11 Unknown Facts about the Andamans
Written By Go2andaman Editorial Team on January 23, 2021 Uncategorized
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1. From Hanuman to Andaman
Lord Hanuman (The Hindu Monkey god) is said to have landed in Andaman islands on his way to Lanka (Now Sri Lanka). People thus believe that the name Andaman has been derived from the word Hanuman or Handuman.
2. Home to the lost tribe
Andaman is home to the Sentinel tribe, who are said to be the most isolated tribe in the world. They respond with intense hostility at any attempt of outside contact, hurling arrows and stones at any unlucky visitor approaching their shores.
Nobody has ever been able to contact them for over 60,000 years.
Read More: Tribes of the Andamans
3. India to Andamans to Burma & Indonesia
The Andaman isles is at a distance of 150 km from Indonesia and about 800 kms from India.
4. The Coconut Crab
The largest land living arthropod, coconut crab, lives in Andaman. These are super huge crabs and they hate water ,they are mostly like land animals and they love climbing coconut trees.
5. The Happy Land Of Butterflies
Thousands of butterflies flock to the Andaman Island every year. Andaman is a proud host to butterflies that migrate to the islands.
Even postal stamps have been issued in honor of this phenomenon.
6. Largest Sea Turtles in the World
Dermocheleys Coriacea, the largest sea turtles in the world nest in the Andaman islands. They are huge in size and thousands of them flock to the Andamans every year. Additionally, even the Olive Ridely turtles come to the Andamans and use it as their nesting ground.
These turtles can be seen nesting between December and January in Diglipur and many other places specially in north and middle Andaman.
Read More: Kalipur Beach
7. The 20 Rupee Note and the Andaman Islands
The image that one can see behind the 20 rupee note is a view of the lighthouse at north bay island from mount Harriet. Both of which are close to Port Blair and can be visited on a day trip.
Read More: North Bay Island
8. Andaman Islands during World War II
During World War 2 Andaman Islands Were The Only Part Of India To Come Under Japanese Occupation.
The Japanese did occupy parts of north east India but this was only for 6 months. The Andaman islands stayed under them for 3 years. Japanese underground tunnels and bunkers can be seen all around the island. One near Corbyn’s cove and one at Ross Island too!
Read More: Ross Island
9. The first Sunrise of the Millennium
Katchal Islands in Andaman enjoyed the the first sunrise of this millennium.
10. Rich Forest Cover
The Andaman Islands have a very wast and wide range of flura but very few know that the area covered by it is more than any other state in India. Dense tropical forests cover about 90% of the Andaman Islands.
11. Only 6.7% of islands are inhabited
There are 572 islands that make up the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Only 38 of them are inhabited.
Hello! We’re a bunch of content enthusiasts writing about all things Andaman. Our blogs are the result of our immersive first-hand travels to the Andamans and the experiences of those we know closely. We keep a close watch on the travel space in the Andamans, so we can always bring to you the most updated information. Hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as we enjoyed writing it!