Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands

thumb|[[Domestic ducks in Kavaratti]]

thumb|[[Acanthurus leucosternon in the Laccadive Sea]]

Flora and fauna

Lakshadweep is part of the Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests ecoregion. There are no forests on the islands. Nearly 400 species of flowering plants have been documented, including three species of sea grasses Cymodocea isoetifolia, Syringodium isoetifolium and Thalassia hemprichii, other angiosperms such as Pandanus, Heliotropium foertherianum, Tournefortia argentea and Pemphis acidula, fungi, algae, and lichens. The common flora of the atolls include coconut groves and coastal shrubs such as Pemphis acidula, Cordia subcordata, Scaevola taccada, Thespesia populnea, Suriana maritima, Dodonaea viscosa, Guettarda speciosa, and seaweeds such as sea lettuces, Codium, and Hypena.

There are over 600 recorded species of marine fishes, 78 species of corals, 82 species of seaweed, 52 species of crabs, 2 species of lobsters, 48 species of gastropods, and 12 species of bivalves. It is one of the four coral reef regions in India.

Cetacean diversity off the Lakshadweep Islands and in adjacent areas include various whales (e.g., pygmy blue, Bryde's, sperm, orca, pilot whale), and dolphins. The commonly seen are introduced cattle and poultry.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" style="font-size: 85%"

|+Symbols of Lakshadweep

|Animal

|Butterfly fish (Chaetodon falcula)

|75px

|Bird

|Sooty tern (Sterna fuscata)

|75px

|Tree

|Bread fruit (Artocarpus incisa)

|75px

|Flower

|Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana)

|75px

Administration and politics

thumb|Map of Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is a union territory and is governed by an administrator on behalf of the Government of India. It was established in 1956. The headquarters of the union territory was at Kozhikode, Kerala until 1964, when the seat of the administrator of the islands was shifted to Kavaratti. Since then, the administration secretariat is based in Kavaratti. The islands constitutes a single Indian district. The district collector is in charge of revenue, land settlement and law and order.

The territory is divided into ten administrative sub-divisions headed by sub-divisional officers, except the Minicoy and Agatti islands, which are headed by deputy collectors. The ten inhabited islands have village panchayats consisting of a total of 88 members across islands. These panchayats are combined to form a district panchayat, which has 26 elected members including the chairpersons of the ten village panchayats and the Member of Parliament for Lakshadweep Lok Sabha Constituency. The territory is also divided into five community development blocks: Kavaratti, Amini, Andrott, Minicoy and Kiltan, each administered by block development officers.

The territory elects one member to the lower house of the Indian parliament, the Lok Sabha. Lakshadweep is a reserved constituency for Scheduled Tribes. The constituency is currently represented by Muhammed Hamdulla Sayeed of the Indian National Congress.

{| class="wikitable sortable defaultcenter col1left" style="font-size: 85%"

|+List of islands of Lakshadweep

!Name

!Sub-division

!Area<br />(km<sup>2</sup>)

!Population<br/>(2011)

|colspan=4 style="text-align:center; background:lightblue;"|Aminidivi

|Bitra

|0.10

|271

|Chetlat

|1.174

|2,347

|Kiltan

|1.7

|3,946

|Kadmat

|3.34

|5,404

|Amini

|2.67

|7,661

|colspan=4 style="text-align:center; background:lightblue;"|Laccadive

|Andrott

|4.9

|11,191

|Agatti

|rowspan="7"|Agatti

|3.84

|7,556

|Kalpati

|0.085

|Bangaram

|0.57

|Thinnakkara

|0.522

|Parali I

|rowspan="3"|0.089

|Parali II

|Parali III

|Kavaratti

|rowspan="4"|Kavaratti

|4.22

|11,221

|Pakshipitti

|0.001

|Valiyakara

|0.395

|Cheriyakara

|0.383

|Kalpeni

|rowspan="8"|Kalpeni

|2.79

|4,419

|Pitti I

|rowspan="2"|0.028

|Pitti II

|Cheriyam

|0.537

|Kodithala

|0.0027

|Thilakam I

|rowspan="3"|0.055

|Thilakam II

|Thilakam III

|colspan=4 style="text-align:center; background:lightblue;"|Minicoy

|Minicoy

|rowspan="2"|Minicoy

|4.801

|10,447

|Viringili

|0.025

!Total

!32.69

!64,473

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Lakshadweep has a population of 64,473, consisting of 33,123 (51.3%) males and 31,350 (48.7%) females, and had a sex ratio of 946 females per 1,000 males in 2011. It also recorded the highest sex ratio at birth amongst Indian territories as per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in 2021. As per the 2011 census, there were a total of 11,574 households and about 50,332 (78%) of the population lived in urban areas. As per the NFHS, the fertility rate was 1.4, significantly below the national average of 2.0.

