IMPORTANT PLACES IN ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR

Great Nic
obar  is the largest of the Nicobar Islands of India, north of Sumatra. Indira Point, its southernmost tip, is also the southernmost point of India. The island of Sumatra is located to the south of Great Nicobar. The island covers 1045 km² but is sparsely inhabited, with a population of 9,440, largely being covered by rainforest and known for its diverse wildlife.
Katchal

Great Nicobar  is the largest of the Nicobar Islands of India, north of Sumatra. Indira Point, its southernmost tip, is also the southernmost point of India. The island of Sumatra is located to the south of Great Nicobar. The island covers 1045 km² but is sparsely inhabited, with a population of 9,440, largely being covered by rainforest and known for its diverse wildlife.

                                                                    Great Nicobar 

Katchal is one of the Nicobar Islands, India. Its area is 174.4 km2 (67.3 sq mi). It is approximately 1,600 km (990 mi) away from mainland (India) and 305 km (190 mi) south to capital Port Blair.Katchal was earlier known as Tihnyu, has been home to both indigenous and non-indigenous people. Katchal was one of the worst affected islands during the 2004 Tsunami. This region belongs to the Indian territory and comes under the Nicobar district.Katchal is inhabited by Nicobari Tribes and Migrated Tamilians (For Rubber plantation workers under Sastri-Srimao Bandaranayaka Pact of 1964). The Island is not open to tourists and special permission is required from the local administration at Port Blair.At sunrise on 1 January 2000, picturesque Katchal Island was in the news. Many rich and famous people from around the world had converged on it for a glimpse of the millennium's first sunrise.Indira Point,

Indira Point, earlier known as Pygmalion Point is undoubtedly the southernmost tip of India.
Indonesian land-mass is only 140kms away from here.
Marking the southernmost point of Indian territory, this lighthouse is an important landmark for ships bound to or from the Strait of Malacca. The point of land, formerly called Parsons Point and later Pygmalion Point, was renamed Indira Point after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi made a visit to the light station. The tsunami of December 26, 2004, swept away all the structures of the station except the lighthouse. 16 people were killed, including the keepers and a number of scientists who happened to be visiting at the time. Geologists later estimated that the land in the area subsided 4.5 m (almost 15 ft) as a result of the earthquake that caused the tsunami; this subsidence left the lighthouse standing in the water. Nonetheless, the Indian Coast Guard succeeded in reactivating the lighthouse by the end of February 2005. When the light failed in 2007, the repair crew could not reach the tower from land, so they were lowered to the tower by helicopter (as seen at right). Now located just off the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island; the station is said to be accessible by road. Site open, tower closed.Museum in Port Blair 

The best museum in Port Blair provides a thorough and sympathetic portrait of the islands’ indigenous tribal communities. The glass display cases may be old school, but they don’t feel anywhere near as ancient as the simple geometric patterns etched into a Jarawa chest guard, a skull left in a Sentinelese lean-to or the totemic spirits represented by Nicobarese shamanic sculptures. Publications on Andaman and Nicobar's indigenous culture are for sale in the gift shop.

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is a national park of India in Wandoor on the Andaman Islands. Situated 29 km. from Port Blair, the park covers 281.5 km² made up of 15 islands and the open sea creeks running through the area. There is a chance for ecotourism on the islands Jolly Buoy and Red Skin which are open during some seasons offering glass bottom boats, scuba diving and snorkeling as a way to see the park's coral reefs and marine life.The park was created 24 May 1983 under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to protect marine life such as the corals and nesting sea turtles prevalent in the area. It was placed under the protection of the Chief Wildlife Warden of the forest department of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The islands are uninhabited land although, per the 1981 census, there is a population of 3000 living in 8 adjacent villages.

The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī (Black Water), was a colonial prison situated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. The prison was used by the British especially to exile political prisoners to the remote archipelago. Many notable dissidents such as Batukeshwar Dutt and Veer Savarkar, among others, were imprisoned here during the struggle for India's independence. Today, the complex serves as a national memorial monument.

Prof. John Kurakar