are union territories in their own right. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands sit in the Bay of Bengal, far out towards Myanmar and Sumatra, and are the tops of a drowned mountain chain. The Lakshadweep Islands sit in the Arabian Sea, close to the Malabar coast, and are built of coral. Examiners like this chapter because almost every fact in it is a pair to be matched: an island with its channel, a channel with its latitude, a peak with its group, a passage with the two islands it divides. This note sets out those pairs and the extreme points that go with them.
The two island groups compared
| Feature | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Lakshadweep |
|---|---|---|
| Sea | Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea | Arabian Sea |
| Origin | Tectonic: the submerged continuation of the Arakan Yoma fold mountains | Coral: atolls and reefs built on a submarine ridge |
| Capital | Port Blair | Kavaratti |
| Number of islands | About 572 islands and islets | About 36 islands, ten of them inhabited |
| Area | About 8,249 square kilometres | About 32 square kilometres, the smallest union territory |
| Highest point | Saddle Peak, 732 metres, in North Andaman | Very low, nowhere more than a few metres above sea level |
| Forest | Tropical evergreen rainforest and mangrove | Coconut palm and scrub; no natural forest of note |
The Andaman group and its passages
North Andaman, Middle Andaman and South Andaman lie so close together that they are treated as one landmass called Great Andaman. Baratang Island lies between Middle and South Andaman and is known for its mud volcanoes and limestone caves. South of South Andaman, the Duncan Passage separates Little Andaman from the main group. Port Blair, the capital, stands on South Andaman and holds the Cellular Jail, built to hold India's political prisoners.
Two volcanic islands lie east of Great Andaman in the Andaman Sea. Barren Island carries the only active volcano in India and in South Asia. Narcondam Island carries a dormant volcano and is the only home of the Narcondam hornbill. Three islands of the group were renamed in 2018: Ross Island became Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, Neil Island became Shaheed Dweep and Havelock Island became Swaraj Dweep.
The Nicobar group and India's southern tip
The Ten Degree Channel, lying along the tenth parallel of north latitude, separates Little Andaman from Car Nicobar and so divides the Andaman group from the Nicobar group. The Nicobar group runs from Car Nicobar in the north through Little Nicobar to Great Nicobar in the south. Mount Thullier, about 642 metres, is the highest point of the Nicobar Islands and stands on Great Nicobar. Indira Point, at the southern end of Great Nicobar, is the southernmost point of Indian territory; it was earlier called Pygmalion Point and Parson Point. South of it the Great Channel, also called the Six Degree Channel, separates India from Sumatra in Indonesia. To the north, the Coco Channel separates the Andamans from the Coco Islands, which belong to Myanmar.
Six tribal communities live in these islands. The Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese of North Sentinel Island are of Negrito stock and live in the Andamans; the Nicobarese and the Shompen, of Mongoloid stock, live in the Nicobars. Protected areas of the territory include the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park at Wandoor, Campbell Bay and Galathea National Parks on Great Nicobar, and the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve.
Lakshadweep, the coral territory
Lakshadweep was formed in 1956 as the Union Territory of the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands and was given its present name in 1973; the word means a hundred thousand islands. Its islands are atolls, each a ring of coral enclosing a lagoon, and all are low and small. Androth is the largest island and lies nearest the mainland. Agatti has the territory's airport. Minicoy, the southernmost island, is cut off from the rest by the Nine Degree Channel, which runs along the ninth parallel; its people speak Mahl, a form of Dhivehi written in the Thaana script. South of Minicoy the Eight Degree Channel separates Lakshadweep from the Maldives. Uninhabited Pitti Island is a bird sanctuary and the nesting ground of sooty terns, and Bangaram and Kadmat are known for their lagoons.
Other islands worth remembering
- Majuli, in the Brahmaputra in Assam, is the largest river island of India and a centre of Vaishnavite satras.
- Sriharikota, on the Andhra coast beside Pulicat Lake, carries the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
- Dr Abdul Kalam Island, formerly Wheeler Island, off the Odisha coast, is India's missile test range.
- Sagar Island lies in the Hooghly mouth in West Bengal and hosts the Gangasagar Mela.
- Pamban Island carries Rameswaram and is joined to the mainland by the Pamban bridge.
- Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri, near Mumbai holds rock-cut caves that are a World Heritage Site; Salsette Island carries the city of Mumbai itself.
- Willingdon Island at Kochi is man-made, raised from material dredged out of the harbour.
