The Islands – Structure and Physiography of India

This article cleverly drills down into the nitty-gritty of the region and recognizes that there are two major island groups in the Bay of Bengal: 1) Andaman & Nicobar Islands and 2) The Lakshadweep Islands. The Bay of Bengal island groups consists of about 572 islands/islets. These are situated roughly between 6°N-14°N and 92°E -S4°E.

The two principal groups of islets include Ritchie‘s archipelago and Labyrinth island. The entire group of island is divided into two broad categories — the Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south.

However, some smaller islands are volcanic in origin. Barren Island, the only active volcano in India is also situated in the Nicobar Islands.

An island may be described as such, despite the presence of an artificial land bridge; examples are Singapore and its causeway, and the various Dutch delta islands, such as IJsselmonde.

Some places may even retain “island” in their names for historical reasons after being connected to a larger landmass by a land bridge or landfill, such as Coney Island and Coronado Island, though these are, strictly speaking, tied islands.

Conversely, when a piece of land is separated from the mainland by a man-made canal, for example the Peloponnese by the Corinth Canal, more or less the entirety of Fennoscandia by the White Sea Canal, or Marble Hill in northern Manhattan during the time between the building of the United States Ship Canal and the filling-in of the Harlem River which surrounded the area, it is generally not considered an island.

The islands of the Arabian sea

The Arabian Sea has some of the best beaches in the world. Visited by millions each year, some of them are simply phenomenal. But there are also some lesser known islands in this sea.

There are several islands in the Arabian Sea, with the most important ones being Lakshadweep Islands (India), Socotra (Yemen), Masirah (Oman) and Astola Island (Pakistan).

These are scattered between 8°N-12°N and 71°E -74°E longitude. These islands are located at a distance of280 km-480 km off the Kerala coast is built of coral deposits.

There are approximately 36 islands of which 11 are inhabited. Minicoy is the largest island with an area of 453 sq. km.