Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep ( Malayalam: ലക്ഷദ്വീപ്, Lakṣadvīp ) is an Indian union territory that is administered by the Indian central government.
It includes the two island groups of Lakshadweep and amine divas and the Minicoy island south-west of the Indian subcontinent in the Arabian Sea. Its capital is Kavaratti. Lakshadweep consists of 12 atolls and three reefs with a total of 27 islands and an area of 32 km ². The name Lakshadweep is commonly translated as " hundred thousand islands" in fact is the origin of the name but controversial.
- 2.1 languages
- 2.2 religions
- 2.3 Education
- 3.1 Early History
- 3.2 Islamization
- 3.3 Arrival of the Portuguese
- 3.4 Rajas of Kannur
- 3.5 British colonial rule
- 3.6 After Independence
- 4.1 Economics
- 4.2 infrastructure
Geography
Geographical location
The islands are located north of the Maldives is between 10 ° and 12 ° 20 'north latitude and 71 ° 40' and 74 ° east longitude. They are between 200 and 300 km from the coast of Kerala. The southernmost island, Minicoy, is a bit off and is separated by the nine -degree channel from the other islands.
Inhabited Islands
The 10 inhabited islands are Andrott ( 4.84 km ²), Minicoy (4.39 km ²), Kavaratti (4.22 km ²), Agatti ( 3.84 km ²), Kadmat (3.12 km ²), Kalpeni (2.79 km ²), Amini (2.59 km ²), Kiltan (1.63 km ²), Chetlat (1.14 km ²) and bit rate (0.11 km ²).
Uninhabited Islands
Pitti ( 0.01 km ²), Suheli Par (0.57 km ²)
Climate
The warm, humid, tropical climate is significantly influenced by the monsoon. About 80 percent of the total annual rainfall, which is depending on the location 1700-2000 mm, falling during the summer monsoon from May to November. All other months are arid.
The average annual temperature ranges depending on the location from 27.3 to 27.9 degrees Celsius, which in the course of only slight variations may occur.
Population
According to the 2011 census, living on the ten inhabited islands Lakshadweeps 64 429 people. This Lakshadweep is by far the smallest union territory of India. The population density is 2,013 inhabitants per square kilometer, but very high. Andrott and Kavaratti have more than 10,000 inhabitants each.
Languages
The main language is Malayalam Lakshadweeps. This Dravidian language is otherwise common in the state of Kerala on the mainland. On the island of Minicoy however, we speak Mahl, a dialect of spread in the Maldives Dhivehi, which is closely related to the Sinhalese and belongs to the Indo-Aryan languages.
According to official census results from 2001, according to make Malayalam native speakers from 97.9 percent of the population Lakshadweeps. In fact, likely to be lower but the number: Since languages with fewer than 10,000 speakers are not counted separately, go to the Dhivehi - speakers on top Minicoy in the statistics. At the 2001 census were in Lakshadweep 51 555 speakers of Malayalam speakers and 7,981 unclassified "other languages " determined. In fact, one can therefore assume that the proportion of Malayalam speakers is around 85 percent, while Dhivehi is spoken by around 13 per cent of the population.
Religions
According to the 2001 census, 95.5 percent of the island's population are followers of Islam and the majority belong to the schafiitischen school. The Muslims are predominantly conservative, yet folk Islamic beliefs from the Sufism are widespread. The two largest Sufi brotherhoods ( Sufi brotherhoods ) are the Qadiriyyah and Rifai. Their leaders are called Tangal, they enjoy a high reputation among the population. The rituals ( dhikr ) of the Rifai want to Sheikh Mohammed Kasim Tangal († 1140 ) go back. There are also small minorities of Wahhabis on Kavaratti and Agatti as well as by supporters of the Ahmadiyya movement on Kalpeni.
Hindus make 3.7 percent, the remaining Christian population share of 0.8 percent.
Education
87.52 percent of the population can read and write, a model for India literacy rate. Each inhabited island has at least one primary school and, with the exception of the smallest island bit rate, also via a secondary school.
History
It is commonly claimed that the name Lakshadweep from the number word laksha ( cf. lakh ) is derived, meaning " one hundred thousand " means, but seems a little exaggerated in the context of this archipelago. In fact, the origin of the name is not clear.
Early History
In the absence of the early history Lakshadweeps no written documents, the precise timing of colonization to the present day is unclear. According to legend, a native of the Malabar Coast ruler Cheraman Perumal to convert to Islam, set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca, but never returned. Related set out to search for him, but suffered shipwreck in Lakshadweep. Then they returned to the Malabar coast, to report on their discovery, after which they were given the right to colonize the islands. Historically certain, however, this legend is not, especially as Cheraman Perumal possibly for a long time could have lived before the emergence of Islam.
The first mention some of the islands, which are allocated to Lakshadweep, Find seen in its results in the Periplus Maris Erythraei on ancient Greek written in the 1st century AD, as well as in the writings of the Egyptian geographer Ptolemy in the following century, but these give no information as to whether the islands were inhabited at that time. Indirect evidence of the settlement is the first time a alttamilische inscription stating the that the Pallava king Narasimha Varman II ( 680-720 ) conquered the islands. So at this stage must have been living people there. The most probable settlement period is now the 6th century.
