Native name: Pū | |
|---|---|
 Car Nicobar NASA Geocover 2000 image | |
  Car Nicobar Location in theAndaman and Nicobar Islands and in theBay of Bengal Show map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Car Nicobar Car Nicobar (Bay of Bengal) Show map of Bay of Bengal | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Bay of Bengal |
| Coordinates | 9°10′N92°47′E / 9.17°N 92.78°E /9.17; 92.78 |
| Archipelago | Nicobar Islands |
| Adjacent to | Indian Ocean |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Major islands |
|
| Area | 126.9 km2 (49.0 sq mi)[1] |
| Length | 15 km (9.3 mi) |
| Width | 12 km (7.5 mi) |
| Coastline | 51 km (31.7 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Administration | |
| District | Nicobar |
| Island group | Nicobar Islands |
| Subdivisions of India | Car Nicobar Subdivision |
| Taluk | Car Nicobar Taluk |
| Largest settlement | Malacca (pop. 1,637) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 17841 (2014) |
| Pop. density | 140.5/km2 (363.9/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Hindu,Nicobarese |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| PIN | 744301 |
| Telephone code | 03193 |
| ISO code | IN-AN-00[2][better source needed] |
| Official website | www |
| Literacy | 84.4% |
| Avg. summer temperature | 30.2 °C (86.4 °F) |
| Avg. winter temperature | 23.0 °C (73.4 °F) |
| Sex ratio | 1.2♂/♀ |
| Census code | 35.638.0001 |
| Official languages | Hindi,English,Tamil Car (regional) |
Car Nicobar (Pū inCar language) is the northernmost of theNicobar Islands. It is also one of three local administrative divisions of theIndian district ofNicobar, part of theIndianunion territory ofAndaman and Nicobar Islands.[3]Annual rainfall is 2800 millimetres.
The sea farers of the region referred to the island as the "northern land of the nake" i.e.Car Nakkavar which is perhaps the direct predecessor of the current nameCar Nicobar.
The island was severely affected by thetsunami that was caused by the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which led to many deaths and damaged infrastructure. Car Nicobar lies 750 km (470 mi) from theepicenter of the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and the ensuingtsunamis struck it with great force. Witnesses reported the waves were as high as 30 ft (9 m). As of December 30, 2004, the number of casualties remained unknown, but were estimated to be high. One survivor told theAssociated Press: "There's not a single hut which is standing. Everything is gone. Most of the people have gone away from the shore and Indian govt has made many relief programmes here such as temporary shelters, subsidize their every primary needs etc."[needs update]
Car Nicobar falls in betweenLittle Andaman andNancowry. The area south to theTen-degree channel comes under Car Nicobar headquarters. Car Nicobar is remarkably flat except for some cliffs in the north and small hilly areas in the interior. It is bordered by a silvery beach and areas of flat ground consisting of coraline diluvium.[4] It is a flat fertile island covered with clusters of coconut palms and enchanting beaches with a roaring sea all around.
Compared to theMiddle Andaman andSouth Andaman, Car Nicobar is a small island, having only 126.9 km2 (49.0 sq mi).
The soil analysis revealed a high content of sand & clay hindering the growth of agricultural crops. The area of Car Nicobar is suitable for the plantation crops, andcoconut andareca nut are the major products, which are grown in the area.
The climate of Car Nicobar Island is atropical monsoon climate (Koppen: Am), as it is just 9 degree from the equator, with an annual rainfall of 400 mm. The data of past ten years shows that the mean relative humidity in the Island is 79%, the mean maximum temperature is of 30.20 C, and mean minimum temperature is 23.00 C.
