Andaman Islands

The Andaman Islands form an extensive archipelago of around 200 islands located in the northeastern Indian Ocean, southwest of Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to the south, they demarcate the maritime boundary between the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Andaman Sea to the east. Today, most of the Andamans belong to the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India, while a small group consisting of the Preparis and Coco Islands falls under Myanmar’s Yangon Region. The islands are widely known for their unique indigenous populations, striking geography, and complex colonial and modern history.

Etymology

The name Andaman appears in East and Southeast Asian sources from at least the thirteenth century. It is recorded in Zhao Rukuo’s Zhu Fan Zhi, where sailors drifting between Sumatra and Sri Lanka might be blown toward the “Andaman Islands.” During the fifteenth century Ming voyages under Zheng He, the Mao Kun map similarly mentions Andeman Mountain. These early notations reflect the longstanding maritime significance of the archipelago in Indian Ocean navigation.

Early Inhabitants and Prehistoric Settlement

Archaeological findings indicate human presence in the Andamans since at least the first millennium BC, though genetic research suggests settlement may date to more than 26,000 years ago, around the end of the last glacial period. Lower sea levels would have reduced the distance between the islands and the Asian mainland, facilitating early migration. The Andamanese peoples—comprising groups such as the Great Andamanese, Jarawas, Onge, and Sentinelese—form a distinct genetic lineage, markedly divergent from mainland populations.
These communities developed highly specialised foraging cultures adapted to island environments. Their isolation preserved unique languages and lifeways, some of which survive into the twenty-first century. The Sentinelese of North Sentinel Island remain among the world’s most isolated peoples, protected by Indian law from outside contact.

Chola and Southeast Asian Connections

By the eleventh century CE, the islands entered the political orbit of South Asian kingdoms. Under Rajendra Chola I, the Chola Empire used the Andamans and Nicobars as staging points in naval expeditions against Srivijaya in Southeast Asia. Chola inscriptions refer to the islands as Ma-Nakkavaram (“great open land”), a name which later evolved into Nicobar. Medieval travellers such as Marco Polo also recorded the islands, though often through garbled reports that contributed to exoticised portrayals.

British Colonial Era

British engagement with the Andamans began in earnest in the late eighteenth century. In 1789, the Bengal Presidency established a settlement and naval base at Chatham Island, later moved and renamed Port Cornwallis. High mortality rates from disease led to the temporary abandonment of the colony in 1796.
In the early nineteenth century, the islands acquired a reputation for danger, partly due to attacks on shipwrecked crews by islanders defending their territories. Notable incidents, such as the 1844 wrecks of the Runnymede and Briton, heightened British concern.
Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British revived plans for a penal settlement. In 1858, construction began at Port Blair, which became a vast prison complex designed to house political prisoners. The Cellular Jail, completed in 1910, epitomised colonial penal architecture, with hundreds of solitary-confinement cells. For prisoners, transportation to the Andamans—known as Kala Pani (“black water”)—entailed profound social and ritual dislocation. Harsh conditions, forced labour, and high mortality made the islands notorious within the independence movement.
Conflict between colonists and indigenous islanders continued, exemplified by the Battle of Aberdeen in 1859 between the Great Andamanese and British forces, influenced in part by an escaped convict who mediated between the groups.
The islands also witnessed violent episodes involving shipwreck survivors, such as the 1867 attack on passengers of the Nineveh by inhabitants of North Sentinel Island.

Twentieth Century and World War II

In 1872, administrative control of the Andaman and Nicobar groups was unified. The islands’ strategic location became prominent during the Second World War. From 1942 to 1945, they were occupied by Japanese forces, who nominally placed them under the Provisional Government of Free India led by Subhas Chandra Bose. Bose visited in December 1943, raising the flag of Indian independence and renaming the islands Shahid and Swaraj. Despite these symbolic gestures, Japanese rule was marked by repression and wartime atrocities.

Post-War Developments and Independence

After World War II, Britain decided to close the penal colony, proposing instead to incorporate former prisoners into development schemes. Surveys of natural resources—especially timber—were conducted, and some ex-inmates chose to remain as settlers.
With Indian independence in 1947, the penal settlement formally ended. The islands became part of the Republic of India in 1950 and were constituted as a Union Territory in 1956. Meanwhile, the northernmost islands—Preparis and Coco—became part of newly independent Myanmar.

Contemporary Period and Restricted Access

The late twentieth century brought renewed attention to the islands through scientific, cultural, and recreational visits. In 1998, a pioneering surfing expedition reached Little Andaman Island, demonstrating the archipelago’s potential for adventure tourism. Nevertheless, strict safeguards remain in place to protect indigenous groups.
North Sentinel Island remains legally off-limits, and the Sentinelese reject all contact, often with violent resistance. Indian authorities enforce exclusion zones to preserve their autonomy and prevent disease transmission.

Legacy

The Andaman Islands today represent a complex intersection of cultural heritage, colonial history, and ecological importance. Their unique indigenous communities, dramatic landscapes, and historical sites such as the Cellular Jail make them an important region for anthropological study and historical reflection. At the same time, stringent protections for uncontacted peoples underscore the ongoing need to balance preservation with external interest in this remarkable archipelago.