Andamans
Location of the Andaman Islands.
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bay of Bengal |
| Coordinates | 12°30′N 92°45′E / 12.500°N 92.750°ECoordinates: 12°30′N 92°45′E / 12.500°N 92.750°E |
| Archipelago | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| Total islands | 572 |
| Major islands | North Andaman Island, Little Andaman, Middle Andaman Island, South Andaman Island |
| Area | 6,408 km2 (2,474 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 732 m (2,402 ft) |
| Highest point | Saddle Peak |
| Administration | |
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India
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| Union territory | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| Capital city | Port Blair |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 343,125 (2011) |
| Pop. density | 48 /km2 (124 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Shompen Mainland Indians Jarawa Onge Sentinelese Great Andamanese |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| • Summer (DST) |
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| Official website | www.and.nic.in |
The Andaman Islands form an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal between India, to the west, and Myanmar, to the north and east. Most are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India, while a small number in the north of the archipelago, including the Coco Islands, belong to Myanmar.
The Andaman Islands are home to the Sentinelese, who have had no contact with any other people.
The name of the Andaman Islands is ancient.. A theory that became prevalent in the late 19th century is that it derives from Andoman, a form of Hanuman, the Sanskrit name of the Indian God. Another Italian traveller, Niccolò de' Conti (c. 1440), mentioned the islands and said that the name means "Island of Gold".
The Andaman islands have been inhabited for several thousand years, at the very least. The earliest archaeological evidence yet documented goes back some 2,200 years; however, the indications from genetic, cultural and isolation studies suggest that the islands may have been inhabited as early as the Middle Paleolithic. The indigenous Andamanese people appear to have lived on the islands in substantial isolation from that time until the 18th century CE.
The Andamans are theorised to be a key stepping stone in a great coastal migration of humans from Africa via the Arabian peninsula, along the coastal regions of the Indian mainland and towards Southeast Asia, Japan and Oceania.
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Wikipedia