Lakshadweep

?Lakshadweep India
Coordinates:
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area	28 km² (11 sq mi)
Capital	Kavaratti
Largest city	Andrott
District(s)	1
Population • Density	60,595 • 2,164 /km² (5,605 /sq mi)
Language(s)	Malayalam
Administrator	B.V. Selvaraj
Established	1956-11-01
ISO abbreviation	IN-LD
Website: lakshadweep.nic.in
Seal of Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep (pronunciation; (Malayalam: ലക്ഷദ്വീപ്) , [Lakṣadvīp]), the smallest union territory of India, is a group of islands 200 to 300 km off of the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea. Their total land area is 11 sq mi or 28 km². Eleven of the islands are inhabited. Lakshadweep is the northern part of the erstwhile Lakshadweepa.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Demographics 3 History 4 Politics 5 Economy 6 Islands, Reefs, Banks 7 Transportation 8 External links

Etymology

Lakshwadeep literally means one lakh or a hundred thousand islands.

Demographics

The people of all the northern islands speak a dialect of Malayalam. According to local folk beliefs, they descended from traders who were washed up on the islands during a particularly heavy storm. However, the people of Minicoy, the southernmost atoll, speak Mahl, a variant of Divehi, the language of the Maldives.

The islanders are ethnically similar to coastal Kerala's Malayali people, and were influenced by Arab traders. Inhabitants of Minicoy, the southernmost and largest island, closely resemble Maldivians. Most — 99% — of the indigenous population is Muslim; they were converted by Arab traders. The locals call themselves the Div-i or the Aminidivi ("from the mother island"). There is also a sizable Ahmadiyya Muslim Community there. ^[1]

History

The islands were under the rule of Ali Rajahs/Arakkal Bheevi of Kannur, who received them as a gift from the Kolathiris.^[2]. The Portuguese took control to exploit coir production. The Portuguese invasion was a period of great brutality on the islands, and eventually the islanders expelled the Portuguese. The islands are also mentioned in great detail in the stories of the Arab traveller Ibn Batuta. There is a local legend that a holy man named Hazrath Ubidulla who was supposed to be the grand son of first kaleefa Aboobacker was the one to propagate islam there.

The Amindivi group of islands (Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat and Bitra) came under the rule of Tipu Sultan in 1787. They passed to British control after the Third Anglo-Mysore War and were attached to South Canara. The rest of the islands came under the suzerainty of the Arakkal family of Cannanore in return for a payment of annual tribute. After a while, the British took over the administration of those islands for non-payment of arrears. These islands were attached to the Malabar district of the Madras Presidency. In 1956, the States Reorganisation Act separated these islands from the mainland administrative units, forming a new union territory by combining all the islands.

Politics

The union territory is administered by an Administrator appointed by India's central government. Lakshadweep is under the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam. The Territory also elects one member to the Lok Sabha. The panchayat raj system is implemented in the islands. There are dweep panchyats and district panchayat in each island; each dweep panchayat has its own elected chairperson. Democracy is limited to Pachayats and the sole member of the Lok Sabha; most power resides with the Administrator.

Economy

Lakshadweep's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $60 million at current prices. It was coconut , which moved the island economy in the past. But over the period, coconut lost its significance in the economy. Now Government jobs and related works are the major income providers for the islanders.^[3] Tuna fishing too contribute to the island economy, but due to high density of population and absence of any other resources, industries never flourished in the island. Due to its isolation and scenic appeal, Lakshadweep is emerging as a major tourist attraction for Indians. This brings in significant revenue, which is likely to increase. Since such a small region cannot support industries, the government is actively promoting tourism as a means of income.

Islands, Reefs, Banks

Lakshadweep officially consists of 12 atolls, 3 reefs and 5 submerged banks, with a total of about 36 islands and islets. The reefs are in fact also atolls, although mostly submerged, with only small unvegetated sand cays above the high water mark. The submerged banks are sunken atolls.

Almost all the atolls have a northeast-southwest orientation with the islands lying on the eastern rim, and a mostly submerged reef on the western rim, enclosing a lagoon.

