Tag: to our own islands

Lakshadweep  is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, 200 to 440 km (120 to 270 mi) off the southwestern coast of India. The archipelago is a Union Territory and is governed by the Union Government of India. They were also known as Laccadive Islands, although geographically this is only the name of the central subgroup of the group. 

• Lakshadweep islands are coral islands formed by the agglomeration of skeletons and calcium carbonate secretions of tiny marine  animals called Polyps.
  
•  They live in colonies in symbiotic relationship with algae and zooxanthalae bacteria which gives vibrant colours to coral reefs and made the most productive and vegetative regions of the oceans .
  
• Salient features of Lakshadweep Islands:
  
• 1) Originated as coral islands and agricultural productivity is low due to infertile soil. 
  
• 2) Existence of atolls, corals etc., made it as one of the tourist destination.
  

•  India has 2 main island groups, namely Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar island.
  
• The Lakshadweep consists of many small islands located opposite the Kerala coast in the
  
• Arabian Sea. The islands of this group are formed of coral deposits called ‘atolls’ in  Malayalam which refer to their ring or ‘horse-shoe’ shape.
  
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•  The Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
  
• on the other hand, are larger in size. They are more in number and more widely scattered.
  
• There are about 200 islands in the Andaman group and 19 islands in the Nicobar group.
  

• Lakshadweep is a tropical archipelago of 36 atolls and coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala, India. Not all of the islands are inhabited, and only a few are open to visitors (permits required).
  
•  Kavaratti, one of the more developed islands, is home to dozens of mosques, including the ornately decorated Ujra Mosque, as well as Kavaratti Aquarium, showcasing regional fish, shark and coral species.
  
• Lakshadweep is one of the worlds most spectacular tropical island systems. Thirty- two sq. km of land spread over 36 islands surrounded by 4200 sq. km of lagoon rich in marine wealth.
  

Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest of the Nicobar Islands of India,  which is situated North of Sumatra. The island of Sumatra is located 180 km to the south of Great Nicobar. The island covers 921 $km^2$ but is sparsely inhabited.

The Andamans are separated from the Nicobar group by a channel (the Ten Degree Channel) some 150 km  wide. The highest point is located in North Andaman Island (Saddle Peak at 732 m ). The Andaman group has 325 islands which cover an area of $ 6,170 km^2$ while the Nicobar group has only 24 islands with an area of $1,765 km^2$ .