Exam Point of View
Questions from this chapter are almost always pairs. First, channel questions: Ten Degree between Little Andaman and Car Nicobar, Nine Degree north of Minicoy, Eight Degree towards the Maldives, Duncan Passage south of South Andaman, Great Channel towards Sumatra. Second, extremes: Indira Point as the southernmost point of Indian territory against Kanyakumari as the mainland's tip, Saddle Peak against Mount Thullier. Third, the volcanoes: Barren active, Narcondam dormant, Baratang only mud volcanoes. Fourth, the 2018 renamings and the capitals. Common traps: calling the Andamans coral islands, promoting Agatti to capital of Lakshadweep, and placing the Onge in the Nicobars.
Important Facts
| Andaman and Nicobar capital | Port Blair, on South Andaman |
|---|---|
| Lakshadweep capital | Kavaratti |
| Highest point of the territory | Saddle Peak, about 732 m, North Andaman |
| Highest point in the Nicobars | Mount Thullier, about 642 m, Great Nicobar |
| Southernmost point of India | Indira Point, Great Nicobar (earlier Pygmalion Point) |
| Only active volcano in India | Barren Island, Andaman Sea |
| Ten Degree Channel | Between Little Andaman and Car Nicobar |
| Nine Degree Channel | Between Minicoy and the rest of Lakshadweep |
| Eight Degree Channel | Between Minicoy (India) and the Maldives |
| Great or Six Degree Channel | Between Great Nicobar and Sumatra, Indonesia |
| Duncan Passage | Between South Andaman and Little Andaman |
| Renamed in 2018 | Ross to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, Neil to Shaheed Dweep, Havelock to Swaraj Dweep |
| Largest island of Lakshadweep | Androth; Agatti has the airport |
| Largest river island of India | Majuli, in the Brahmaputra, Assam |
Practice MCQs on this topic
The Ten Degree Channel separates which two islands?
- A.Little Andaman and Car Nicobar
- B.North Andaman and Middle Andaman
- C.Great Nicobar and Sumatra
- D.Minicoy and Maldives
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Little Andaman and Car Nicobar. The Ten Degree Channel runs along the tenth parallel of north latitude and is the dividing line between the Andaman group and the Nicobar group; Little Andaman is the southernmost island of the Andaman group and Car Nicobar the northernmost of the Nicobar group, so the channel lies between them. Option B is wrong because North Andaman and Middle Andaman are not divided by a named channel at all; together with South Andaman they form the single landmass called Great Andaman. Option C is wrong because the water between Great Nicobar and Sumatra is the Great Channel, also called the Six Degree Channel, which is India's maritime boundary with Indonesia. Option D is wrong because Minicoy is separated from the Maldives by the Eight Degree Channel, and from the rest of Lakshadweep by the Nine Degree Channel.
Which of the following is the southernmost point of Indian territory?
- A.Kanyakumari
- B.Indira Point
- C.Minicoy Island
- D.Point Calimere
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Indira Point. Indira Point stands at the southern end of Great Nicobar in the Nicobar group and is the southernmost point of the territory of India; it was known earlier as Pygmalion Point and as Parson Point. Option A is wrong because Kanyakumari is only the southernmost point of the Indian mainland, not of Indian territory, and students lose the mark by confusing the two phrasings. Option C is wrong because Minicoy is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea, which lies well to the north of Indira Point. Option D is wrong because Point Calimere, or Kodikkarai, is a headland on the Tamil Nadu coast in the Palk Strait area, known for its bird sanctuary, and is nowhere near the southern limit of Indian territory.
India's only active volcano is located on which island?
- A.Narcondam Island
- B.Barren Island
- C.North Sentinel Island
- D.Baratang Island
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Barren Island. Barren Island lies in the Andaman Sea to the east of Middle Andaman and carries the only active volcano in India and in South Asia; it has erupted several times in recent decades. Option A is wrong because Narcondam Island, also volcanic and also east of Great Andaman, carries a dormant volcano, and is remembered instead as the only home of the Narcondam hornbill. Option C is wrong because North Sentinel Island is known for the Sentinelese, an uncontacted tribal community, and has no volcano. Option D is wrong because Baratang, between Middle and South Andaman, has mud volcanoes and limestone caves; a mud volcano is a vent of gas and slurry and is not a volcano in the igneous sense, which makes it a favourite distractor.
Saddle Peak, the highest point of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is situated in which island?
