Kiltan

Kiltan or Kilthān Island is a coral island belonging to the Amindivi Subgroup of islands of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India. It is at a distance of 291 km away from Kannur, 303 km away from Kozhikode, and 394 km (245 mi) west of the city of Kochi. The nearest mainland body is Cannanore and the nearest port is Mangalore.

Kiltan or Kilthan

KİLTON
Northern edge of Kiltan seen from a helicopter, showing also Kulikkara .
Kiltan or Kilthan
Etymology	'Keel' means the east is in Jeseri language . 'Than' indicates locating or being. So the name coming from the location of the island lying easternmost of Amindivi subgroup.
Geography
Location	Arabian Sea
Coordinates	11.483°N 73.005°E / 11.483; 73.005
Archipelago	Lakshadweep
Adjacent to	Laccadive Sea, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean
Total islands	1
Major islands	Kiltan
Area	1.78 km2 (0.69 sq mi)[1]
Area rank	8th
Length	3.4 km (2.11 mi)
Width	0.6 km (0.37 mi)
Coastline	8.1 km (5.03 mi)
Highest elevation	2 m (7 ft)
Highest point	44 metre(light house)
Administration
India
Territory	Union territory of Lakshadweep
District	Lakshadweep
Island group	Aminidivi
Tehsils of India	Aminidivi
Subdivisions of India	Kiltan
Largest settlement	Kacherippadiyar (pop. 1500)
Demographics
Population	4041 (2011)
Population rank	8
Pop. density	2,270/km2 (5880/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Koyas, Melacheri and Malmi
Additional information
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	682558
Telephone code	04898
ISO code	IN-LD-08[2]
Official website	www.lakshadweep.gov.in
Literacy	91.4%
Avg. summer temperature	32.0 °C (89.6 °F)
Avg. winter temperature	28.0 °C (82.4 °F)
Sex ratio	1.041 ♂/♀

History

Kiltan is settled during early periods of common immigration to the Lakshadweep islands. The island was part of an international trade route between the Persian Gulf and Ceylon.^[3]

Kiltan is the home of the Sufi saint Shaikh Ahmed Naqshabanthi.

Geography

Kiltan is one of the populated islands of Lakshadweep. It is located 51 km to the northeast of Amini Island and 32 km to the southeast of Chetlat Island, between 11° 28′ and 11° 30′ N latitude and 72° 59′ and 73° 01′ E longitude, and has an area of 2.20 km². The reef and lagoon (total area of 3.76 km² (1.45 sq mi)) are located to the west of the island and the dry land has 3.4 km length and 0.6 km width at the broadest point.^[4] On the northern and southern ends of the island, there are high storm beaches. This island is 291 km away from Kannur, 303 km away from Kozhikode, and 394 km (213 nautical miles) away from Kochi. Its lagoon area is 1.76 km².

Kiltan island also has crossed by 73rd meridian east through its landmark known as Kulikkara is a tomb of a Lady venerated by natives.

Economics

Historically, the primary source of income on the island was fishing and coconut production. However, in recent times, the island's residents have diversified their livelihoods, venturing into various fields, including government positions (in education, police, communication, transportation, business, and IT) and private employment opportunities like construction (building and road development), plumbing, and electrical work.

Demographics

The population in Kiltan was 3945 as per census 2011. Most people from Kiltan, as in Amini and Kadmat, belonged to the Koya, Mali and Melacheri families.^[5] The language spoken is Jeseri, a mixture of Malayalam and Tamil influenced by Arabic as in other islands. But the peoples don't use its script because its writing was stopped too earlier period. Kiltan has rich folk cultures and warm hospitality to its tradition. The Island has a 41-metre lighthouse and an average Heliport t used by Administration for Emergency medical services.

In the past, Kiltan was nicknamed as Cheriyaponnani meaning Little Ponnani because of the Islanders acquired knowledge from here during the pre-colonial periods in relative that the Ponnani was known for centre of Islamic Religious knowledge in Southern India.^{[citation needed]}

Administration

The island has a Sub Divisional Officer appointing by administration from Kavaratti the Union capital of Lakshadweep commanding as executive and judicial head of islands. The Police station of Kiltan have dozens of constables and marines under a sub-inspector. Also there have a base camp for IRBN (India Reserve Bettalion) for duties such as safeguarding of Treasury and use as additional force with police in case of an emergency.

Image gallery

• 
  Kiltan island seen from southern extreme point of reef also here is a small channel named Mooni
• 
  Satellite picture showing the atolls of the Lakshadweep except for Minicoy
• 
  Map
• 
  Kiltan jetty
• 
  Kiltan island seen from southern extreme point of reef also here is a small channel named Mooni
• 
  An evening from Cocafulluckyar Kiltan Island

References

• India portal
• Islands portal

1. "Islandwise Area and Population - 2011 Census" (PDF). Government of Lakshadweep. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2016.
2. Registration Plate Numbers added to ISO Code
3. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act - Kiltan
4. Hydrographic Description (Indian Ocean Pilot)
5. R. H. Ellis, A short account of the Laccadive Islands and Minicoy, AES reprint 1992

External links

• Lagoon sizes
• Kiltan – Geographical information
• Kiltān – Oceandots at the Wayback Machine (archived 23 December 2010)
• List of Atolls Archived 13 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
• An ornithological expedition to the Lakshadweep archipelago
• Sources towards a history of the Laccadive Islands
• FAO – An analysis of the carrying Capacity of Lakshadweep Coral Reefs