Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands, and the atoll of Minicoy to the south of the Nine Degree Channel. The islands are located between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Laccadive Sea to the east, about off the Malabar Coast of mainland India.
The islands occupy a total land area of approximately with a population of 64,473 as per the 2011 census across the ten inhabited islands. There is a long coastline with a lagoon area of, territorial waters of and an exclusive economic zone of. Lakshadweep is the northernmost island group of the exposed undersea mountain range, the Chagos-Lakshadweep Ridge. The entire union territory is administered as a single district with Kavaratti as its capital.
Archaeological evidence from Kalpeni indicates human settlement in the region from at least 1500 BCE with early reference to the islands in the Buddhist Jataka tales from the 3rd century BCE and the Tamil Sangam literature Patiṟṟuppattu. The region was controlled by the Cheras in the Sangam period and later by the Pallavas. Islam is presumed to have been brought in the 7th century by the arrival of Muslims. In the 11th century CE, the region was under influence of the Chola kingdom and formed a part of the trade route that connected the Middle East with South Asia. It came under the influence of the Portuguese briefly in the late 15th century CE before being ruled by the Arakkal kingdom, who were vassals of the Kolathiri Rajas of Kannur. The region was under the influence of the Mysore kingdom in the late 18th century and was later annexed to the British Empire in 1799 CE. The islands became part of the Dominion of India following the Indian Independence in 1947 and was incorporated as a union territory in 1956.
The name Lakshadweep literally means "one hundred thousand islands" in Malayalam and Sanskrit. English is the designated official language while Jeseri, a dialect of Malayalam, is the widely spoken native language. Dhivehi is the most spoken language in the Minicoy Island. The region comes under the judicial jurisdiction of the Kerala High Court. Fishing and agriculture are the major occupations in the islands.

Etymology

The name Lakshadweep is derived from Lakṣadvīpa meaning "one hundred thousand islands," presumably from Sanskrit or Malayalam. Laccadive seems to be the result of the anglicization of the given name during the British Raj. Amindivi derives its name from the Amindivi people, who were the earliest inhabitants of the Amini Island. The native name of the Minicoy Island is Maliku, and the given name is the anglicized version derived from the Nicobarese word Minikaa-raajje as the island was known then in the Andaman and Nicobar.

History

Early history

The early human migration from Africa to the Andaman Islands through India was thought by scientists to include Lakshadweep because of its location between Africa and the southwestern region of India. However, later genetic studies indicated that the majority of human ancestry in the islands derived from South Asia. Archaeological evidence from Kalpeni indicate the existence of human settlements in the region from at least 1500 BCE. The islands are mentioned in the Buddhist Jataka tales, dated to 3rd century CE. Archeological evidence indicates the spread of Buddhism to the islands during the time of Sanghmitra, the daughter of emperor Ashoka, presumed to have visited the island. Tamil Sangam literature Patiṟṟuppattu mentions that the region was ruled by the Cheras, one of the three kingdoms of ancient Tamilakam, in the Sangam period.
The islands have been known to sailors since at least 1st century CE, as indicated in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. It contains an anonymous reference to the islands off the coast of Damirica as a source of a turtle shell. In 2nd century CE, Greek geographer Ptolemy mentions 1378 islands located opposite to Taprobane with the names of some of the islands given as Kanathara, Argidion, Ammine, and Monache. The islands later became part of a trade route with the Roman empire, with archeological evidence from as early as 2nd century CE obtained from Kadamath and Androth islands. Other travelers and historians such as Ammianus Marcellinus, Faxian, and Cosmas mention the islands in their writings.

Middle Ages

Local traditions attribute the first settlement on the islands to Cheraman Perumal, the last Chera king of Kerala, though no historical evidence exists apart from the presence of ancient Hindu social stratification. According to local tradition, Islam was brought to the islands by Ubaidullah in 661 CE, whose purported grave is located in the Andrott island. Inscriptions from Vayalur indicates a naval battle fought during the reign of Narasimhavarman II, which resulted in the capture of the territory by the Pallavas of Kanchi in the late 7th century CE. Epigraphs indicate the capture of the region of Kavadi Dvepa by the Kadambas in the 10th century CE. In the 11th century CE, the islands came under the rule of the Cholas. Chola inscriptions from Thanjavur, indicate that the region was captured by Rajendra Chola I in 1018-19 CE. In the late 11th century CE, it became part of a small Hindu kingdom before being passed on to the Kingdom of Kannur in early 12th century CE. The islands are mentioned in the writings of travelers Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta in the 13th–14th century CE.