- A.Great Nicobar
- B.South Andaman
- C.North Andaman
- D.Little Andaman
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, North Andaman. Saddle Peak rises to about 732 metres in North Andaman and is the highest point of the whole union territory; a national park of the same name surrounds it. Option A is wrong because the highest point of Great Nicobar, and of the Nicobar group, is Mount Thullier at about 642 metres, which is a common pairing in matching questions. Option B is wrong because South Andaman carries Port Blair and Mount Harriet, now called Mount Manipur, which is much lower than Saddle Peak. Option D is wrong because Little Andaman, lying south of the Duncan Passage, is low and flat compared with the northern islands. Remember the pair Saddle Peak with North Andaman and Mount Thullier with Great Nicobar.
Which of the following statements about the origin of India's island groups is correct?
I. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are of coral origin.
II. The Lakshadweep Islands are of coral origin.
II. The Lakshadweep Islands are of coral origin.
- A.Only I
- B.Both I and II
- C.Only II
- D.Neither I nor II
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, only II. Statement II is correct: the Lakshadweep Islands are atolls, each a ring of coral enclosing a lagoon, raised on a submarine ridge in the Arabian Sea, and they are the only coral island group of India. Statement I is wrong because the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are of tectonic origin; they are the exposed crests of a submerged fold mountain chain that continues the Arakan Yoma of Myanmar towards Sumatra, which is why they are hilly and why volcanic islands occur among them. Option A is wrong because it accepts the false claim about the Andamans. Option B is wrong for the same reason, since statement I cannot be true. Option D is wrong because statement II is a settled fact of Indian physical geography.
Which is the capital of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep?
- A.Kavaratti
- B.Androth
- C.Agatti
- D.Minicoy
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Kavaratti. Kavaratti is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep and the seat of its administrator. Option B is wrong because Androth, though the largest island of the territory by area and the one nearest the mainland, is not the capital. Option C is wrong because Agatti is remembered for carrying the only airport of Lakshadweep, which makes it the island most aspirants wrongly promote to capital. Option D is wrong because Minicoy is the southernmost island of the group, separated from the rest by the Nine Degree Channel and distinguished by the Mahl language written in the Thaana script. Keep three pairs apart for this territory: Kavaratti the capital, Androth the largest, Agatti the airport. Lakshadweep, with an area of only about 32 square kilometres, is the smallest union territory of India, and its ten inhabited islands are administered from Kavaratti by an administrator appointed by the President.
Havelock Island of the Andaman group was renamed in 2018 as:
- A.Shaheed Dweep
- B.Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep
- C.Swaraj Dweep
- D.Vijay Dweep
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Swaraj Dweep. In 2018 three islands of the Andaman group were given Indian names to mark the hoisting of the tricolour by Subhas Chandra Bose in these islands: Havelock Island became Swaraj Dweep. Option A is wrong because Shaheed Dweep is the new name of Neil Island, not Havelock. Option B is wrong because Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep is the new name of Ross Island, which lies off Port Blair and holds the ruins of the old British administrative headquarters. Option D is wrong because Vijay Dweep is not among the three names announced; it is a plausible-sounding invention of the kind paper setters add as a fourth option. The three pairs to fix are Ross, Neil and Havelock with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Shaheed and Swaraj.
The Duncan Passage lies between which two islands?
- A.South Andaman and Little Andaman
- B.Car Nicobar and Little Nicobar
- C.Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar
- D.North Andaman and Coco Islands
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, South Andaman and Little Andaman. The Duncan Passage is the stretch of sea that separates Little Andaman from South Andaman, that is from the southern end of Great Andaman. Option B is wrong because Car Nicobar and Little Nicobar lie within the Nicobar group and the water between them carries no such famous name in the examination syllabus. Option C is wrong for the same reason; Great Nicobar is separated from Indonesia, not from Little Nicobar, by a named channel, the Great or Six Degree Channel. Option D is wrong because the water between North Andaman and the Coco Islands, which belong to Myanmar, is the Coco Channel. Learn the sequence from north to south: Coco Channel, Duncan Passage, Ten Degree Channel, Great Channel.
Which of these tribal communities is found in the Nicobar Islands rather than the Andaman Islands?
