Nicobar Islands

The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of the Indian subcontinent, across the Bay of Bengal, they are part of India, as the Nicobar district within the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Together with the Andaman Islands to their north, the Nicobar Islands serve as a maritime boundary between the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Andaman Sea to the east.

In 2013, UNESCO added the Great Nicobar Island to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves, a list of internationally designated protected areas.

History

Etymology

The earliest extant references to the name "Nicobar" is in the Sri Lankan Pali Buddhist chronicles, the Dipavamsa (c. 3rd or 4th century CE) and the Mahavamsa (c. 4th or 5th century), which state that the children of the followers of the legendary founder of the Sri Lankan Kingdom, Vijaya, landed on Naggadipa (the island of the children, from the Pali nagga meaning 'naked'). In the ninth century, the Persian explorer Abū Zayd al-Sīrāfī referred to the Nicobar Islands as Lanjabālūs.

The modern name is likely derived from the Chola dynasty name for the islands, Nakkavaram (may be referring to open/naked land or naked man's land in Tamil), which is inscribed on the Thanjavur (Tanjore) inscription of 1050 CE. Marco Polo (12th-13th century) also referred to this island as 'Necuverann'.

In the 15th century, Great Nicobar Island was recorded as "Cui Lan island" (翠蘭嶼) during the voyages of Zheng He in the Mao Kun map of the Wu Bei Zhi.

Prehistory

thumb|[[Nicobarese people, ]]

The Nicobar Islands are believed to have been inhabited for several thousands of years. Six indigenous Nicobarese languages are spoken on the islands, which are part of the Austroasiatic language family, which include the Mon, Khmer, and Vietnamese languages of Southeast Asia, as well as the Munda languages of India. An indigenous tribe living at the southern tip of Great Nicobar, known as the Shompen, may be of Mesolithic Southeast Asian origin.

Colonial period

Organized European colonization on the islands began with the Danish East India Company in 1754/56. During this time, they were administered from Tranquebar (in continental Danish India) under the name of Frederiksøerne. Missionaries from the Moravian Church Brethren's settlement in Tranquebar attempted a settlement on Nancowry and died in great numbers from disease. The islands were repeatedly abandoned due to outbreaks of malaria: 1784–1807/09, 1830–1834, and finally from 1848, gradually for good. Between 1778 and 1783, William Bolts attempted to establish an Austrian colony on the islands on the mistaken assumption that Denmark–Norway had abandoned its claims to the islands.

Italy attempted to buy the Nicobar Islands from Denmark between 1864 and 1865. The Italian Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, Luigi Torelli, started a negotiation that looked promising but failed due to the unexpected end of his office and the second La Marmora Cabinet. The negotiations were interrupted and never brought up again.

Denmark's presence in the islands ended formally on 16 October 1868 when it sold the rights to the Nicobar Islands to the United Kingdom,

26 December 2004 tsunami

On 26 December 2004, the coast of the Nicobar Islands was devastated by a tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. At least 6,000 people were killed on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with reports putting the death toll on Katchal Island alone at 4,600.

Several islands were heavily damaged with initial reports of islands broken in two or three pieces and coral reefs moved above water. Teressa Island was said to have been split into two pieces and Trinkat Island into three pieces. Some estimates said that the islands were moved as much as by the earthquake and tilted.

Indira Point subsided and the lighthouse there was damaged.

Geography

The Nicobar Islands cover a land area of and a population of 36,844 inhabitants, according to the 2011 census of India. They comprise three distinct groups:

Northern Group:

Car Nicobar (Pū)
Battimalv (Kuono)

Central Group:

Chowra, Chaura, or Sanenyo
Teressa or Luroo
Bompuka or Poahat
Katchal (Tihanyu or Tehnu)
Kamorta
Trinket (Laful)
Nancowry (Nancowrie)
Tillangchong
Laouk or "Isle of Man"

Southern Group (Sambelong in the Southern Nicobarese language):

Great Nicobar (Lo'ong) (, largest island of the Nicobars)
Kondul Island (Lamongshe), located between Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar
Kabra Island, located between Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar
Little Nicobar (Ong)
Pulo Milo or Pillomilo (Milo Island)
Menchal Island (Pingaeyak)
Treis (Albatei) Island
Trak (Mafuya) Island
Meroe (Piruii)
Pigeon Island
Megapod Island

Indira Point () is the southernmost point of Great Nicobar Island and also of India itself, lying about north of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Geology

The Nicobar Islands are part of a great island arc created by the collision of the Indo-Australian Plate with Eurasia. The collision lifted the Himalayas and most of the Indonesian islands, and created a long arc of highlands and islands, which includes the Arakan Yoma range of Burma, the Andaman and Nicobar islands, and the islands off the west coast of Sumatra, including the Banyak Islands and the Mentawai Islands.

Climate

The climate is warm and tropical, with temperatures ranging from . Rainfall is heavy due to annual monsoons and measures around each year. The Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve consists of an area of . The core area, which measures , comprises Campbell Bay and Galathea National Parks. A buffer area of includes lands adjacent to and between the two parks. There is also a transitional area of , including .|align=right

The islands had a population of 36,842 in 2011. The indigenous ethnic groups are the Nicobarese and the Shompen. Local languages include Shompen and the languages of the tin Nicobarese group.

Transportation

Airport: Car Nicobar has an airstrip on Car Nicobar Air Force Base of on the South East coast near Malacca but does not offer commercial service. Great Nicobar has a small airstrip of approximately at Campbell Bay/Tenlaa on its East Coast.
Seaport: At least one small shipping dock is located in Campbell Bay on the East coast of Great Nicobar. Car Nicobar has a small dock at its Northern tip near Keating Point and Mus.

References

External links

WorldStatesmen- India