- Lakshadweep is India’s smallest Union Territory with capital Kavaratti.
- Latitude – 8° to 12°13′ N
- Longitude – 71° to 74° E
Lakshadweep Emblem
- It is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands. It has 12 atolls, 3 reefs, 5 sub-merged banks and 10 inhabited islands – Minicoy, Kalpeni, Andrott, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Agatti, Kavaratti, Amini and Kadmat.
- Official languages are – Malayalam and English.
- There are 4 main islands – Kavaratti, Agatti, Minicoy and Amini.
Kavaratti Island
Agatti Island
Minicoy Island
Amini Island
Island does pearl fishing and also major supplier of Seafood. It has famous beaches with crystal clear water.
State Bird – Brown Noddy (image inserted below)
State Fish – Butterfly Fish (image inserted below)
State Tree – Bread Fruit (image inserted below)
Major tribes that dwell in Lakshadweep
- Amindivi/ Amini Tribe – they inhibit the Amindivi Island, earlier they were called as Amini. They were the 1st group to inhibit the Islands. Their recognition is Handmade crafts.
- Koya Tribe – or known as Tarawadis or Karnavar. The word Koya came from ‘Khoja’ which means “The Respected”. They believe to be the best and also maintain distance from others. They are descendants of the mainland Namboodiri and Nairs. They inhibit all islands presently except that of Minicoy. Language spoken is Laccadive i.e. Dweep Bhasaha which is a local variant of Malayalam.
- Malmi Tribe – or called as Mali derived from Arabic word Muallim meaning crew member. In the past they were sailors for the Koya tribe. They can derive vessels more successfully than other communities. To communicate they also use the language Dweep Bhasha. They follow islamic law of inheritance and also matrilineal system of inheritance which is termed as Marumakkathayam.
- Melachari Tribe – the word means High Climbers which comes and matches their profession of coconut plucking. They follow Islam and belong to Shafi school of Sunni Muslims.
Sources:-
- indiaetzone.com
- egyankosh.ac.in
- wikipedia.org
- Lakshadweep.gov.in
- mapsofindia.com
