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Nancowry Island

Coordinates: 7°59′N 93°33′E / 7.98°N 93.55°E / 7.98; 93.55
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nancowry Island
Native name:
Mūöt
Nickname: Nankovri
Nancowry Island is located in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Nancowry Island
Nancowry Island
Nancowry Island is located in Bay of Bengal
Nancowry Island
Nancowry Island
Geography
LocationBay of Bengal
Coordinates7°59′N 93°33′E / 7.98°N 93.55°E / 7.98; 93.55
ArchipelagoNicobar Islands
Adjacent toIndian Ocean
Area47 km2 (18 sq mi)[1]
Length11.2 km (6.96 mi)
Width7.5 km (4.66 mi)
Coastline47 km (29.2 mi)
Highest elevation162 m (531 ft)
Administration
DistrictNicobar
Island groupNicobar Islands
Subdivisions of IndiaNancowry Subdivision
TalukNancowry tehsil
Largest settlementMayo (Malacca) Point (pop. 516)
Demographics
Population1019 (2011)
Pop. density21.7/km2 (56.2/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsHindu, Nicobarese
Additional information
Time zone
PIN744301
Telephone code03192
ISO codeIN-AN-00[2]
Official websitewww.and.nic.in
Literacy84.4%
Avg. summer temperature32.0 °C (89.6 °F)
Avg. winter temperature28.0 °C (82.4 °F)
Sex ratio/
Census Code35.638.0002
Official LanguagesHindi, English, Tamil
Nancowry (regional)

Nancowry (Nancowry language: Mūöt, Hindi: नन्कोव्री Nankovrī) is an island in the central part of the Nicobar Islands chain, located in the northeast Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

History

[edit]

In 1755, the government of Denmark formally claimed sovereignty over Nicobars, under the name of Frederiksøerne ("Frederik Islands") and encouraged a mission established by the Moravian Brethren of Herrnhut. The Danes established a short-lived colony on the island which they named Ny Sjælland ("New Zealand").[3]

Along with Kamorta Island, which lies just to the north, Nancowry Island forms the "magnificent land-locked" Nancowry Harbour,[4] used by European sailors since at least the 17th century and described as "one of the safest natural harbours in the world" ([2]). The harbour was apparently used as a base for piracy; in 1868, the British Navy entered the harbour in some force, destroying suspected pirate ships.[5][6][7]

2004 tsunami

[edit]

The island, like many others in the Nicobar and Andaman islands, was severely affected by tsunamis generated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. According to reports from the Andaman and Nicobar Inspector General of Police, S.B. Deol, the Nancowry group of islands were among the worst-hit islands in the chain, with thousands missing and presumed dead.[8] Post-tsunami satellite photos,[9][10] and government situation reports indicate that while portions of Nancowry Island were affected, the adjoining islands of Katchall and Kamorta were more severely overrun. As of January 18, 2005, the government reported only 1 dead and 3 missing from Nancowry island, but 51 dead and 387 missing from Kamorta, and 345 dead and 4310 missing from Katchall.[11]

Demography

[edit]

As of the 2011 Indian census, there are 1019 persons living on Nancowry island.[12]

Geography

[edit]

Nancowry Island has an area of 47 km², and located 160 km south-southeast of Car Nicobar, the northernmost Nicobar island. Nancowry, like the Nicobar islands generally, is under the sovereignty of the nation of India. It is also part of the Nicobar and Andaman Tribal Reserve Area, which bars non-native people from visiting or conducting business on the island without permission in hopes of preserving the threatened native communities that live there.[13]

Climate

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Climate data for Nancowry Island (1981–2010, extremes 1952–2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.4
(93.9)
36.4
(97.5)
35.6
(96.1)
39.2
(102.6)
38.6
(101.5)
34.1
(93.4)
32.7
(90.9)
33.0
(91.4)
34.7
(94.5)
36.2
(97.2)
34.1
(93.4)
36.0
(96.8)
39.2
(102.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.3
(88.3)
31.9
(89.4)
32.5
(90.5)
32.8
(91.0)
31.4
(88.5)
30.5
(86.9)
30.1
(86.2)
30.0
(86.0)
29.9
(85.8)
30.2
(86.4)
30.5
(86.9)
30.9
(87.6)
31.0
(87.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 24.2
(75.6)
24.5
(76.1)
24.7
(76.5)
25.0
(77.0)
24.7
(76.5)
24.8
(76.6)
24.6
(76.3)
24.5
(76.1)
24.1
(75.4)
24.0
(75.2)
24.0
(75.2)
24.1
(75.4)
24.4
(75.9)
Record low °C (°F) 18.4
(65.1)
19.0
(66.2)
18.2
(64.8)
19.6
(67.3)
18.9
(66.0)
19.2
(66.6)
19.2
(66.6)
19.0
(66.2)
17.8
(64.0)
18.6
(65.5)
18.8
(65.8)
18.7
(65.7)
17.8
(64.0)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 69.8
(2.75)
52.8
(2.08)
52.1
(2.05)
98.3
(3.87)
317.5
(12.50)
242.1
(9.53)
233.5
(9.19)
208.3
(8.20)
264.3
(10.41)
276.2
(10.87)
313.0
(12.32)
193.4
(7.61)
2,321.3
(91.39)
Average rainy days 4.5 3.0 3.2 6.2 14.3 12.7 13.3 12.5 14.3 14.3 14.5 9.0 121.7
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 80 79 78 79 84 84 84 84 86 86 86 82 83
Source: India Meteorological Department[14][15]

Administration

[edit]

The island belongs to Nancowry tehsil of the township of Nancowry.[16]

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Islandwise Area and Population – 2011 Census" (PDF). Government of Andaman. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  2. ^ Registration Plate Numbers added to ISO Code
  3. ^ Röepstorff, Frederik Adolph de (1875). "Vocabulary of Dialects Spoken in the Nicobar and Andaman Isles, with a Short Account of the Natives, Their Customs and Habits, and of Previous Attempts at Colonisation".
  4. ^ Temple, Richard Carnac (1911). "Nicobar Islands" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 661.
  5. ^ Saini, Ajay (7 January 2018). "The pirates of Nicobar". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Three Minute Problem". Archived from the original on 2004-06-10. Retrieved 2004-12-31.
  7. ^ "Nancowry Island in Andaman and Nicobar, Information of Nancowry Island". www.indiatravelnext.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2004-12-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Isles: Satellite pictures of Tsunami 2004 from India's satellites". 28 December 2004.
  10. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  11. ^ "Situation Report 35 - 1200 HRS 18.01.2005". Archived from the original on 2005-01-26. Retrieved 2005-01-26.
  12. ^ "Nancowry". Archived from the original on 2004-12-17. Retrieved 2004-12-30.
  13. ^ "Legal formalities and entry details of Andaman & Nicobar Islands". Archived from the original on 2005-01-04. Retrieved 2004-12-30.
  14. ^ "Station: Nancowry Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 533–534. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Tehsils" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2016-05-03.