Two banks further north are not considered part of the group:

• Angria Bank
• Adas Bank

The atolls, reefs and banks are listed from north to south in the table:

Atoll/Reef/Bank (alternate name)	type	Land Area (km²)	Lagoon Area (km²)	No. of islets	Pop. Census 2001	Location
Amindivi Islands
Cora Divh	bank	-	339.45	-	-
Sesostris Bank	bank	-	388.53	-	-
Bassas de Pedro (Munyal Par, Padua Bank)	bank	-	2474.33	-	-
Cherbaniani Reef (Beleapani Reef)	reef	0.01	172.59	2	-
Byramgore Reef (Chereapani)	reef	0.01	57.46	1	-
Chetlat Island	atoll	1.14	1.60	1	2289
Bitrā Island	atoll	0.10	45.61	2	264
Kiltān Island	atoll	2.20	1.76	1	3664
Kadmat Island (Cardamum)	atoll	3.20	37.50	1	5319
Elikalpeni Bank	bank	-	95.91	-	-
Peremul Par	reef	0.01	83.02	1	-
Amini Island 1)	atoll	2.59	155.09 1)	1	7340
Laccadive Islands
Bingaram Island (Bangaram) 2)	atoll	2.30	46.25	4	- 3)
Agatti Island 2)	atoll	3.84	17.50	4	7072
Pitti Island 1)	island 1)	0.01	155.09 1)	1	-
Androth Island (Andrott)	atoll	4.90	4.84	1	10720
Kavaratti Island	atoll	4.22	4.96	1	10113
Kalpeni Island	atoll	2.79	25.60	7	4319
Suheli Par	atoll	0.57	78.76	2	-
Minicoy
Investigator Bank	bank	-	141.78	-	-
Minicoy Island	atoll	4.80	30.60	2	9495
Lakshadweep		32.69	4203.14	32	60595	08°16'-13°58'N, 71°44°-74°24'E
1) Amini Island and Pitti Island are both on Pitti Bank, a largely sunken atoll with a lagoon area of 155.09 km²
2) Bingaram and Agatti Islands are connected by a shallow submarine ridge
3) new international tourist resort, otherwise uninhabited, but with a population 61 at the 1990 census

The main islands are Kavaratti (where the capital city, Kavaratti, is located), Agatti, Minicoy, and Amini. The total population of the territory was 60,595 according to the 2001 census. Agatti has an airport where there are direct flights from Kochi, Kerala or Ernakulam (Cochin). Tourists need a permit to visit the islands; foreign nationals are not permitted to visit certain islands. Consumption of alcohol is not permitted in the islands except on Bangaram Island.

The name of the archipelago literally translates as "hundred thousand islands" (laksha = "one hundred thousand", dweep = "island"). Until 1973, the island group was known by the anglicised name Laccadives (compare to Maldives and Suvadives) although the term Laccadives strictly only applies to central Lakshdweep with the northern Amindivi Islands and Minicoy to the south considered separate. This is reflected in the pre-1973 name of the union territory, Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands (Malayalam: ലക്ഷദ്വീപ്, മിനിക്കോയ്, അമന്തീവ [Lakṣhadvīp, Minikkoy, Amantīv]). The Laccadive Islands plus Minicoy Island are known as the Cannanore Islands.

Transportation

Agatti Aerodrome on Agatti Island is currently the only airport in Lakshadweep. Indian Airlines, the state-owned carrier, serves Agatti and flies to Kochi on the mainland. Also, from April 2007, a private carrier, Kingfisher Airlines, has commenced flights to and from Agatti. Kingfisher connects Kochi and Bangalore to Agatti. The other islands are linked by helicopter or boat service.

Ships are the major means of transportation for the islanders. Ships are operated from either Kochi or Beypore (Calicut). There are around 5 passenger ships, but genrally only two at a time operate. Advance bookings are required. Sailong schedules are arranged so that each island gets priority at some time of the year. There are vessels operating between some of the larger islands like Kavaratti, Androth, Kalpeni etc., but sailings are affected by weather conditions.

External links

• Indian Reef Region – Lakshadweep Islands
• Official Site for Lakshadweep Islands
• Lakshadweep Islands Tourism information
• Beautiful Photographs of the Lakshadweep Islands
• Lakshadweep Islands Tourism information
• SPORTS->Lakshadweep Tourism Official Agency
• geographical information, lagoon sizes
• submerged northern reef banks

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