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The Andaman Islands are a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, and are part of The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India. Port Blair is the chief community and the administrative center. Although part of India, they are geographically closer to Myanmar and Thailand.
Made up of more than 500 islands, the Andaman and Nicobar territories are located some 1,400 kilometers southeast of India’s mainland. Approximately 350,000 people inhabit 30 to 40 of the islands, which are so close to the epicenter of the massive Asian earthquake, that the tsunami hit them almost immediately.
The Andaman and Nicobar islands have been home to primitive indigenous tribes for tens of thousands of years, with many of the tribes’ numbers dwindling in recent years.
The coral reefs of this archipelago are rich in spread and diversity, second only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Over 60 percent of the population is directly or indirectly dependent on tourism, and their hope is that people will continue to visit these islands in order to help rebuild their economy.
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