INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

Detailed explanation-1: -India’s smallest Union Territory Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands with an area of 32 sq km. It is a uni-district Union Territory and is comprised of 12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks and ten inhabited islands.

Detailed explanation-2: -The main islands are Kavaratti, Agatti, Minicoy, and Amini. The total population of the territory is 64, 473 according to the 2011 census.

Detailed explanation-3: -Lakshadweep islands are known as coral islands because they have been formed from corals, and marine invertebrates classified into the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Andrott Island is the largest island with an area of 4.90 sq km, length of 4.66 km and a maximum width of 1.43 km. It lies in the east-west direction, between 10° 48′ and 10° 50′ N latitude and 73° 38′ and 73° 42′ E longitude.

Detailed explanation-5: -These islands had been formed by the accumulation of coral on the volcanic tops of the Indian Ocean ridge that sank below the surface around millions of years ago presumably because of a rise in sea levels. Thus, Lakshadweep Islands are known as the product of Reef formation.