There are exactly two great and major island groups of India’s physiography. They are located in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. There are numerous small and large islands, some of which are volcanic in origin and some of which are coral in origin among the Islands of Andaman and Nicobar.
These islands’ coastlines feature coral deposits and beautiful beaches. They have equatorial vegetation and are subjected to convectional rainfall. These are mostly flat islands of India that rise only a few metres above sea level.
- Total 247 islands in India → 204 islands in Bay of Bengal and 43 in the Arabian Sea
- Few coral islands in the Gulf of Mannar also
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands in Bay of Bengal consist of hard volcanic rocks
- The middle Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the largest islands of India
- Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea are formed by corals
- The southern – most point of India is in Nicobar Island, known as Indira Point
- Formerly Indira point was called Pigmalion Point, it is submerged now, after 2004 Tsunami
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Lakshadweep Islands |
| – Volcanic islands representing submarine volcanism – Represent the surfaces of submerged folds viz. extension of Himalaya, precisely – Arakan yoma fold mountains of Myanmar – Formed of Granite rocks & have high hills &l peaks for ex. Saddle peak – Equatorial climate with tropical rain-forests | – a union of coral islands, entirely different from A & N islands – comprises of large number of dead corals, fringing, barrier and atoll coral reefs – Have calcium rich soils filled with organic limestone – Have scattered vegetation of palm species |
Famous Islands in India
| A & N Islands | Continuation of Arakan Yoma mountain range of Myanmar |
| Nicobar Islands | Just 147 km from Sumatra Island (Indonesia) |
| Mazuli Island | Largest riverine island of the world, located on Brahamaputra in Assam |
| New Moore Island | On Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta region & a disputed site b/w India & Bangladesh |
| Sagar Island | W.B – on the continental shelf of Bay of Bengal |
| Wheeler Island | Odisha, Integrated Missile Test Range facility |
| Hope Island | On coast of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh — Houses Satish Dhawan Space Centre |
| Sriharikota Island | Andhra Pradesh – Satellite launch center |
| Narcondam Island | Extinct Volcano island – Andaman Sea |
| Barren Island | Dormant Volcano island – Andaman Sea( now It is Active Volcano) |
| Katchatheevu Island | forcibly given to Srilanka by India in 1974 |
| Salasette Island | Group of 7 islands, known as Mumbai today |
| Wellington Island | Naval Station → Kerala |
Adam’s Bridge/ Rama’s Bridge/ Rama Setu
- a chain of limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island
- Lies off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka
Read Also : Glaciers In India
