Discovering the Andaman & Nicobar islands

For adventure seekers as well as lovers of history, this archipelago of 572 emerald islands, islets and rocks — an indigeneous mirror image of the Maldives — has plenty to offerFor 21st century Indias multiplying tribe of water sports, snorkelling and scuba diving enthusiasts, the Republic of the Maldives with its 1,200 tiny coral islands set in the azure Indian ocean — and only a 30 minute airplane ride from Thiruva-nanthapuram (Kerala) — is the most preferred rest and recreation destination. In 2008, an estimated 50,000 Indian citizens visited the Maldives. However all said and done, the neighbouring island republic is a foreign country where only hard currency is accepted by way of payment, and affluent occidental and Far East visitors tend to get preferential treatment. This reality perhaps explains the rising popularity of Indias very own Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) over whose 536 uninhabited and 36 inhabited islands spread over an area of 700 km in the Bay of Bengal — an indigenous mirror image of the Maldives — the tricolour flies with considerable aplomb. Over the past quinquennium the number of tourist footfalls — mainly from the mainland — has risen from 650,000 in 2005 to 750,000 last year (2009). For adventure seekers as well as lovers of history, this beguiling archipelago of 572 emerald islands, islets and rocks, has plenty to offer. Once a hill range extending from Burma (Myanmar) to Indonesia, these undulating islands are blanketed with dense forest, rich and lush in exotic species of flowers, birds and rare hunter tribes. Mythologicaly, the name Andaman was presumed to be derived from Hanuman, known to the Malays as Handuman, and for a long time, the dense flora and isolation from the mainland cut off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from civilisation, until they were discovered by the British in the late 18th century. After sporadic initial attempts to ‘settle the islands which were abandoned in 1796, following the Indian Mutiny, aka the First War of Independence (1857), their isolation proved useful to the Imperial government as a penal settlement. Convicts and criminals were shipped across the kala pani to be lodged in the islands infamous Cellular Jail in Port Blair (pop. 100,186), which has since been converted into a national memorial. Flora and fauna. Although the history of ANI varies from hosting criminals to retired service personnel and the native tribal population, the topography of the region is mountainous and abounds in evergreen forests. Forests of the islands are a treasured resource for the natives, since they host around 150 plant and animal species and 271 varieties of bird life. To conserve these valuable living resources, 86 percent of the territory is reserved and protected and about 50 percent of forest land has been set aside as tribal reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Luxuriant man-groves, perhaps the richest in the world, occupy nearly 5 percent of the islands territory. Marine attraction. Cool and immense blue waters trimmed with milky beaches are the magnet of…