Lakshadweep, India’s smallest Union Territory, has recently gained attention due to its unique geographical features and the challenges faced by its residents.
About the Lakshadweep:
- The Lakshadweep is an archipelago, situated near the southwesterncoast of the Indian subcontinent.
- An archipelago is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
- It comprises of 36 islands, located in the Arabian Sea.
- It is India’s smallest Union Territory.
- Capital town: Kavaratti.
- It is divided into 3 districts- Kavaratti, Agatti, and Amini.
- It is governed by its own administrator appointed by the President of India.
- It is mentioned by the Arab traveller Ibn Batuta.
Geography:
- It has 12 atolls, 3 reefs, 5 submerged banks, and 10 inhabited islands.
- An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef, island, or series of islets.
- A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water.
- It was formed on the Laccadive Ridge, a submerged volcanic ridge in the Arabian Sea.
- The islands are coral atolls, formed by coral reefs and sand.
History of Lakshadweep:
- In 1498, when the Vasco da Gama arrived at Kozhikode during the Age of Discovery, they took control of the Lakshadweep archipelago, called Laquedivas by them.
- During the colonial era, the parts of islands “Amindivi” came under the control of the British East India Company, after defeat of Tipu Sultan in 3rd Anglo-Mysore war.
- These islands were attached to the Malabar district of the Madras Presidency during the British Raj.
- In 1947, its sovereignty was transferred to India upon Indian independence.
- In 1956, the States Reorganization Act was enacted and the group of islands became a Union Territory and came to be known as Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands.
- The 3 Islands adopted its current name “Lakshadweep” in 1973.
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