European colonization

In the late 15th century CE, the islands came under the control of the Portuguese as a source of coir for their industries. The native islanders revolted against the Portuguese and expelled them in 1545 CE. In the mid 16th century CE, all inhabited islands were conferred as jagir to the ruling family of Kannur by the Chirakkal family of Kolathiri to grant protection from the Portuguese. The Aminidivi islands came under the rule of Tipu Sultan of Mysore Kingdom in 1787 CE and were later annexed to the British Raj in 1799 CE after the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The rest of the islands remained under the suzerainty of the Arakkal family in return for a payment of annual tribute to the British. The British took over the administration of these islands in 1908 CE, citing the nonpayment of taxes, and attached it to the Madras Presidency.

Post Independence

After Indian Independence from colonial British rule in 1947, the islands became part of the Dominion of India, and later came under the administration of the Madras State after the Constitution of India was enacted in 1950. Following the States Reorganisation Act, the islands, which were earlier divided between the South Canara and Malabar districts of the Madras state, were organized into a separate union territory administered by the Government of India. The Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands were collectively renamed as the Lakshadweep islands on 1 November 1973. The headquarters of the union territory remained at Kozhikode until 1964, when the seat of the Administrator was shifted to Kavaratti. The territory has developed into a key Indian naval establishment due to its strategic location near vital shipping lanes from India to the Middle East.

Geography

Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands and islets that includes 12 atolls, three reefs, and five submerged banks. The islands occupy a total land area of approximately and only ten of the islands are inhabited. The islands are located between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Laccadive Sea to the east, about off the Malabar Coast of mainland India. The territory is divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi islands in the north, the Laccadive islands in the East, and the atoll of Minicoy to the south of the Nine Degree Channel. The islands have a long coastline with a lagoon area of, territorial waters of, and an exclusive economic zone of.
Lakshadweep is the northernmost island group of the exposed undersea mountain range, the Chagos-Lakshadweep Ridge. While there are no conclusive theories about the formation of the atolls, Charles Darwin proposed in 1842 CE that the subsidence of a volcanic island resulted in the formation of a fringing reef, which grew upwards with continual subsidence. The individual islands are small, with none of them measuring more than across. Most inhabited islands are situated on the eastern side of Lakshadweep and away from the low-lying lagoons to the West. The soil is generally sandy, derived from coral. According to a 2017 report, the Parali I island of Bangaram atoll has eroded and is completely inundated. Four other islands in the atoll also show various degrees of erosion: Parali II, Thinnakara, Parali III, and Bangaram.

Climate

The islands have a tropical monsoon climate, bordering on a tropical savanna climate. The weather is warm throughout the year with temperatures ranging from 20 to 32 degree Celsius. While tropical cyclones arising in the Arabian Sea rarely strike the islands due to its smaller size, winds and waves associated with them could alter the features of the islands considerably.
File:Blue tang surgeonfish.jpg|thumb|Acanthurus leucosternon in the Laccadive Sea

Flora and fauna

Lakshadweep is part of the Maldives-Lakshadweep-Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests ecoregion. There are no forests on the islands. Nearly 400 species of flowering plants have been documented, including three species of sea grasses Cymodocea isoetifolia, Syringodium isoetifolium and Thalassia hemprichii, other angiosperms such as Pandanus, Heliotropium foertherianum, Tournefortia argentea and Pemphis acidula, fungi, algae, and lichens. The common flora of the atolls include coconut groves and coastal shrubs such as Pemphis acidula, Cordia subcordata, Scaevola taccada, Thespesia populnea, Suriana maritima, Dodonaea viscosa, Guettarda speciosa, and seaweeds such as sea lettuces, Codium, and Hypena.
There are over 600 recorded species of marine fishes, 78 species of corals, 82 species of seaweed, 52 species of crabs, 2 species of lobsters, 48 species of gastropods, and 12 species of bivalves. It is one of the four coral reef regions in India.
Cetacean diversity off the Lakshadweep Islands and in adjacent areas include various whales, and dolphins. The commonly seen are introduced cattle and poultry. Other notable marine fauna include sharks, bonitos, tunas, snappers, flying fish, Manta rays, octopuses, crabs, and turtles. There are 101 species of birds, common amongst them include the brown noddy and sooty tern and water birds such as herons, teals, and gulls. Pitti island is a declared bird sanctuary and an important breeding place for sea turtles and a number of pelagic birds including the brown noddy, lesser crested tern, and greater crested tern.

Animal	Butterfly fish		Bird	Sooty tern
Tree	Bread fruit		Flower	Neelakurinji