History of the Islands:
The islands preserving the tales of ruthlessness and agony were once upon a time the penal colony of the British. Geographically much apart from Indian mainland and closer to Thailand and Myanmar, Andaman and Nicobar Islands consist of nearly 600 smaller islands grouped together. However, out of these 600 islands, do you know how many are open to you to roam about? Just 9 of these! And all 9 of these islands are in Andaman part of the combined Union Territory.
Even during the World War II, when the Japanese occupied Andaman and later handed over to Subhash Chandra Bose to make it a part of Free India, the administration here was run brutal on the inhabitants. Towards the end of the war, the food began to get scarce, when the inhabitants were forced to leave the islands and migrate to the inhabited parts to fend for themselves. Such a significant history associated with the Islands is the main reason every Indian wants to visit the place once. This is synonymous to paying homage to the patriots and habitants who cannot witness the beautiful transformation on the islands any more.
Know The Place:
The best time to visit the islands is when the diving conditions are favourable here. From Mid January to Mid May, the climate is sunny and the sea is reflective. Tourists find this period most enjoyable. May through July experiences heavy monsoon winds; thereby restricting the diving activities. From August to November, the climate once again turns pleasant with light rain showers here and there.
There is a great variation between the tribal and non-tribes on the islands. A few of the islands on Andaman are connected to the rest of the world, and have eventually acquired the development with time. These are the islands where there is moderate or high class of lifestyle evident. Havelock, Neil and Port Blair form a part of the developed category of Andaman. Apart from these, the islands here are mostly inhabited by the tribes, who still live the stone-age era. Nicobar Islands do not have any connect to the foreign visitors, and hence exhibits a lifestyle that is in the form it was centuries ago.
People are friendly, irrespective of which part of the islands you are in. The people in Port Blair, Havelock and Neil Islands are literate to a decent level, Port Blair exceeding the national literacy rate in fact. The tribes are untouched of modern education though, and still follow their primitive methods for their routine lives.
Fishing and Tourism are the two main occupations in the islands. Tourism is limited to the 9 islands in Andaman which are open to foreign visitors. Those engaged with tourism related activities are usually the youngsters. Many businesses have set up lately to be a part of the booming tourism here. This has brought a mixed crowd from neighbouring states to Andaman.
The rest of the population earns their way through fishing.
