Andaman Islands

Andaman Islands, island group in eastern India, between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, forming the northern part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Andaman Islands are a union territory of India. The three principal islands are North Andaman, Middle Andaman, and South Andaman. To the east of the island group is a cluster of small islands known collectively as the Ritchie Archipelago; to the south is Little Andaman. Port Blair is the administrative capital, and ships from the mainland use its harbour regularly. The Andamans are generally hilly and are heavily forested. Timber, coconuts, hemp, tea, coffee, and rubber are the principal products. Most of the inhabitants are Indian. The islands' aborigines, known as negritos, now number only in the hundreds and avoid contact with modern civilization (see Andaman Islanders).

The British were the first Europeans to settle in the islands, at Port Blair in 1789. The colonial government of India established a penal settlement at Port Blair in 1857 and operated it until March 1942, when the islands were occupied by Japan during World War II. The Andamans and the Nicobars were hit by a devastating series of tsunamis in December 2004. An estimated 900 people died and a further 7,000 were reported missing. The total land area of the Andamans is 6,475 sq km (2,500 sq mi). The population of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands prior to the tsunami was 356,265 (2001).