Brief
About North Middle Andaman District
District of Andamans is Northern Part of Andaman
& Nicobar Islands and comprises of 550 Islands, Islets and rocks
out which only 26 are inhabited. Some of these islands are large
such as Middle Andaman, North Andaman, South Andaman, Baratang and
Little Andaman islands.
The Total Area of Andamans District is 6,408
Sq.Kms. The highest point of the territory is also situated in
this District at Diglipur. There are four primitive tribes in
Andamans District and they have been recognised as belonging to
the Negrito stock, namely Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas and
Sentinelese.
The Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar
has been divided into 2 districts viz District of Andamans and
District of Nicobars. Port Blair is the capital of this territory,
is also the headquarters of Andaman District. Each district
is headed by a Deputy Commissioner.
The District of Andaman
consists of 2 sub-Divisions and five tehsils.
There are two distinct seasons-
summer and rainy. The rainy season lasts for about 180 days.
Language
Most of Indian languages are spoken in Andaman and Nicobar
Islands because of its cosmopolitan nature. The common language
is Hindi whereas English and Hindi are used in official correspondence.
The languages spoken in these islands include
Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Punjabi, Marathi, Kannada,
Oriya, Gujarati, Karen
All
the above languages have their normal script as prevalent elsewhere
in mainland. The Karen language has the Burmese script and alphabets.
Apart from these languages, the tribal dialects include Onge,
Jarawa, Sentinelese and Andamanese Only Nicobarese, among these
dialects, has a script of its own. The Nicobarese dialect has
a Roman script and its own alphabets.
Paradise On Earth
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands were shrouded in mystery for centuries
because of their inaccessibility. These are the paragon of beauty
and present a landscape full with scenic and picturesque extravaganza.
These islands shimmer like emeralds in the Bay of Bengal. The
dense forest which cover these islands and the innumerable exotic
flowers and birds create a highly poetic and romantic atmosphere.
"Here the white beaches on the edge of a meandering coastline
have palm trees that sway to the rhythm of the Sea. The beat of
tribal drums haunt the stillness and technicolour fish steer their
way through crystal clear water." This addition of strangeness
to beauty which is responsible for creating the infinite romantic
impact may be described in the following famous lines of Keats.
"Charmed magic casement opening on the foam Of
perilous seas in fair lands forlorn."
The scenic beauty of Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
would create a sense of dissatisfaction and the human mind would
rebel against "the whole mass of the motley facts of life". He
would be guided by an irresistible desire to this paradise on
earth, with invincible faith on the philosophy of Wordsworth
"Our cheerful faith, that all which we behold
is full of blessing".
The unparalleled beauty of these islands, create
in men a love of nature with a caressing tenderness, a wistful
fondness for all its delicate nuances. The enveloping atmosphere
with its subtle harmonies of light and shade, fragrance and exhales
the paradise, visionary splendours, and the music of the birds
that defies definition would develop creative and constructive
feelings in the hearts of those people who come here to enjoy
the beauty of nature. He would like to rebel against the stereotyped
moulds and forms into which life is so called 'modernman' is cast.
He would be under the impact of the complex mood of infinite longing
and tragic helplessness, "the yearning that craves for expression,
yet defies expression, the inconclusive struggle between emotional
apprehension of life and the articulation that must transcend
personal emotion".
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have great maritime
importance. During the British period political leaders considered
dangerous to the interests of the Raj and other dreaded criminals
were deported from mainland to the Cellular Jail- the Indian Bastille,
situated on the sea coast of Atlanta Point in the North-Eastern
part of Port Blair. Thus these islands were infamously known as
the 'Black Water Prison' or 'Kala Pani'.
The Andaman & Nicobar are a group of picturesque
Islands, big and small, inhabited and uninhabited, a total of
572 islands, islets and rocks lying in the South Eastern Part
of the Bay of Bengal.They lie along an arc in long and narrow
broken chain, approximately North-South over a distance nearly
800 kms. . It is logical to presume a former land connection form
Cape Negris at South part of Burma to Achin Head (Cape Pedro)
in Andalas (Sumatra). The flora and fauna of these islands, however,
indicate that this land connection if it existed, should have
been prior to the development of their present life form.
District of Andaman is Northern Part of Andaman
& Nicobar Islands and comprises of 550 Islands, Islets and rocks
out of which only 26 are inhabited. Some of these islands are
large such as Middle Andaman, North Andaman, South Andaman, Baratang
and Little Andaman islands. The northern most island is Landfall
and southern most Little Andaman. The total area of Andaman District
is 6,408 Sq.Kms. The highest point of the territory is also situated
in this District at Diglipur. There are four primitive tribes
in Andaman District and they have been recognised as belonging
to the Negrito stock, namely Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas
and Sentinelese.
Floating in splendid isolation, east of the Indian
mainland is the archipelago of 572 emerald islands, islets and
rocks known as Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This Union Territory
is stretched over an area of more than 800 kms. from north to
south with 36 inhabited islands. Once a hill range extending from
Burma(Myanmar) to exotic flowers and birds. The topography of
the islands is hilly and abounds in evergreen forests. The sandy
beaches on the edge of meandering coastline are fringed with coconut-palms
that sway to the rhythm of the sea. The sea around the islands
offer excellent scope for water sports. The rare flora and fauna,
underwater marine life and corals, with crystal clear water and
mangrove-lined creeks, offer a dream-view of the rare gifts of
nature. The clean and wide roads, free of filth as well as unpolluted
fresh air attract any nature-lover, who seek absolute peace and
tranquility in the lap of mother nature. Adventure tourism like
trekking, island camping, snorkeling, scuba diving etc., are the
real attractions. A visit to these islands is a memorable lifetime
experience.
Mythologically, the name Andaman was presumed
to be derived from Hanuman, who was known to the Malays as Handuman.
Since pre-historic times, these islands were the home of aboriginal
tribes. The tribes of the Andaman group of islands are the Great
Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, and Sentinalese, all of Negrito origin,
while the tribes of Nicobars are the Nicobarese and Shompens,
both of Mongoloid stock. The first settlement by the British took
place in 1789, which was later abandoned in 1796. The second settlement
was basically a penal settlement, taken up in 1858, after the
First War of Independence, followed by the settlement of convicts,
Moplas, some criminal tribes from Central and United Provinces,
refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan, Burma and Sri Lanka as
well as ex-servicemen.
In these islands people of all faiths-Hindus,
Muslims, Christians, Sikhs etc., and of all languages like Hindi,
Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Nicobari etc., live together
in complete peace and harmony. Inter-religion and inter-regional
marriages are common. This amazing racial and cultural mix is
correctly described as Mini-India.
Forests are the green gold of the islands. The
reserved and protected forests extend over 86% area of the territory
and the forest cover is more than 92% About 60% of the forests
has been set aside as Tribal Reserves, National Parks and Wildlife
Sanctuaries, which are inviolate. Luxuriant mangroves, perhaps
one of the riches in the world, occupy nearly 11.5% of the territory.
More than 150 plant and animal species are endemic in nature.
Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is rich in corals, varieties
of coloured fishes, sea turtles etc., besides other marine life.
It is a bird's paradise - more than 271 varieties of birds inhabit
the idyllic landscape, out of which 39 are endemic. Megapode,
Swiflet, Hornbill and Nicobar, Pigeon are some of the specialties
of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Administration
In Andaman
