Coastal Plains and Islands Life

Islands
There are two groups of islands in India : Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Located in the Bay of Bengal, about 1,255 km from Kolkata, these islands form a union territory with capital at Port Blair. There are over 300 islands in this group, of which only 37 are inhibited. Tourism, fishing and farming are chief occupations. The important crops grown here are rice, maize, coconut, pineapple, rubber and papaya. A number of tourists visit here to enjoy the scenic beaches and customs of the native people. A number of languages are spoken here such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu etc. India’s southernmost point, Indira Point, is located here. The Cellular Jail is a famous place of tourist interest which was, prior to independence, used by the British to lodge the Indian freedom fighters under in human conditions.

                            Cellular Jail
Lakshadweep Islands Lakshadweep islands, a union territory with capital at Kavaratti, are situated off the coast of Kerala. These coral islands consist of 36 islands, out of which only 10 are inhabited. Coconut is the major crop here, and it serves as the chief raw material for many cottage industries. The main occupations include dairy-farming, poultry-farming, and fishing.

                               Coral Island