| Climate data for Car Nicobar (1991–2020, extremes 1952–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.0 (95.0) | 38.0 (100.4) | 36.0 (96.8) | 37.2 (99.0) | 38.0 (100.4) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.5 (99.5) | 36.0 (96.8) | 38.1 (100.6) | 37.0 (98.6) | 36.2 (97.2) | 38.0 (100.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.7 (89.1) | 32.2 (90.0) | 32.5 (90.5) | 31.5 (88.7) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.6 (87.1) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.9 (87.6) | 31.2 (88.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.6 (74.5) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.9 (75.0) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.2 (73.8) | 23.7 (74.7) | 24.1 (75.4) | 23.8 (74.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.9 (51.6) | 15.4 (59.7) | 16.4 (61.5) | 15.6 (60.1) | 15.6 (60.1) | 15.8 (60.4) | 14.2 (57.6) | 15.0 (59.0) | 13.4 (56.1) | 11.9 (53.4) | 11.0 (51.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 90.0 (3.54) | 35.9 (1.41) | 70.5 (2.78) | 109.2 (4.30) | 333.2 (13.12) | 316.8 (12.47) | 249.4 (9.82) | 267.6 (10.54) | 382.8 (15.07) | 282.1 (11.11) | 267.1 (10.52) | 174.7 (6.88) | 2,579.4 (101.55) |
| Average rainy days | 4.3 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 5.9 | 14.3 | 13.6 | 12.4 | 12.6 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 12.0 | 7.5 | 118.2 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 17:30IST) | 79 | 77 | 76 | 77 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 86 | 88 | 89 | 86 | 83 | 83 |
| Source:India Meteorological Department[5][6][7] | |||||||||||||
Car Nicobar, along with neighboringBattimalv Island, is atehsil. There are two more Tehsils ofNancowry andCampbell Bay to administer all the other islands of the district. The administrative capital is near theIndian Air Force stationCar Nicobar Air Force Base, known as 'Headquarters' which is the largest junction in this small island with some shops, a hospital, a bank, a post office, Office of Superintendent of Police, Office of Deputy Commissioner and some other government offices. The official pin code of Car Nicobar is 744301.[8]
Although the area of Car Nicobar is less than 7% of the area of the Nicobar group, in the census of 2011 its population of[9] 17841 was 48% of the total population of Nicobar.
The Car Nicobar islands do not have any evergreen forests, which dominate the central and southern islands of the Nicobars.[10] Most of the island is covered with coconut plantation and natural flora is present only in the interior areas.
The island has been designated anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International because it supports populations of variousrestricted-range orthreatened bird species. These includeNicobar sparrowhawks,Nicobar serpent-eagles,Andaman wood pigeons,Andaman cuckoo-doves,Andaman boobooks,white-headed starlings and Nicobargreen imperial pigeons.[11]
Car Nicobar the district headquarters is 260 km (162 mi) fromPort Blair. Ship service is available between Port Blair and Nicobar district. Normally ship is available twice in a week. One can obtain the ship ticket from the office of the Director, Shipping services (03192-245555) at Port Blair.[12]
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Administration in cooperation withIndian Air Force operate charter services between Port Blair'sVeer Savarkar International Airport,Campbell Bay andCar Nicobar Air Force Base. There is also regular service ofPawan Hans helicopter available between Car Nicobar and Port Blair and other islands of the Nicobar district.
There are 21 villages, the largest of which is named U-rèk-ka (called "Malacca-Perka" for tourists), with a population of 4,200.
The villages are:
The names in brackets are often used for tourists and other outsiders, as the local names inNicobarese are difficult for outsiders to pronounce.
Each village has atuhet meaning "elderly heads", the number of which varies. From each of these elders three are elected as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd captain to look after the day-to-day affairs of the village.
According to the2011 census of India, Car Nicobar Island has 4250 households. The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of population excluding children aged 6 and below) is 100%.[13]
| Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17841 | 9735 | 8106 |
| Children aged below 6 years | 1929 | 982 | 947 |
| Scheduled caste | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scheduled tribe | 15027 | 7659 | 7368 |
| Literates | 12627 | 7436 | 5191 |
| Workers (all) | 8844 | 5964 | 2880 |
| Main workers (total) | 3664 | 2916 | 748 |
The island belongs to thetownship ofCar Nicobar ofCar NicobarTaluk.[14] of Nicobar District. District Administration is headed by Deputy Commissioner (Nicobar) while the Sub Division Car Nicobar is headed by an assistant commissioner.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