Religion and ethnicity

Islam (96.6%) is the major religion of people of the islands with Sunni Islam being the predominant denomination, followed by Hinduism (2.8%) and Christianity (0.5%). Most settlers of the islands are descendants of migrants from the Malabar coast of Southwest India and are ethnically similar to the Mappilas of Kerala. According to local tradition, Islam was brought to the islands by Ubaidullah in 661 CE.

Languages

English is the official language of the union territory. There are minor variations of the same dialect across islands.

Malayalam, written in the Malayalam script, was introduced as the primary language of Lakshadweep during the British Raj. This policy has been continued since independence, with Malayalam serving as a link language on all islands, including Minicoy. Previously, a type of Arabic script, known as the Ponnani or Arabi Malayalam script, was used as the writing system.

Economy

thumb|[[Coconut tree|Coconut palms on the islands are commercially important]]

The economy is dependent on agriculture, fishery, and tourism. While rice and other crops were cultivated earlier in low-lying water logged lands called "thottams", it was discontinued due to ecological limitations. The government runs five coir factories, five production demonstration centers, and seven curling units that produce coir fiber, yarn and mats. Commercial fishing is concentrated around 11 islands with skipjack tuna and yellowfin tuna being the only commercial varieties. The government runs a tuna canning factory in the islands. Fishing is carried out using mechanized fishing boats, traditional country crafts, and country crafts fitted with outboard motors.

thumb|[[Bangaram Atoll is being promoted as a tourist destination]]

Tourism in Lakshadweep began in 1974, when the Bangaram atoll was opened for international tourism. According to government statistics, 10,435 domestic tourists and 1,313 foreign tourists visited the islands in 2018. The government is promoting tourism as a means to increase the income of the local population, with Bangaram and Kadmat islands being promoted as potential tourist destinations. To promote tourism, activities such as scuba diving, wind surfing, snorkelling, surfing, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, sportfishing, yachting and night sea voyages have been established. Tourists require permission to visit Lakshadweep and foreign nationals are not permitted to visit certain islands. According to the current alcohol laws of India, alcoholic beverage consumption is not permitted on the islands, except on Bangaram. In 2024, the government proposed further programmes to improve infrastructure and promote tourism. The potential negative effects of tourism on the environment and ecosystem of the islands are a subject of debate.

Infrastructure

thumb|There is limited [[mobile communication in the islands. Pictured is the office of state-owned BSNL in Kalpeni]]

There is no single power grid that connects Lakshadweep; independent power houses cater to the power requirements of the islands. Minicoy was the first island to be electrified in 1962, followed by Kavaratti in 1964 and others later, with Bitra being the last island to be electrified in 1982. Two diesel generators were established in 1962, which generate about 51.6 Kilo Watts of power. , the islands have 41 diesel generators and 12 solar photovoltaic systems with a total installed capacity of 18.5 Mega Watts.

The world's first ever experimental low-temperature thermal desalination plant opened in Kavaratti in 2005, with a projected daily production capacity of 100,000 litres of potable water from seawater. The plant utilises the temperature difference between warm surface seawater and much colder seawater at about depth to generate potable water as well as energy. The technology was developed at the National Institute of Ocean Technology and the government has announced plans to build three more such plants.

Mobile communication service is provided by state-owned BSNL across all inhabited islands and Airtel in Kavratti and Agatti islands. In 2020, the government announced a project to install under-sea fiber optic cable for high-speed mobile and internet connectivity between Kochi and 11 islands of Lakshadweep, which was inaugurated in January 2024. Post offices run by India Post provide mail service. The runway is capable of serving small turboprop aircraft. The government announced a plan in early 2024 to extend the runway to enable it to handle larger narrow body aircraft and expand the infrastructure to convert the airport into dual-use for civilian and military purposes. The construction of a greenfield airport at Minicoy Island was also proposed. Two helicopters are presently operated by Pawan Hans and are utilised for passenger transport and emergency medical evacuation from the islands.

, there are of paved roads and no railway in the territory. Additional roads have been planned, including a peripheral road at Kavaratti and beach front roads at Kadamath and Agatti islands. In 2024, the government unveiled a plan to develop three ports at Androth, Kalpeni and Kadamath islands as a part of the Sagar Mala project. The ten inhabited island each have a minor port. There are fifteen lighthouses on the islands, with the Minicoy Island Lighthouse (built in 1885) being the first modern lighthouse.

The Indian Navy operates the INS Dweeprakshak naval base under the Southern Naval Command, commissioned in 2012.

Education

The first public school was opened in Amini in 1904, followed by the establishment of elementary schools at Kiltan in 1911 and Kadmat in 1925. The first high schools were established in the 1960s in Amini and Kalpeni. There are four government colleges affiliated to Pondicherry University and two colleges and three university centers affiliated to Calicut University in the territory.

Flora and fauna

Administration and politics

Demographics

Religion and ethnicity

Languages

Economy

Infrastructure

Education

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links