Havelock Island | |
|---|---|
 A view of a beach in Havelock Island | |
  Swaraaj Dweep Location of Havelock Island | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Bay of Bengal |
| Coordinates | 11°58′N93°00′E / 11.96°N 93.00°E /11.96; 93.00 |
| Archipelago | Andaman Islands |
| Adjacent to | Indian Ocean |
| Total islands | 1 |
| Major islands |
|
| Area | 92.2 km2 (35.6 sq mi) |
| Length | 18 km (11.2 mi) |
| Width | 8 km (5 mi) |
| Coastline | 58.5 km (36.35 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 167 m (548 ft) |
| Highest point | Yulutang |
| Administration | |
| District | South Andaman |
| Island group | Andaman Islands |
| Island sub-group | Ritchie's Archipelago |
| Tehsil | Ritchie's Archipelago Tehsil |
| Largest settlement | Govinda Nagar |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 6,351[citation needed] (2011) |
| Pop. density | 68.5/km2 (177.4/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Bengali |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| PIN | 744211[1] |
| Telephone code | 031928[2] |
| 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 | 35.639.0004 |
| Official languages | Bengali,Hindi,English |
Havelock Island, officially known asSwaraj Dweep (transl. Independence Island),[3] is one of the largest islands inRitchie's Archipelago, to the east ofGreat Andaman within theAndaman Islands. It belongs to theSouth Andaman administrativedistrict, part of theIndianunion territory ofAndaman and Nicobar Islands.[4] The island is 41 km (25 mi) northeast of the capital city,Port Blair.
Havelock Island was previously named after a Britishgeneral,Sir Henry Havelock, who served in India.[5]
In December 2018, it was renamed, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as Swaraj Dweep as a tribute toSubhas Chandra Bose. Bose had hoisted the Indian flag at Port Blair on 30 December 1943 and proclaimed the Andaman and Nicobar Islands asliberated from British rule. He had subsequently namedNeil Island as Shaheed Dweep andRoss Island was renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep as well.[6]
Swaraj Dweep is one of the few places that the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India has permitted and encouraged development of tourism, with a focus on promotingeco-tourism.
Swaraj Dweep avoided much of the devastation by the2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its resultingtsunami and there were no documented casualties.
There is a lighthouse at the northern point of the island, near Govinda Nagar, established in the year 2005.[7]
The island belongs to theRitchie's Archipelago and is located betweenPeel Island andNeil Island.
Politically, Swaraj Dweep is part ofPort Blairtaluk.[8]
The island's current[when?] population of 6,351[citation needed] consists of mainlyBengali settlers. Many of these settlers have East Bengali origin as these people were given settlement by the Indian government after thePartition of India in 1947.
The six villages are:
Radhanagar Beach on the western coast, also known as Number 7 Beach, is one of the most popular beaches on Swaraj Dweep and was named "Best Beach in Asia" byTime in 2004.[10] Radhanagar beach also bagged the prestigious blue flag certification in 2020.[11] A Blue Flag beach is an eco-tourism model endeavouring to provide the tourists or beachgoers clean and hygienic bathing water, facilities, safe and healthy environment. Other notable beaches include Elephant Beach on the northwest coast and Vijay Nagar Beach (No. 5), Beach No. 3 and Beach No. 1 on the east coast. Kalapathar is another famous beach.[12]
To reach Elephant beach one needs to take a boat from Swaraj Dweep jetty. Another way to reach Elephant beach is via trekking. The major 3 beaches at Swaraj Dweep are namely Radhanagar Beach, Elephant Beach and Kalapathar beach.[13][14]
The island can be reached from Port Blair by government-operated ferries and private cruises.[15] There are also helicopter services.[16] There will be 2-3 government operating ferries in a day.
A local bus connects the jetty and villages on an hourly circuit.[17] Private ferries that sail to Swaraj Dweep are Makruzz, Green Ocean, Nautika, Nautika Lite and ITT Majestic these cruises have different sailing time and schedule[18] from Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep and from Neil Island to Swaraj Dweep. The ferry sailing to Swaraj Dweep is subject to weather conditions.[19]
Within the island you can travel in a cab, a two wheeler or bus. The most convenient way is to take a cab or a two wheeler.
Travelers typically take the ferry service from Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep, Swaraj Dweep to Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep) and Neil Island to Port Blair[20]
Internet connectivity at Swaraj Dweep has improved since the undersea cable from Chennai to Port Blair has been laid. The internet connectivity in all the islands has improved. At Swaraj Dweep now high-speed internet is available. Mobile networks of Airtel and BSNL are available at Swaraj Dweep.[21]
