Laccadive Islands KannurIslands | |
|---|---|
 The Laccadive subgroup on an 1800 map | |
  Laccadive Islands (India) | |
| Country |  India |
| Union Territory | Lakshadweep |
| District | Lakshadweep |
| Area | |
• Total | 17.5 km2 (6.8 sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | LD |
TheLaccadive Islands (/ˈlækədaɪv,-diːv/LAK-ə-dyve, -deev) orKannur Islands (formerly spelledCannanore,[1]/ˈkænənɔːr/KAN-ə-nor) are one of the threeisland subgroups in theUnion Territory ofLakshadweep,India. It is the central subgroup of the Lakshadweep, separated from theAmindivi Islands subgroup roughly by the11th parallel north and from the atoll ofMinicoy (Maliku)—far to the south—by the9 Degree or Mamala Channel.[2]
Formerly the Union Territory of Lakshadweep was known asLaccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands,[3] a name that was changed toLakshadweep by an act of Parliament in 1973.[4]
The Laccadive subgroup are also known as the "Kannur/Cannanore Islands" after the coastal town ofKannur. The name originated in the fact that while the northern group of Amindivi had stopped in 1784 being avassal state of theKannur Kingdom (Arakkal) in exchange forfealty toTippu Sultan'sKingdom of Mysore, the southern group remained loyal to Kannur.
The Laccadive subgroup includes the island ofAgatti, withAgatti Aerodrome, the only airport in Lakshadweep, as well asBangaram Atoll which has a tourist resort in Bangaram, its largest island.
The Laccadive group forms twotalukas or subdivisions:Androth, with a population of 15,048 andKavaratti with 17,193.[5] The islands ofAgatti, Androth,Kavaratti andKalpeni are inhabited.Islam is the main religion of the islanders.[6]
The Laccadive Islands subgroup consists mostly ofatolls with islands, as well as part of onesubmerged bank. TheAmindivi and the Laccadive subgroups have a submarine connection between them throughPitti Bank, a largely sunken atoll.[7]
| Atoll/Reef/Bank (alternate name) | type | Land Area (km2) | Lagoon Area (km2) | No. of islets | Pop. Census 2001 | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laccadive Islands | ||||||||
| Agatti Island (Agatti) | atoll | 2.70 | 4.84 | 1 | 8,000 | 10°50′N73°41′E / 10.833°N 73.683°E /10.833; 73.683 (Agatti Island) | ||
| Bangaram Island (Bangaram) | atoll | 2.30 | 4.84 | 1 | 61 | 10°50′N73°41′E / 10.833°N 73.683°E /10.833; 73.683 (Bangaram Island) | ||
| Pitti Island 1) | islet 1) | 0.01 | 155.09 1) | 1 | – | 10°50′N72°38′E / 10.833°N 72.633°E /10.833; 72.633 (Pitti Island) | ||
| Androth Island (Andrott) | atoll | 4.90 | 4.84 | 1 | 10,720 | 10°50′N73°41′E / 10.833°N 73.683°E /10.833; 73.683 (Androth Island) | ||
| Kavaratti Island | atoll | 4.22 | 4.96 | 1 | 10,113 | 10°33′N72°38′E / 10.550°N 72.633°E /10.550; 72.633 (Kavaratti Island) | ||
| Kalpeni Island | atoll | 2.79 | 25.60 | 7 | 4,319 | 10°05′N73°38′E / 10.083°N 73.633°E /10.083; 73.633 (Kalpeni Island) | ||
| Suheli Par | atoll | 0.57 | 78.76 | 2 | – | 10°05′N72°17′E / 10.083°N 72.283°E /10.083; 72.283 (Suheli Par) | ||
| 1)Amini Island and Pitti Island are both onPitti Bank, a largely sunken atoll with a lagoon area of 155.09 km2 | ||||||||
In the same manner as the Amindivi Islands further north, the islands of the Laccadive subgroup were settled from ancient times by people of nearbyKerala to which were added later people ofArab descent.Vasco da Gama visited these islands around 1498. In the mid 16th century all the inhabited islands of the Lakshadweep put themselves under the rule of theArakkal kingdom in order to obtain protection from thePortuguese.
In 1697, the notorious pirateCaptain Kidd and his crew brought their ship, theAdventure Galley, to the Laccadive Islands. The undisciplined crew chopped up the local boats for firewood, and raped the local women. When the men retaliated by killing the ship's cooper, the pirates attacked the village and beat up the people who lived there.
Almost 100 years later—in 1784—the Amindivi group of islands rejected the protection of Cannanore and became a vassal state of theKingdom of Mysore.[8] The southern group, however, remained loyal to the rule ofCannanore.[9]
Following the defeat ofTipu Sultan and the 1792 treaty ofSrirangapatam, the southern subgroup was permitted by theEast India Company to remain under the rule of the Cannanore Kingdom in exchange for a yearly tribute of 15,000Rs.[10] Since the tributary payments were often in arrears, the islands were put under direct rule of theBritish Government, first between 1855 and 1860, and then finally wereannexed in 1877 by virtue of thedoctrine of lapse,[11] becoming attached to theMalabar District.[12]
