Native name: Tokieong Long | |
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  Great Nicobar Location of Great Nicobar Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Show map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Great Nicobar Great Nicobar (Bay of Bengal) Show map of Bay of Bengal | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Bay of Bengal |
| Coordinates | 7°02′N93°48′E / 7.03°N 93.8°E /7.03; 93.8 |
| Archipelago | Nicobar Islands |
| Adjacent to | Indian Ocean |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Major islands |
|
| Area | 921 km2 (356 sq mi)[1] |
| Coastline | 202 km (125.5 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 642 m (2106 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Thullier |
| Administration | |
| District | Nicobar |
| Island group | Nicobar Islands |
| Subdivisions of India | Great Nicobar Subdivision |
| Taluk | Split betweenLittle Nicobar andCampbell Bay Taluk |
| Largest settlement | Campbell Bay (pop. 5,740) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 8,067 (2014) |
| Pop. density | 8.8/km2 (22.8/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Hindustani,Nicobarese,Shompen |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| PIN | 744301 |
| Area code | 03192 |
| ISO code | IN-AN-00[2] |
| Official website | andaman |
| Literacy | 84.4% |
| Avg. summer temperature | 32.0 °C (89.6 °F) |
| Avg. winter temperature | 28.0 °C (82.4 °F) |
| Sex ratio | ♂/♀ |
| Census Code | 35.638.0002 |
| Official Languages | English,Shompen,Nicobarese,Tamil Southern Nicobarese (regional) |
Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest of theNicobar Islands ofIndia, north ofSumatra. It is part ofIndia, in theNicobar district within theunion territory of theAndaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Nicobar Island has been well known to Indian mariners since the time of the seafaringCholas.[3]
In the 15th century, Great Nicobar Island was recorded as "Cui Lan island" (翠蘭嶼) during thevoyages of Zheng He in theMao Kun map of theWu Bei Zhi.[4]
The Nicobar islands were claimed by Denmark in 1755; Great Nicobar Island was calledNew Denmark, and the whole of the NicobarsFrederikøerne. The islands were administered from theTranquebar the headquarters of the Danish East Indian company, but were often abandoned due to Malaria outbreaks. The rights to the islands were sold to the British in 1868 along with the rest of the Danish holdings in India.[5]
Great Nicobar Island was severely affected by the2004 Indian Ocean earthquaketsunami with many deaths, and was cut off from all outside contact for over a day.
Great Nicobar is located 180 km (110 mi) to the north of the island ofSumatra. The island covers 921 km2 (356 sq mi)but is sparsely inhabited, with a population of 8067. It is largely covered byrainforest and known for its diversewildlife.
The island has several rivers, including the Alexandra River (named after theAlexandra of Denmark who was wife ofKing Edward VII of the United Kingdom), Amrit Kaur River (named after the princessAmrit Kaur ofprincely state ofKapurthala who was first and longest serving health minister of India), Dogmar River, and Galathea River (named after theDanish colonial vesselGalathea which conductedsurvey for minerals in Great Nicobar in 1845-47). Virtually all rivers flow in a southern or southwesterly direction, which is indicative of the general slope of the terrain across the island. There are undulating hills throughout the island, with the main range running in a north–south orientation.Mount Thullier (likely named afterBritish colonial officerHenry Edward Landor Thuillier who wasSurvey General of India from 1861 to 1878), which is part of this range, has the highest elevation of any point in the Nicobars, at 642 m abovesea level.[6]
Indira Point (6°45’10″N and 93°49’36″E), named afterIndira Gandhi, is the southernmost point of the Great Nicobar Island and India itself. Indira Point subsided 4.25 m in the 26 December 2004 tsunami and the lighthouse there was damaged. The lighthouse was subsequently made functional.
