The Andaman & Nicobar Islands of India Quiz

Answer: Bay of Bengal

With an area of 2,170,000 square kilometers, the Bay of Bengal is one of the largest non-ocean bodies of water in the world. Several major rivers including the Irawaddy, Brahmaputra, and Ganges drain into the Bay of Bengal. The Andaman Sea lies to the east of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Answer: 10° N

Many heavily populated cities in Asia and Africa lie near the 10° N parallel. The Nicobar Islands lie just south of this line while the Andaman Islands lie to the north.

Answer: UTC+5:30

All of India, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is considered part of the UTC+5:30 time zone. This is commonly referred to as Indian Standard Time (IST).

Answer: Union Territory

The nation of India is a federal republic comprised of twenty-eight states and six union territories. Many of the states are additionally subdivided into divisions, districts, and Tehsils. The other six union territories of India are Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

Answer: Port Blair

With a population of 100,000, Port Blair comprises over one-fourth of the islands' total population. The town was named in the late 1700s for a British East India Company Lieutenant named Archibald Blair. Port Blair served as a penal colony from 1858 to the early 1900s. Port Blair functioned as the headquarters of the Indian National Army under president Subhas Chandra Bose in 1943 and 1944.

Answer: Malay

'Andaman' is derived from the Malay word for the Hindu god Hanuman. 'Nicobar' is a Malay word that roughly translates to 'land of the naked people.'

Answer: Coco Islands

The Coco Channel separates North Andaman Island from Little Coco Island. Great Coco Island, located 15 kilometers northeast of Little Coco Island, is a popular nesting ground for green turtles.

Answer: West Andaman

The other two major islands are North Andaman and South Andaman. The total length of the Andaman Islands is 352 kilometers and the islands' land area is 6,408 square kilometers.

Answer: Ten Degree Channel

As you may have guessed, the Ten Degree Channel lies on the 10° N line of latitude. The Strait of Malacca separates West Malaysia from the island of Sumatra. The Palk Strait separates India and Sri Lanka. The Bab-el-Mandeb separates Yemen and Djibouti.

Answer: 22

The largest island is Great Nicobar which has an area of 1045 kmē, about 57% of the total area of the Nicobar Islands. Ten of the 22 islands are uninhabited. The other major Nicobar Islands are Katchal, Camorta, Nancowry, Trinket, and Little Nicobar.

Answer: Jangil

Newly introduced diseases were probably the major reason for the death of the Jangil people. In the 1920s, an expedition attempted to find signs that the Jangil people were still alive, but it was unsuccessful. As of 2007, the Shompen people of the Nicobar Islands had a population of about 400 and the Jarawa people of the Andaman Islands had a population of about 300.

The Sentinelese people of the Andaman Islands are a very isolated group and their population may be as low as 40 or as high as 500.

Answer: Japan

The British army had a difficult time defending its overseas territories during World War II. The Andaman islands were invaded and occupied by Japanese forces on March 23, 1942. Little is known of the Japanese occupation of the islands because the majority of the government records were burned in 1945.

Answer: 2004

The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake created a series of tsunamis that claimed approximately 200,000 lives. The earthquake had a magnitude of 9.2 making it the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph.

Answer: Saddle Peak

Saddle Peak is located near Kalipur beach on North Andaman. Narcondam is an extinct volcano located in the Andaman Sea. Mount Thullier rises 642 meters above sea level and is the highest point of the Nicobar Islands. Indira Point, located on Great Nicobar Island, is the most southern point in all of India.

Answer: Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai (Madras)

Chennai is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is located 1,190 kilometers from Port Blair. Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and is located 1,255 miles from Port Blair.