Katchal Island
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Native name: कत्चल इस्लंद Nickname: Tihanyu |
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 Katchal Island
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| Geography | |
| Location | Bay of Bengal |
| Coordinates | 7°57′N 93°23′E / 7.95°N 93.38°ECoordinates: 7°57′N 93°23′E / 7.95°N 93.38°E |
| Archipelago | Nicobar Islands |
| Adjacent bodies of water | Indian Ocean |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Major islands |
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| Area | 146.5 km2 (56.6 sq mi) |
| Length | 17 km (10.6 mi) |
| Width | 16 km (9.9 mi) |
| Coastline | 83.3 km (51.76 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 227 m (745 ft) |
| Highest point | |
| Administration | |
| District | Nicobar |
| Island group | Nicobar Islands |
| Subdivisions of India | Nancowry Subdivision |
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Largest settlement
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Mildera
(population 1250) |
| Demographics | |
| Demonym | Hindi |
| Population | 2685 (2011) |
| Pop. density | 18.3 /km2 (47.4 /sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Hindu, Nicobarese |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| PIN | 744301 |
| Telephone code | 03192 |
| Official website | www |
| ISO Code | IN-AN-00 |
| Literacy | 84.4% |
| Avg. summer temperature | 32.0 °C (89.6 °F) |
| Avg. winter temperature | 28.0 °C (82.4 °F) |
| Sex ratio | ♂/♀ |
| unit_pref | Metric |
| Census Code | 35.638.0002 |
| Official Languages |
Hindi, English, Tamil Car (regional) |
Katchal (Hindi: कत्चल, Nicobarese: तिहन्यु, Tihnyu) is one of the Nicobar Islands, India.
Katchal Island was previously known as Tihanyu. Due to the remote location and lack of exposure with the rest of the world, outsiders economically exploited the innocent islanders for a long time. To stop their economic exploitation, the Government of India declared the Nicobar Islands an Aboriginal Tribal Reserve Area (ATRA) on 2 April 1957. This made the Nicobar Islands inaccessible to outsiders and currently even Indian nationals need a special tribal pass to visit the islands. Only Government Servants (outsiders) posted to Katchal Islands are allowed to stay in the Island.
Nicobar Islands have experienced all kinds of external influences for centuries, because they are located along an ancient international sea trade route and have been known to voyagers and scholars since ancient times. Due to this, the islands have been receiving external influences, which have affected their culture and race over the centuries. According to recent history, an archeological inscription dating to AD 1059 says that Nicobar was part of the overseas kingdom of Tamil Chola King of Tanjore. In 1869, the British took possession of the Nicobar Islands from the Danes and made them a part of modern India.
At sunrise on 1 January 2000, picturesque Katchal Island was in the news. Many rich and famous people from around the world had converged on it for a glimpse of the millennium's first sunrise.
Katchal was one of the worst affected islands during the December 26th 2004 Tsunami. The Tsunami devastated the Island, disturbing the socio-economic set-up of its inhabitants. Of the 5,000 people missing (5000 is official - actual is more) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 1,549 were believed to be from Katchal. To support the local population a sizable number of Govt. Staffs were posted to this Island prior to the Tsunami day. Most of the staff went missing as majority of the Govt. provided Staff Quarters were situated very close to the sea shore and a very few managed to escape to the nearby hill. To cite an example - not a single teacher out of 47 posted here prior to 26-11-2004 were found alive. Some people managed to escape the waters by clinging over to coconut tree tops. Of the 344 people reported dead, only one body could be identified. Either the bodies were decomposed beyond recognition or there were no survivors to claim them.
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Wikipedia