The
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory (UT) of the Indian Union is home to a number of indigenous tribes. It lies
in the Bay of Bengal, approximately 1,220 km south east of
the coast of
West Bengal and 1,190 km east of Chennai.
The
UT comprises of two islands – Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands. The
main islands in the Andaman are Land Fall Island, Middle Andaman, South
Andaman, Port Blair and Little Andaman. Nicobar, lying to the south,
comprises of Car Nicobar, Great Nicobar, Chowra, Teresa, Nancowrie,
Katchal and Little Nicobar.
A deep ten-degree channel separates the two groups of islands, Andaman and Nicobar. 12 of
the islands, particularly Car Nicobar in the north, are inhabited, while Great Nicobar, the largest and southernmost
island in the group, is virtually uninhabited.
The
capital of the UT is Port Blair on the Andaman Islands. The UT regions
are administered by the home ministry in the central Indian Government. The islands are important from the
tourism point of view. The UT capital is well linked by regular ships and air services from coastal regions of the mainland of India.