The island is part of theNicobar Islands rain forestsecoregion. Plant communities includemangroves and coastal forests near the seashore, andevergreen anddeciduous forests in the interior.[7]
The majority of the island is designated as theGreat Nicobar Biosphere Reserve. It is home to many unique andendemic species of plants and animals including theNicobar scrubfowl (Megapodius nicobariensis, amegapode bird), theedible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus), theNicobar long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis umbrosa),saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus),giant leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea),Malayan box turtle,Nicobar tree shrew,reticulated python (Python reticulatus) and thegiant robber crab (or coconut crab,Birgus latro).
The island is home to theShompen people.[8]
There is a 915m airstrip at Campbell Bay/Tenlaa on the East coast.[9][10]
TheINS Baaznaval air station, nearCampbell Bay, is under the joint-servicesAndaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of theIndian Armed Forces.[11] It is the southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces.[12]
TheGreat Nicobar Development Plan is a massive infrastructure plan (including a major transshipment port, airport, and future strategic defence) for the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island, India. The plan has generated criticism over the consequences of deforestation and giant leatherback sea turtle nesting sites. The plan was proposed on 18 January 2021 by an Indian policy think tank (NITI Aayog) and informed by a feasibility report written by AECOM India Private Limited. Environmental Justice groups have pushed back claiming that the development plan would make it unlikely that the leatherback sea turtles would continue to nest in the Galathea Bay and negatively impact the nomadic livelihoods of the indigenous Shompen people.Survival International, a global NGO campaigning for indigenous rights, has said that the mega-development will put the Shompen at risk of being wiped out. In February 2024, 39 genocide experts from 13 countries warned that the development “will be a death sentence for the Shompen, tantamount to the international crime of genocide”.
They said that the proposed population increase and exposure to outside populations would lead to mass deaths because the Shompen have little to no immunity to infectious outside diseases.[13] The NITI Aayog plan envisages 650,000 people inhabiting the island by 2050. Its current population is only around 8,500. The total population of the archipelago, composed of over 500 islands of which only around 40 are inhabited, is around 380,000. The population increase is expected to impose a significant ecological pressure on the island and its surroundings.[14][15]
Indira Point is the name of the southernmost point ofIndia. It is situated onGreat Nicobar Island in theNicobar Islands, which are located in the easternIndian Ocean at 6°45’10″N and 93°49’36″E. This is not on the Indian mainland, but within theUnion Territory ofAndaman and Nicobar Islands. The name of the point was changed fromPygmalion Point on 18 October 1985[16] in commemoration ofIndira Gandhi. It was formerly known by various names that include Pygmalion Point, Parsons Point, and for a brief period India Point.[17]
It is located 540 km and more than a day's sea voyage fromPort Blair,[18] the capital city and main port of theAndaman and Nicobar Islands. It is approximately 163 km by sea from Sumatra, Indonesia.[17]Rondo Island, Indonesia's northernmost island inSabang district ofAceh province ofSumatra, lies south of Indira point.[19] India and Indonesia are planning to collaborate to construct a port atSabang to protect the channel between Great Nicobar Island and Rondo Island (c. May 2019).[20]
Indira Point has a 35 m high cast iron (with red and white bands) lighthouse with 16 nautical miles range. The lighthouse has (RACON (Code 'G') ii DGPS station) with a 300 mm 4 panel revolving light inside a 2.5 m diameter lantern house (BBT). It is an important landmark on the international shipping lane Colombo-Singapore route via Malacca Strait that passes south of Indira Point. It also has a helipad.[21]
Thetsunami which resulted from theIndian Ocean earthquake of 2004 inundated much of the area. This partly damaged thelighthouse, whichsubsided 4.25 m.[22] As a result of this subsidence, the coast retreated and the sea moved permanently inland. The lighthouse has since been repaired.[23]
The base of the lighthouse was 5 m above sea level when constructed in 1972. After the tsunami, the sea floor fell and the base was less than 1 m above sea level. Since then, the subsidence has decreased somewhat as the ocean floor slowly rebounds, and the lighthouse base become more elevated. Indira point was mostly submerged.[citation needed]
... The main hill range runs from the north to south. Average height of the hills is 300m to 400m. The highest peak is Mount Thullier ...
Andaman and Nicobar Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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