Also the Khwarazmian scholar Al -Biruni referred to the islands around the year 1030 in one of his works. Medieval Arab sources report that the inhabitants sold coconuts to Arab seafarers and that the archipelago was regularly visited by traders from the Indian west coast.
Islamization
Gives you a legend faith, the islands were already Islamized 663-666 by the Arab missionary Ubaid Allah. Busy is not, however, the conversion of the natives by Arabs seems likely, since Arab sailors occasionally stopped on the way to India there. Can be regarded as certain that Islam on the island of Minicoy prevailed before 1200, since this island was strongly Maldivian influence. The Maldivian king had converted to Islam in 1153. When Ibn Battuta 1346 docked at Minicoy, he noted that all the inhabitants were devout Muslims. However, the islands remained even after the Islamization in the hands of the Hindu Rajas of Chirakkal, who held the supremacy since the 12th century.
Arrival of the Portuguese
In the early 16th century the Portuguese came to Lakshadweep, whose population suffered badly under the new rulers. Local boats were looted in order to get to the coveted shipbuilding coconut fibers, even at that time the main product of the islands. Many inhabitants were at hostilities with the Portuguese, who even briefly had a fortress on Amini, died. They supported instead the Muslim Raja of Kannur, who could secure his claim to power after the expulsion of the Portuguese.
Rajas of Kannur
The Rajas of Kannur administered the islands first with the help of the local island leaders, but later added a own governor. The new rulers were not very popular with the population. 1764/65 coconut fibers were subject to a tax on exports, soon after taxes were also introduced from the mainland rice collected. As a result, there were 1783 Amini an uprising against the resident at the remote Malabar Coast authorities. Some inhabitants of the island were on their way to Mangalore to Tipu Sultan, the powerful ruler of Mysore, to ask the administration Amini and the surrounding amino divas Islands to take over. This desire corresponded Tipu Sultan, but the rest of the islands remained under the control Kannurs.
British colonial rule
After the defeat of Mysore against the British in 1799, the British East India Company annexed all formerly under the rule of Mysore Islands. 1847 Andrott was ravaged by a devastating hurricane, whereupon the Raja of Kannur went, accompanied by a British officer there to sift through the damage and assure the population 's support. To correct the enormous damage caused the British forgave a loan to the Raja, who was unable, however, to pay the high interest rates. As compensation he gave in 1854, all still in his sphere of the British Islands, which remained until the independence of India in 1947 under the administration of the Madras Presidency. The Lakshadweep and Minicoy belonged to the district of Malabar, the amine divas for District South Kanara ( Dakshina Kannada ).
After independence,
After independence, the island group was initially part of the State of Madras. In 1956 one part of the general reorganization of the Federal States ( States Reorganization Act ), the Union territory " Laccadive, Minicoy and amine divas " one that bears the name of Lakshadweep since 1973. The management moved in 1964 from Kozhikode to Kavaratti to, however the most important political decisions by the Indian central government in New Delhi to be made.
Economy and infrastructure
Economy
The population lives mainly off fishing, the cultivation of coconut palms, and the mostly small-scale processing of coconut fiber. Coconut trees that cover about 85 percent of the surface of the inhabited islands, are the only economically important crops that thrive on the islands in large numbers. Approximately 28 million tons of coconuts are harvested annually.
The only industrial enterprises are the seven factories where coir among others be processed into coir mats, and a tuna cannery at Minicoy.
Although Lakshadweep similar to the Maldives, could be a dream destination for tourists, especially divers, tourism is only of secondary importance. Foreigners are allowed to enter with a special permit, the islands only, with the Indian government holding the number of entry permits deliberately low. Only the actually uninhabited island Bangaram is open to foreign tourists. There is a resort.
Infrastructure
By 1959, only perverted little sailing ships between the islands and the mainland. The problem was the connection to the mainland, especially during the monsoon, because during this time the ship traffic had to be interrupted. Only since 1970 Lakshadweep is also run during the monsoon time of larger passenger and cargo ships. Between the islands run since 1992 catamaran ferries.
There is a regular air service between Kochi and Agatti. For medical emergencies, etc. a helicopter service was set up in 1987, both with each other and connecting the islands to the mainland.
Road transport plays a minor role due to the tiny land area. Overall, Lakshadweep has more than 250 km of roads and bike paths.
A big problem is the supply of the islands with electricity dar. The majority of electricity is generated by diesel generators, whose commodity demand can be met only by consuming imports from the mainland. Power outages are a daily occurrence. One therefore aims at the development of alternative power generation options. In particular, solar power should help the mainland Lakshadweep towards greater independence. In fact, ( 2004), about seven percent of the electric current, covered by solar panels, which are available on all inhabited islands today. In Kavaratti is a biomass incinerator under construction.
The Indian Naval Station Dweeprakshak (INS Dweeprakshak to German "protector of the island " ) is the largest military base for the Indian armed forces in the Indian Ocean.