South Andaman Island

South Andaman Island is the southernmost island of the Great Andaman and is home to the majority of the population of the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.^[6] It is the location of Sri Vijaya Puram, capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

South Andaman

Outline map of the Andaman Islands, with the location of South Andaman Island highlighted (in red)
South Andaman Show map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands South Andaman Show map of India
Geography
Location	Bay of Bengal
Coordinates	11.783333°N 92.65°E / 11.783333; 92.65
Archipelago	Andaman Islands
Adjacent to	Indian Ocean
Area	1,262 km2 (487 sq mi)[1]
Length	83 km (51.6 mi)
Width	28 km (17.4 mi)
Coastline	413 km (256.6 mi)
Highest elevation	459 m (1506 ft)[2]
Highest point	Mount Koyob
Administration
India
District	South Andaman
Island group	Andaman Islands
Island sub-group	Great Andaman
Tehsil	Ferrargunj Tehsil
Largest settlement	Sri Vijaya Puram (pop. 100,000)
Demographics
Population	209,602 (2011)only villages on south andaman island
Pop. density	166/km2 (430/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Malayali, Andamanese
Additional information
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	744202[3]
Telephone code	031927 [4]
ISO code	IN-AN-00[5]
Official website	www.and.nic.in
Literacy	80.6%
Avg. summer temperature	30.2 °C (86.4 °F)
Avg. winter temperature	23.0 °C (73.4 °F)
Sex ratio	1.15♂/♀
Census Code	35.640.00xx
Official Languages	Hindi, English

History

South Andaman Island was struck by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, leading to many deaths on the island.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1901	11,139	—
1911	10,834	−0.28%
1921	10,940	+0.10%
1931	11,806	+0.76%
1941	13,091	+1.04%
1951	11,645	−1.16%
1961	30,084	+9.96%
1971	57,863	+6.76%
1981	99,571	+5.58%
1991	157,141	+4.67%
2001	208,471	+2.87%
2011	238,142	+1.34%
source:[7]

Geography

The island belongs to the Great Andaman Chain. Some areas of the island are restricted areas for non-Indians; however, transit permits can be obtained from the Home Ministry. South Andaman is the third largest island in the island group. It is located immediately south of Middle Andaman Island and Baratang, from which it is separated only by a narrow channel, a few hundred meters wide. The island is 83 kilometres (52 miles) long and 28 kilometres (17 miles) at its widest part. Its area is 1,262 square kilometres (487 square miles). South Andaman is less mountainous than the more northerly of the Andaman Islands. Koiob reaches a height of 459 metres (1,506 feet) above sea level.^{[8] [9]}

Administration

Politically, South Andaman Island has the tehsils of Ferrargunj and Sri Vijaya Puram.^[10]

Demographics

Port Blair, the capital of the islands, is located on the southern part of this island. Other big cities are : Bambooflat, Prothrapur, and Garacharma. South Andaman had a population of 238,142 at the 2011 census.^[11] The effective literacy rate (i.e. the literacy rate of population excluding children aged 6 and below) is 89.13.^[11]

Tourism

South Andaman plays very important role in the tourism sector as it serves as an entry point to the Andamans. There are many tour operators and travel agencies in Port Blair.

Demographics (2011 Census)^[12]

	Total	Male	Female
Population	209602	111980	97622
Children aged below 6 years	21498	10954	10544
Scheduled caste	0	0	0
Scheduled tribe	2553	1287	1266
Literates	168924	93717	75207
Workers (all)	85131	68143	16988
Main workers (total)	75885	61685	14200
Main workers: Cultivators	3054	2130	924
Main workers: Agricultural labourers	1229	1042	187
Main workers: Household industry workers	624	463	161
Main workers: Other	70978	58050	12928
Marginal workers (total)	9246	6458	2788
Marginal workers: Cultivators	412	293	119
Marginal workers: Agricultural labourers	613	465	148
Marginal workers: Household industry workers	181	103	78
Marginal workers: Others	8040	5597	2443
Non-workers	124471	43837	80634

References

1. "Islandwise Area and Population - 2011 Census" (PDF). Government of Andaman.
2. Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 173: India and the Bay of Bengal (PDF). Sailing Directions. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 285.
3. "A&N Islands - Pincodes". 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
4. "STD Codes of Andaman and Nicobar". allcodesindia.in. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
5. Registration Plate Numbers added to ISO Code
6. "Village Code Directory: Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF). Census of India. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
7. Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
8. Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Andaman Islands" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 955.
9. map
10. "DEMOGRAPHIC – A&N ISLANDS" (PDF). andssw1.and.nic.in. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
11. "Demographic - A & N Islands" (PDF). Retrieved 12 May 2024.
12. "District Census Handbook - Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF). 2011 Census of India. Directorate of Census Operations, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.

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• Andaman and Nicobar Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage