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Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a
string of 300 tropical islands which lie scattered halfway between Calcutta
and the equator. The area of the Andamans is 6,408 sq km. Most ofthe
Andamans are hilly and forested, Saddle Peak on North Andaman, which rises
to 732 m, is the highest point. The land area of the Nicobars is about 1,645
sq km.
The inhabitants, live on 12 of the islands, particularly Car Nicobar in the
north. Great Nicobar, the largest and southernmost island in the group, is
virtually uninhabited. The capital of this Union Territory is Port Blair on
Andaman Islands. The existence of these islands was first reported in the
9th century by Arab merchants, who sailed past them on their way to the
straits of Sumatra.
The first western visitor was Marco Polo who called it the land of the head
hunters. The islands were annexed by the Marathas in the late 17th century.
In the early, 18th century, the islands were the base of Maratha admiral
Kanhoji Angre, whose navy frequently captured British, Dutch and Portugese
merchant ships. Angre remained undefeated by the combined British /
Portugese naval task force, right up to his death in 1729.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands were finally annexed by the British in the 19th
century and used as a penal colony for Indian freedom fighters. The penal
settlement known as Kala Pani or Black Water where the most criminals were
sent, never to be seen again. In the notorius 'Cellular Jail' many of the
inmates were executed, either judicially or clandestinely. During World War
II the Japanese occupied the islands and were not welcomed as liberators and
created their own record of cruelty. The local tribes took up guerrilla
activities against the Japanese. After India gained independence in 1947,
the islands were incorporated into the Indian Union.
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