Blessed with gorgeous beaches, lagoons of turquoise blue waters, and unique culture, Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a wonderful place tucked around 1400 km away from the east coast of India. These islands are a union territory of India, which comprises a total of 572 islands, from which only 37 islands are inhabited and a few are open to the visitors.
According to history, this place is the home ground to many Indians who were sentenced to death or life imprisonment for their loyalty to their motherland. Besides, these islands are also the native place of many tribal groups in the country. With their rich beauty of the beaches, blue lagoons, fun-filled excursions, amazing wild sea life, and exotic flora and fauna, the Andaman and Nicobar islands draw the attention of visitors from various parts of the world. People have varied perceptions about these islands and thus, they are always keen on exploring these parts. By booking, tour packages for Andaman and Nicobar Islands tourists can explore all the amazing facts related to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Interesting facts about Andaman and Nicobar Islands:
There are some interesting facts about Andaman and Nicobar Islands that attracts the tourist most. Here are some of the facts visitors should know before they visit the place-
famous for receiving the first sunrise of the millennium: Katchal is a small island situated near Nicobar and declared as the first inhabited place on the earth to receive the sunrays of the first sunrise of the millennium. India Post issued a celebratory stamp with the image of the first sunrise of the millennium at Katchal in its first postal issue in the year 2000.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the best nesting beaches in India. The three species of marine turtles Green turtle, Hawksbill turtle and worlds largest sea turtle, the Leatherback (Dermochelys Coriacea) nest here. The nesting population of Leatherback turtles in the Nicobar Islands is one of the few colonies that exceed 1,000 individuals in the Indo-Pacific and has hence gained global importance.
The Sentinelese is the tribal group who has cut off all contacts with the modern world. It is said that they fire their arrows at anyone who comes within range. These tribes are thought to have directly descended from the first human populations to emerge from Africa and have probably lived for up to 60,000 years in the Andaman Islands.
The name Andaman is presumed to be taken from Hindu deity Hanuman, who was commonly known to the Malays resided here as Handuman. The name Nicobar comes from the South Indian term Nakkavaram i.e. Land of the Naked.
The majority of the population in these islands speaks Bengali. Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam are also some other spoken languages in these islands. The commonly used trade language in the Andaman Islands is Andaman Creole Hindi.
Dugongs are the large and plump marine vegetarians with short, paddle-like front flippers commonly found in the warm coastal waters of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Popularly known as the angel of the sea, these languid creatures can be spotted at Little Andaman, parts of Nicobar, Ritchies archipelago and North Reef. This animal is declared as the state animal of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Pandanus is a densely arranged, wedge-shaped fruit that has a woody, hard, and fibrous body ingrained with many narrow, edible seeds. This fruit is a staple food in Nicobar. The stem branches of Pandanus are utilized in construction, the leaves are used for weaving mats and the hard exterior of the fruit is even used as a bathing brush.
As the turquoise waters surrounding these emerald islands brim with an abundance of whales, dolphins, dugongs, sea turtles, sailfish, sea anemones, and other marine life, commercial fishing has been prohibited in and around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for nearly or more than 4 decades.
The active volcano in the Barren Island is the only active one found in not just in the country but in the whole of South Asia. Located nearly about 135 km northeast of Port Blair, Barren Island is the small 3-km-wide island in Andaman.
The Robber crab (Birgus Latro), is the largest land-living arthropod in the world and generally dwell on land. But at nights the crab climbs up the coconut trees to eat the soft kernel of the coconuts. One can find the highest numbers of these huge crabs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These crabs can be spotted on the South Sentinel Island as well as on some islands in Nicobar.
In Andaman and Nicobar, tourists can even see the mud volcanoes in Baratang, Ross Island, famous for headquarters of the British and Japanese in the past, White Surf Falls and Whisper Waves in Little Andaman, and many more. By booking, holiday packages for Andaman and Nicobar Islands tourists can explore all the amazing facts related to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Many travel agencies are offering tour packages and holiday packages to explore these islands. Holiday packages for Andaman and Nicobar Islands offered by the travel companies will help you in planning your trip to Andaman and Nicobar ensuring that you can visit the most important places and can enjoy all activities in the most convenient way. Tour Travel World is amongst the leading portals that provide information about all the options given by the travel agencies ensuring transparency and meets the travelers expectations.