Havelock Island
Encyclopedia
Havelock Island is the largest of the islands with an area of 113.93 km2 which comprise Ritchie's Archipelago
, a chain of islands to the east of Great Andaman
in the Andaman Islands
. Havelock is situated 57 km North East of Capital City Port Blair
. The population numbered 5,354 as of the census of 2001.
, a British general active in India. The island's current population consists of Bengali
settlers.
It 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 which was visited upon most of the shores affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
and its resultant tsunami
, and there were no documented casualties.
In May 2010, a 25-year-old North-American was snorkeling in the crystalline waters near Radhanagar Beach when a massive saltwater crocodile closed its jaws upon her, dragging her down beneath the surface. Her body was discovered two days later. According to Indian government statistics, there have been 24 crocodile attacks on humans in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over the past 25 years, including four fatalities. All previous attacks have been in inland creek areas and the attack on the American tourist was the first ever in open sea
Beach No. 7 on the western coast, better known as "Radha Nagar" Beach, is one of the most popular beaches on Havelock and was named "Best Beach in Asia" by Time
in 2004. Other notable beaches include Elephant Beach on the northwest coast and Vijaynagar Beach (No. 5), Beach No. 3 and Beach No. 1 on the east coast.
The five villages are Govinda Nagar, Bejoy Nagar, Shyam Nagar, Krishna Nagar and Radha Nagar.
Ritchie's Archipelago
Ritchie's Archipelago is a cluster of smaller islands which lie some east of Great Andaman, the main island group of the Andaman Islands. the Andamans are located in the Bay of Bengal, bordering with the Andaman Sea and are some south of the nearest Asian mainland, Cape Negrais in Myanmar.The...
, a chain of islands to the east of Great Andaman
Great Andaman
Great Andaman is the main archipelago of the Andaman Islands of India. It comprises five major islands. From north to south, these are North Andaman, Middle Andaman, South Andaman, Baratang and Rutland Island...
in the Andaman Islands
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a group of Indian Ocean archipelagic islands in the Bay of Bengal between India to the west, and Burma , to the north and east...
. Havelock is situated 57 km North East of Capital City Port Blair
Port Blair
Port Blair is the largest town and a municipal council in Andaman district in the Andaman Islands and the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India...
. The population numbered 5,354 as of the census of 2001.
Overview
The island is named after Henry HavelockHenry Havelock
Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, KCB was a British general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Cawnpore from rebels during Indian Rebellion of 1857.-Early life:...
, a British general active in India. The island's current population consists of Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
settlers.
It is one of the few places that the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory
Union Territory
A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
has permitted and encouraged development of tourism, with a focus on promoting eco-tourism.
Havelock Island avoided much of the devastation which was visited upon most of the shores affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
and its resultant tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
, and there were no documented casualties.
In May 2010, a 25-year-old North-American was snorkeling in the crystalline waters near Radhanagar Beach when a massive saltwater crocodile closed its jaws upon her, dragging her down beneath the surface. Her body was discovered two days later. According to Indian government statistics, there have been 24 crocodile attacks on humans in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands over the past 25 years, including four fatalities. All previous attacks have been in inland creek areas and the attack on the American tourist was the first ever in open sea
Beach No. 7 on the western coast, better known as "Radha Nagar" Beach, is one of the most popular beaches on Havelock and was named "Best Beach in Asia" by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
in 2004. Other notable beaches include Elephant Beach on the northwest coast and Vijaynagar Beach (No. 5), Beach No. 3 and Beach No. 1 on the east coast.
The five villages are Govinda Nagar, Bejoy Nagar, Shyam Nagar, Krishna Nagar and Radha Nagar.