Car Nicobar
| Car Nicobar | |
| — tehsil — | |
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| Coordinates | 9°10′01″N 92°45′00″E / 9.167°N 92.75°ECoordinates: 9°10′01″N 92°45′00″E / 9.167°N 92.75°E |
| Country | India |
| Territory | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| District(s) | Nicobar |
| Population • Density |
29,145 (2001[update]) • 229 /km2 (593 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area | 127 square kilometres (49 sq mi) |
Car Nicobar (Pu in the local language) is the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. It is also one of two local administrative divisions of the Indian district of Nicobar, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[1]
The island was ravaged by the 2004 tsunami.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Car Nicobar falls in between Little Andaman and Nancowrie. The area south to the Ten-degree channel comes under Car Nicobar headquarter. It is a flat fertile island covered with cluster of coconut palms and enchanting beaches with a roaring sea all around.
Compared to the Middle Andaman and South Andaman, Car Nicobar is a small island, having only 127 km². There are 15 villages, the largest of which is named Malacca.
The climate of Car Nicobar Island is tropical, as it is just 9 degree from the equator, with an annual rainfall of 400 mm. The data of past ten year shows that the mean relative humidity in the Island is 79%, and the mean maximum temperature is of 30.20 C, and mean minimum temperature is 23.00 C.
The soil analysis revealed high content of sand & clay hindering the growth of agricultural crops. The area of Car Nicobar is suitable for the plantation crops, and coconut and arecanut are the major products, which are grown in the area.
[edit] Administration
Politically, Car Nicobar is a tehsil, roughly equivalent to a county in its range of administrative powers. (The tehsil of Nancowry administers all the other Nicobar islands.) The administrative capital is near the Indian Air Force station (1 km) known as head quarters which is the largest junction in this small island with some shops, a hospital, a bank, a post office, the police head quarters and some government offices.
Although the area of Car Nicobar is less than 7% of the area of the Nicobar group, in the census of 2001 its population of 29,145 was more than half of the total Nicobar population.
There were 15 villages, namely, 1)Ha-nyôch (Mus) 2)Töt-chak (Kinmai), 3)Tö-kuö-nö Sē-ti (Small Lapathy) 4)Tö-ki-röng Sē-ti (Big Lapathy) 5)Höng-chu (Tapoiming) 6)Pum-pai (Chukchucha) 7)Sa-rā-ki (Kinyuka) 8)Tim-lö (Tamalu) 9)Kè-è-rô (Perka) 10)U-rèk-ka (Malacca) 11)Sa-pë-ha (Kakana) 12)Öt-ra-höön (Kimius) 13)Ha-ran (Arong) 14)Öt-ka-sip (Sawai) 15)Rit-töp (Titop), {the names in brackets are modern names as the local names Nicobarese are difficult for outsiders to pronounce}, the largest being Malacca (pop. 4,314).
Each village has a tuhet meaning elderly heads, the number of which varies. From each of these elders three are elected as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd captain to look after the day-to-day affairs of the village.
[edit] 2004 tsunami devastation
Car Nicobar lies 750 km (470 mi) from the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and the ensuing tsunamis struck it with great force. Witnesses reported the waves were as high as 30 ft (9 m). As of December 30, 2004, the number of casualties remained unknown, but seemed likely to be high. One survivor told the Associated Press: "There's not a single hut which is standing. Everything is gone. Most of the people have gone away from the shore and Indian govt has made many relief programmes here such as temporary shelters, subsidize their every primary needs etc.
[edit] References
- ^ "Village Code Directory: Andaman & Nicobar Islands". Census of India. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-VillageDirectory/Directory/short_code_rural_35.pdf. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
