Havelock Island

Havelock Island
Native name: हैवलॉक द्वीप
Nickname: Sir Henry Havelock Island [1]
Havelock Island
Havelock Island

Location of Havelock Island

Geography
Location Bay of Bengal
Coordinates 11°58′N 93°00′E / 11.96°N 93.00°E / 11.96; 93.00Coordinates: 11°58′N 93°00′E / 11.96°N 93.00°E / 11.96; 93.00
Archipelago Andaman Islands
Adjacent bodies of water Indian Ocean
Total islands 1
Major islands
  • Havelock     
Area 92.2 km2 (35.6 sq mi)[2][3]
Length 18 km (11.2 mi)
Width 8 km (5 mi)
Coastline 58.5 km (36.35 mi)
Highest elevation 167 m (548 ft)
Highest point Yulutang
Administration
District South Andaman
Island group Andaman Islands
Island sub-group Ritchie's Archipelago
Tehsil Port Blair Tehsil
Largest settlement
Govinda Nagar
(population 2904)
Demographics
Demonym Hindi
Population 6315 (2011)
Pop. density 68.5 /km2 (177.4 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups Bengali
Additional information
Time zone
PIN 744211[4]
Telephone code 031928 [5]
Official website www.and.nic.in
Literacy 84.4%
Avg. summer temperature 30.2 °C (86.4 °F)
Avg. winter temperature 23.0 °C (73.4 °F)
Sex ratio 1.2♂/♀
unit_pref Metric
Census Code 35.639.0004
Official Languages Hindi, English

Havelock Island (Hindi: हैवलॉक द्वीप) is the largest of the islands that comprise Ritchie's Archipelago, a chain of islands to the east of Great Andaman in the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[6] the island is lying 41 km (25 mi) northeast from the capital city Port Blair.

Etymology

Radha Nagar beach sunset view.
Elephant beach, Havelock Island.
Kalapathar beach.
Prominent horticulture produce of Havelock.

Havelock Island is named after a British general, Sir Henry Havelock, who served in India.[7]

History

Havelock is one of the few places that the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India has permitted and encouraged development of tourism, with a focus on promoting eco-tourism.

Havelock Island avoided much of the devastation by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its resulting tsunami, and there were no documented casualties.

Fatal crocodile attacks have occurred on the island. In 2010 an American tourist was taken while snorkelling. Later the crocodile was captured by the Andaman forest department and was sent to a zoo.

There is a lighthouse at the northern point of the island, near Govinda Nagar, established 2005. [8][9]

Geography

The island belongs to the Ritchie's Archipelago and is located between Peel Island and Neill Island.

Administration

Politically, Havelock Island is part of Port Blair Taluk.[10]

Demographics

The island's current population of 6,315 consists of mainly Bengali settlers. Many of these settlers have Bangladeshi origin as these people were given settlement by the Indian government after the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. The six villages are:

Tourism

Beaches

Radha Nagar beach on the western coast, also known as Number 7 Beach, is one of the most popular beaches on Havelock and was named "Best Beach in Asia" by Time in 2004.[12] Other notable beaches include Elephant Beach on the northwest coast and Vijay Nagar Beach (No. 5), Beach No. 3 and Beach No. 1 on the east coast. Kalapathar is another famous beach.[13][14][15]

Snorkeling

One can go snorkeling at Elephant Beach at Havelock Island. It is one of the most preferred snorkeling destinations after Jolly Buoy Island in Port Blair.

Resorts

Havelock Island has become a destination for honeymooners. The island has a lot of resorts by the beach to cater to tourists. The resorts are lined up one after the other in a long stretch. The only Government accommodation in Havelock Island is the Dolphin Beach Resort.

Activities

Transportation

The island can be reached from Port Blair using government-operated ferries and private cruises which are available.[18][19][20] There are also helicopter services.[21] A local bus connects the jetty and villages on an hourly circuit.[22]

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ area info
  3. ↑ Official site
  4. ↑ "A&N Islands - Pincodes". 22 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "STD Codes of Andaman and Nicobar". allcodesindia.in. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  6. ↑ "Village Code Directory: Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF). Census of India. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
  7. ↑ Llewellyn-Jones, Rosie (2007). The Great Uprising in India, 1857-58: Untold Stories, Indian and British. Boydell & Brewer. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-84383-304-8.
  8. ↑ "Government of India, Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships.". www.dgll.nic.in. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ "DEMOGRAPHIC – A&N ISLANDS" (PDF). andssw1.and.nic.in. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
  11. ↑ Map
  12. ↑ http://www.time.com/time/asia/2004/boa/boa_soul_andaman.html
  13. ↑ beaches map
  14. ↑ CNN
  15. ↑ another beach poll
  16. ↑ YouTube
  17. ↑ activities
  18. ↑ A & N Administration. "Ferry Program for Neil, Havelock & Rangat, operates all year from (Phoenix Bay) Sector". www.andaman.gov.in. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  19. ↑ Sanjib Kumar Roy, Editor, Andaman Sheekha. "Makruzz Ferry services to Neil Island via Havelock". Andaman Sheekha. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  20. ↑ Coastal Cruise
  21. ↑ A & N Administration. "Helicopter Inter Island Schedule". www.andaman.gov.in. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  22. ↑ bus
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