Andaman and Nicobar Islands
An Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, comprising the Andaman and Nicobar island groups. Japan occupied the islands during World War II.
British India: The territories of the Indian subcontinent governed by Britain, directly or through princely states, before independence in 1947. British rule made the islands a colonial possession before Japan occupied them.
Great Andamanese: An Indigenous people of the Andaman Islands whose communities were drastically reduced after sustained contact and colonial disruption. Their history shows the severe effects of colonial settlement and disease in the Andamans.
Bay of Bengal: A northeastern arm of the Indian Ocean bordered by India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. The archipelago lies in this bay between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
Andaman and Nicobar Command: India’s integrated military command headquartered at Port Blair, established in 2001. It gives India a unified military presence near key Indian Ocean sea routes.
Andaman Islands: The northern island group of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, north of the Ten Degree Channel. The Andamans form the larger northern part of the named Indian territory.
Cellular Jail: A colonial prison in Port Blair, built to confine Indian political prisoners in isolation. Its penal history embodies the islands’ role in British imperial rule.
Jarawa: An Indigenous people of the Andaman Islands whose communities have maintained limited contact with outsiders. Their territory and limited-contact policy shape debates over roads and access.
Ten Degree Channel: A sea passage near ten degrees north latitude separating the Andaman Islands from the Nicobar Islands. It marks the geographic division between the archipelago’s two main island groups.
Indira Point: The southernmost point of Great Nicobar Island and the southernmost point of India. Its position illustrates the archipelago’s reach toward the Strait of Malacca.
Nicobar Islands: The southern island group of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, south of the Ten Degree Channel. The Nicobars differ from the Andamans in geography, Indigenous communities, and wartime experience.