- A.Jarawa
- B.Onge
- C.Shompen
- D.Sentinelese
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Shompen. The Shompen live in the interior of Great Nicobar and, with the Nicobarese, are of Mongoloid stock; both belong to the Nicobar group. Option A is wrong because the Jarawa live in the western parts of South and Middle Andaman and are of Negrito stock. Option B is wrong because the Onge are a Negrito community of Little Andaman, which is part of the Andaman group even though it lies south of the Duncan Passage. Option D is wrong because the Sentinelese live on North Sentinel Island in the Andaman group and are the most isolated of the six communities. The division to remember is simple: Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese in the Andamans, Nicobarese and Shompen in the Nicobars.
Which is the largest river island of India?
- A.Sagar Island
- B.Majuli
- C.Divar Island
- D.Srirangapatna
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Majuli. Majuli lies in the Brahmaputra in Assam, is the largest river island of India, and is the historic centre of the Vaishnavite satras founded in the tradition of Srimanta Sankardeva; it has also been constituted as a district of Assam. Option A is wrong because Sagar Island lies in the Hooghly mouth in West Bengal and is a deltaic island famous for the Gangasagar Mela, not a river island of this size. Option C is wrong because Divar is a small island in the Mandovi in Goa. Option D is wrong because Srirangapatna is an island town in the Kaveri in Karnataka, associated with Tipu Sultan and with the Ranganathittu bird sanctuary nearby, but it is far smaller than Majuli.
Which island of Lakshadweep is separated from the remaining islands of the group by the Nine Degree Channel?
- A.Kavaratti
- B.Kadmat
- C.Minicoy
- D.Bangaram
Show answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C, Minicoy. The Nine Degree Channel runs along the ninth parallel of north latitude and separates Minicoy, the southernmost island of Lakshadweep, from the Laccadive and Amindivi islands to its north. Minicoy is also culturally distinct: its people speak Mahl, a form of Dhivehi, written in the Thaana script, which is why it is often asked about. Option A is wrong because Kavaratti, the capital, lies north of the channel with the main cluster. Option B is wrong because Kadmat, known for its lagoon and diving, also lies in the northern cluster. Option D is wrong because Bangaram is an uninhabited atoll of the same northern group. South of Minicoy lies the Eight Degree Channel, which divides India from the Maldives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands not coral islands?
Because they are tectonic in origin. They are the exposed crests of a submerged fold mountain chain that runs from the Arakan Yoma of Myanmar in the north towards Sumatra in the south, which is why they are hilly, carry peaks such as Saddle Peak, and include volcanic islands like Barren and Narcondam. Coral islands, by contrast, are built up by the skeletons of coral polyps in warm shallow water and stay very low; that describes Lakshadweep, which is India's only coral island group.
What is the difference between Kanyakumari and Indira Point?
Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu is the southernmost point of the Indian mainland. Indira Point, at the southern end of Great Nicobar, is the southernmost point of the territory of India, including its islands, and lies far south of Kanyakumari. Examiners switch between the two phrasings deliberately, so read whether the question says mainland or territory before answering.
Which channels should be remembered with their latitudes?
Three channels are named after the parallels they follow. The Ten Degree Channel, on the tenth parallel of north latitude, separates Little Andaman from Car Nicobar and so divides the Andaman group from the Nicobar group. The Nine Degree Channel, on the ninth parallel, separates Minicoy from the rest of Lakshadweep. The Eight Degree Channel, on the eighth parallel, separates Minicoy and therefore India from the Maldives. The Great Channel is also called the Six Degree Channel and divides Great Nicobar from Sumatra.
Which tribal communities live in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
Six communities are recognised. The Great Andamanese, the Onge of Little Andaman, the Jarawa of South and Middle Andaman and the Sentinelese of North Sentinel Island are of Negrito stock and live in the Andaman group. The Nicobarese and the Shompen of Great Nicobar are of Mongoloid stock and live in the Nicobar group. The Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, Sentinelese and Shompen are classed as particularly vulnerable tribal groups.
Which island carries India's only active volcano, and which has a dormant one?
Barren Island in the Andaman Sea carries the only active volcano in India and in South Asia, and has erupted several times in recent decades. Narcondam Island, also in the Andaman Sea, carries a dormant volcano and is remembered as the only home of the Narcondam hornbill. Baratang Island, between Middle and South Andaman, has mud volcanoes, which are vents of gas and slurry rather than true volcanoes, and limestone caves.
Sources
- India: Physical Environment (Class XI), Chapter 2: Structure and Physiography — NCERT
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration: about the islands — Andaman and Nicobar Administration
- Union Territory of Lakshadweep: general information — Lakshadweep Administration
