Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Amongst the sub continental countries India has the largest land area. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India lies in the Bay of Bengal. It consists of about 527 islands both small and large. The coastline of the Islands stretches for about 100 Kms. The Islands are covered with dense forests all around. The area of the Islands is about 8,293 square kilometers. The Islands consist of 2 groups, the Andaman and Nicobar. These two groups are separated by about 300 Km. the capital city is Port Blair. Of the total land area 92% of the land is covered with rain forests. Of the 527 islands, in only 38 islands we find the inhabitants. The rest of the land is barren. Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie close to the Arakanmayo mountain range of Burma which lies to the sides of Sumatra of Indonesia. Andaman is a developing land, with people being cultured and literate.
The Nicobar Islands are still inhabited by primitive tribes and backward communities. The population of the whole land is about 5 lakhs. We can find high mountains, lush green forests, wide roads, new buildings and long coastline which make it beautiful. The people in the Islands speak many languages. Peace prevails all over as there are no political or communal riots or atrocities. Not only the beauty of nature and the various enticing features but the peace loving people have made the Andaman and Nicobar Islands a tourist spot for visitors overseas.
Chennai (Madras)
This metropolis is often called the cultural capital of India for its deep-rooted traditions and long heritage. Chennai is a city younger than its image. More than any other city in India, it is a true reflection of this country’s diversity. In a time span of just over 350 years, Chennai has blossomed into a charming city that has a large heart and is very welcoming. It is a city that encourages all forms of development, both modern technology and the traditional arts and crafts, and it embraces a series of paradoxes. It was in 1639 that Francis Day and Andrew Cogan, agents for the English East India Company, acquired a strip of land on lease from the Vijayanagar King. They built the Fort St.George, which remains of the city’s important landmarks and serves as the Government Secretariat today. It was built to set up a factory that served as a nucleus for British settlements that began to be formed. Surrounding villages like Triplicane, Purasawalkam, Egmore and Chetput slowly merged with the new developments, to form Chennapatnam, as it was known. The city was called Madras till 1996 and then renamed Chennai. Today this buoyant metropolis is a blend of the old and the new, the traditional and the modern.
Spread over 200 square kilometres with the Bay of Bengal on the east, the city is the gateway to the rest of South India. There are verdant green patches found amidst the high-tech, high-rise buildings.
With a population of around six million, it is India’s fourth largest city. From before days of Independence to present , the people of Chennai have played an important role in shaping the country’s political destiny.
Kolkatta
Kolkatta,the capital of the East Indian state of West Bengal is seen as the land of the intellectuals. It is also famous as the Land of Mother Teresa and Rabindra Nath Tagore. Communist in ideology and very politically aware, Kolkata was the capital of British India before Delhi assumed this position.
Kolkata developed from a fishermens’ village to become one of the largest cities in the world. The city symbolises creativity and vibrance with all the modern amenities available. Kolkata has adapted to the modern trends and techniques of the world but has not shed the leisurely life style and the calm of its hey days.
Kolkatta has the country’s first Metro railway and some of its buildings are more than a hundred years old.
A city with strong cultural, literary and religious flavours, Kolkata acts as the gateway to the North-East.
