The Indian Islands

India has two big island groups. To remember which is where: Arabian Sea goes with Lakshadweep, and Bay of Bengal goes with Andaman & Nicobar.

The islands have unique wildlife, beaches, coral reefs and volcanoes. Ancient tribes have lived on them for tens of thousands of years.

Lakshadweep is an archipelago (a group of islands) in the Arabian Sea, near the Malabar coast of Kerala. It has 36 islands made of coral; not all have people. Islands bring a big area of sea with them, so India controls a huge marine area for fishing, exploring resources and protecting nature.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are more than 500 volcanic islands in two groups. They sit far out in the Bay of Bengal, like India's outposts, keeping watch over the ocean.

Barren Island here is India's only active volcano. It sometimes sends up smoke and lava!

The Andamans also have a painful history. Many freedom fighters were jailed there, in terrible conditions, in the Cellular Jail. It is kept today to remind us of their sacrifice. The same distance that makes the islands good outposts made them a lonely prison.