Wow Facts! – Discover Andaman

 Andaman and Nicobar island, homes so many interesting facts, places and creatures for you to discover.  Here are few you must explore in your next trip.

1. Hanumanji here too!

‘Andaman & Nicobar’ It is not a random name. it is derived fem Malay language. Where 'Andaman' is means ‘Veer Hanuman’ and ‘Nicobar’ means ‘the land of naked people.’ 

2.  Can we talk?. NO!

The tribes inhabiting these islands don’t interact with outsiders.

Residents of these islands mainly belong to the ‘Jarwa’ tribe, fondly known as the adivasi. They are less than 500 in number and do not interact with outsiders. They fire their arrows at anyone who comes within range.  

3. Active Volcano!. Really?

Barren Island, situated 135 km away from Port Blair, is where you can see this live volcano. 

4. Oh Sea Cow!, are you here?

The state animal of Andaman and Nicobar islands is Dugong. 

Dugongs are a special sea mammal that are extremely shy to mate. There are only five breeding centres for these sea animals and Andaman is one of them.

5. Size matters Sometimes!

The largest sea turtles nest here. These islands inhabit endless marine cultures, but the most famous of them all are sea turtles. Dermocheleys Coriacea, the largest sea turtles in the world nest here. They are huge in size and thousands of them flock to the Andamans every year.

6. Fishing?. Not here dude!

 Commercial fishing is banned on the Andaman Islands and because this is one of the very few places in the world where fish die of old age and get to live their entire life. 

7. Bengali!. Really?

The most widely spoken language on the islands is not Andamanese or Nicobarese.The most common language here is Bengali followed by Hindi, Tamil, Telgu and Malayalam. 

8. Long live Coconut Crab!

These crabs are also known as coconut crabs because they eat tender coconuts. They are large in size and hate water. In South Asia, the highest numbers of these crabs are found at the Andamans. The largest living arthropod Birgus Latro resides here.

9. Oh here it is!. On a note?

The scenery on our red coloured 20 rupee note depicts a natural scene on the Andaman and Nicobar islands. 

10. World war two! Here too?

These islands were a part of Japanese occupation for three years during the world war II.

11. Where did my butterfly go?. Oh its here!

A lot of butterflies flock to Andaman and Nicobar from nearby tropical islands. 

12. I like sunrise. The first of millennium is my favorite!

Katchal Islands enjoyed the distinction of being the first place to receive the sun rays this millennium sunrise.

13. Which fruit is this?. Is it yum?

Pandunus or Nicobar breadfruit is a rare fruit found and eaten in Nicobar. Here it is an economically important plant in the islands, the stem branches of Pandanus are used in construction, the leaves used for weaving mats and the hard exterior of the fruit is used as a bathing brush.

14. I can eat my home!. Can you?

The limestone Alfred Caves of Diglipur change their shape every monsoon due to a chemical process. These extremely narrow caves are home to the Swiftlet birds that make a unique edible nest. 

15. Saza – E – Kalapani!

Andaman and Nicobar Islands were so remote that they became the dreaded Kalapani penal colony for Indian freedom fighters under the British. The Cellular Jail was built to disconnect the prisoners from the outer world 

16.  Mud volcano!. Whats that?

Batatang in Andaman is the only place in India with mud volcanoes. A mud volcano is formed by emission of depressurized pore water and natural gases from decaying organic matter underground, accompanied by loud explosions and fire flares. This gradually forms a miniature volcano with rich, creamy mud crater at the top.

17. Kayaking in mangroves!. Really?

At Havelock island, you can kayak through dense mangroves to reach the open sea.

So when are you coming next?, to Explore the Unexplored….