Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep
Union Territory
Clockwise from top: Kadmat Island; Minicoy Island; airport on Agatti Island; Reefs in Laccadive Sea;and Kalpeni Island
Emblem of Lakshadweep
Location of Lakshadweep in India
Coordinates: 10°34′N 72°38′E / 10.57°N 72.64°E / 10.57; 72.64
Country	India
Region	South India
Formation	1 November 1956
Capital	Kavaratti
Largest city	Andrott
Government
• Body	Government of Lakshadweep
• Administrator	Praful Khoda Patel[1]
National Parliament	Parliament of India
• Lok Sabha	1 seat
High Court	Kerala High Court
Area [2]
• Total	32.62 km2 (12.59 sq mi)
• Rank	36th
Population  (2011)[3]
• Total	64,473
• Density	1,976/km2 (5,120/sq mi)
Language
• Official	English[4]
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 code	IN-LD
Vehicle registration	LD
HDI (2019)	0.751 (4th)
Literacy (2011)	91.85%
Sex ratio (2011)	946♀/1000 ♂ (1st)
Website	lakshadweep.gov.in
Symbols of Lakshadweep
Emblem of Lakshadweep
Bird	Sooty tern
Flower	Neelakurinji
Mammal	Butterfly fish[a]
Tree	Bread fruit
List of union territory symbols

Lakshadweep (Malayalam: [lɐkʂɐd̪βʷiːbɨ̆]) is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands^[b] divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the 11th parallel north), and the atoll of Minicoy to the south of the Nine Degree Channel. The islands are located between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Laccadive Sea to the east, about 220–440 km (140–270 mi) off the Malabar Coast of mainland India.

The islands occupy a total land area of approximately 32.62 km² (12.59 sq mi) with a population of 64,473 as per the 2011 census across the ten inhabited islands. There is a 132 km (82 mi) long coastline with a lagoon area of 4,200 km² (1,600 sq mi), territorial waters of 20,000 km² (7,700 sq mi) and an exclusive economic zone of 400,000 km² (150,000 sq mi). Lakshadweep is the northernmost island group of the exposed undersea mountain range, the Chagos-Lakshadweep Ridge. The entire union territory is administered as a single district with Kavaratti as its capital.

Archaeological evidence from Kalpeni indicates human settlement in the region from at least 1500 BCE with early reference to the islands in the Buddhist Jataka tales from the 3rd century BCE and the Tamil Sangam literature Patiṟṟuppattu. The region was controlled by the Cheras in the Sangam period (3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE) and later by the Pallavas. Islam is presumed to have been brought in the 7th century by the arrival of Muslims. In the 11th century CE, the region was under influence of the Chola kingdom and formed a part of the trade route that connected the Middle East with South Asia. It came under the influence of the Portuguese briefly in the late 15th century CE before being ruled by the Arakkal kingdom, who were vassals of the Kolathiri Rajas of Kannur. The region was under the influence of the Mysore kingdom in the late 18th century and was later annexed to the British empire in 1799 CE. The islands became part of the Dominion of India following the Indian Independence in 1947 and was incorporated as a union territory in 1956.

The name Lakshadweep means "one lakh islands" (Lakṣadvīpa; one hundred thousand islands) in Malayalam and Sanskrit, though the islands are part of an archipelago of fewer islands. English is the designated official language while Jeseri, a dialect of Malayalam, is the widely spoken native language. Dhivehi is the most spoken language in the Minicoy Island. The region comes under the judicial jurisdiction of the Kerala High Court. Fishing and agriculture are the major occupations in the islands.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).