Neil Island

Neill Island
Nickname: James Neill Island
Neill Island
Neill Island
Geography
Location Bay of Bengal
Coordinates 11°50′N 93°02′E / 11.83°N 93.04°E / 11.83; 93.04Coordinates: 11°50′N 93°02′E / 11.83°N 93.04°E / 11.83; 93.04
Archipelago Andaman Islands
Adjacent bodies of water Indian Ocean
Total islands 1
Major islands
  • Neill
Area 13.7 km2 (5.3 sq mi)[1]
Length 3.7 km (2.3 mi)
Width 6.3 km (3.91 mi)
Coastline 19.4 km (12.05 mi)
Highest elevation 101 m (331 ft)[2]
Highest point Nipple Hill
Administration
District South Andaman
Island group Andaman Islands
Island sub-group Ritchie's Archipelago
Tehsil Port Blair Tehsil
Largest settlement Neill Kendra (pop. 1000)
Demographics
Population 3040 (2011)
Pop. density 222.00 /km2 (574.98 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups Hindu, Andamanese
Additional information
Time zone
PIN 744104[3]
Telephone code 031927 [4]
ISO code IN-AN-00[5]
Official website www.and.nic.in
Literacy 84.4%
Avg. summer temperature 30.2 °C (86.4 °F)
Avg. winter temperature 23.0 °C (73.4 °F)
Sex ratio 1.2♂/♀
Census Code 35.639.0004
Official Languages Hindi, English

Neill Island is an island of the Andaman Islands, located in Ritchie's Archipelago. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[6] the island is lying 36 km (22 mi) northeast from Port Blair.

Etymology

Neill is named after British Brigadier general James Neill, who had sternly dealt with the rebels during the suppression of the 1857 Mutiny.

History

Neill Island was uninhabited until the arrival of settlers in the late 1960s. Like Havelock, the vast majority of settlers at Neill were refugees from erstwhile Bangladesh, following the exodus of Hindu Bangladeshi's prior to that country's war of independence in 1971.

Geography

The island belongs to the Ritchie's Archipelago and is located between Havelock Island and Rose Island. It is a comparatively flat island, and much of the landmass was deemed suitable for paddy cultivation. Unfortunately, as a result of this, very little forest cover remains at Neil, and almost all of it is concentrated in the reserve forest on Neil's north-western side. Neill island tends to remain a degree or two warmer than Havelock as a result of the lack of forest cover. The island is not without charm however, but it is a different, pastoral sort of charm that the island offers.

Administration

Politically, Neill Island is part of Neill Kendra panchayat, of Port Blair Taluk.[7]

Demographics

The population of 3040 lives in five villages, which are numbered 1 through 5 (with population at 2011 census in parentheses):[8]

  1. Sitapur (274)
  2. Bharatpur (629)
  3. Neill Kendra (1000)
  4. Lakshmanpur (382)
  5. Ram Nagar (755)

Transportation

There is a jetty at Neill Kendra, which serves as the only entry–exit point of the island.[9] There are regular Government ferry from Port Blair to Neill Island. There are private cruise ships such as Makruzz and Coastal Cruise.[10]

Economy

Agriculture is the primary occupation of the villagers, and the island supplies vegetables to the rest of Andaman.

Tourism

Despite its minuscule tourist infrastructure, an increasing number of tourists have chosen to stay at Neill Island instead of neighboring Havelock Island. There are a handful of restaurants and basic beach hotels that cater to international and domestic tourists.

References

  1. ↑ "Islandwise Area and Population - 2011 Census" (PDF). Government of Andaman.
  2. ↑ "Sailing Directions (enroute) | India and the Bay of Bengal" (PDF) (173). National Geospatial-intelligence Agency, United States Government. 2014. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  3. ↑ "A&N Islands - Pincodes". 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "STD Codes of Andaman and Nicobar". allcodesindia.in. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  5. ↑ Registration Plate Numbers added to ISO Code
  6. ↑ "Village Code Directory: Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF). Census of India. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
  7. ↑ "DEMOGRAPHIC – A&N ISLANDS" (PDF). andssw1.and.nic.in. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  8. ↑ "Census of India: Sub-District Details".
  9. ↑ "Neil Island in Andaman and Nicobar, About Neil Island in Andaman". 20 May 2013.
  10. ↑ Experience Andaman. "Ferry in Andaman Service, Timings and Tickets - Experience Andamans".

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