

The Andamans, situated on the ancient trade route between India and Myanmar (Burma), were visited by Lieutenant Lieut. Archibald Blair of the Bombay Marine (the East India Company’s navy) in 1789. The first European settlement on the islands was at Port Blair, situated along the eastern coast of South Andaman. It is now the union territory capital.

The islands are a succession of dome-shaped hill ranges running parallel to each other from north to south. The highest peak is Saddle, rising 2,418 feet (737 metres) on North Andaman. Flat land is scarce and confined to a few valleys , such as the Bitampur and Diglipur. The islands are formed of Tertiary (from approximately 65.5 million to 2.6 million years ago) sandstone, limestone, and shale and are highly dissected. Their surface is covered with dense forest, and large mangrove swamps occur in the northern part of North Andaman. Perennial rivers are few, and adequate water supply is a continuing problem.

Agriculture is the principal occupation; crops include cereals, pulses (legumes), coconuts, betel nuts, fruits, cassava (manioc), chilies, and turmeric. There is little manufacturing industry. Only South Andaman has roads; an . An interisland steamer service connects Port Blair with North, Middle, South, and Little Andaman. Vinayak Damodar (Vir) Savarkar, the great Indian revolutionary, was imprisoned for life (1911–37) in the Cellular Jail (declared a national monument in 1979) in Port Blair. In December 2004 the islands were struck by a large tsunami that had been triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia. Coastal areas of the Andamans suffered extensive damage, and scores of people were killed. Area 2,474 square miles (6,408 square km). Pop. (2001 prelim.) 314,084.