Ritchie's Archipelago

Ritchie's Archipelago is a cluster of smaller islands which lie some 25-30 km 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 200 km south of the nearest Asian mainland, Cape Negrais in Myanmar.

Related Topics:
Km - Great Andaman - Andaman Islands - Bay of Bengal - Andaman Sea - Asia - Cape Negrais - Myanmar

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The archipelago comprises some 4 larger islands, 7 smaller islands and several islets, extending in a roughly north-south chain, parallel to the main Great Andaman group. Baratang Island and South Andaman Island lie to the west across Diligent Strait; the active volcano Barren Island is some 75 km further to the east.

Related Topics:
Archipelago - Islet - Baratang Island - South Andaman Island - Diligent Strait - Volcano - Barren Island

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The main islands in the archipelago (in decreasing order of approximate size) are:

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• Havelock Island- 92 km²
• Henry Lawrence Island - 55 km²
• John Lawrence Island - 35 km²
• Sir William Peel Island - 23 km² (more commonly abbreviated to Peel I.)
• Wilson Island - 14 km²
• Outram Island - 13 km²
• Neil Island - 12.6 km² (also Neill I.)
• Nicholson Island - 1.8 km²
• Inglis Island - 1.4 km² (also called East I.)
• Sir Hugh Rose Island - 0.6 km² (often abbreviated to Hugh Rose I.)
• Middle Button Island - 0.4 km²
• North Button Island - 0.25 km²
• South Button Island - 0.1 km²

The islands were originally populated by the indigenous Great Andamanese peoples, in particular the tribal and linguistic grouping known as Aka-Bale. However, as the populations of the various Andamanese indigenous peoples declined greatly in the decades following the establishment of colonial settlements by the British Raj (and later, independent India), the indigenous communities of these islands have vanished. The present population of the islands consists of immigrant Indian and a few Karen (Burmese) settlers.

Related Topics:
Indigenous - Great Andamanese - Aka-Bale - Andamanese - Colonial - British Raj - India - Indian - Karen (Burmese)

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Together with the rest of the Andamans, Ritchie's Archipelago is incorporated into the Indian union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and part of the Andaman district. It is administered by the tehsil (a local government sub-division, roughly equivalent to a county) of Port Blair. The territory's capital and adminstrative centre (also called Port Blair), is located approximately 45 km to the southwest of the archipelago, accessible via a 3-5 hour ferry trip.

Related Topics:
India - Union territory - Andaman and Nicobar Islands - Andaman district - Tehsil - County - Port Blair - Port Blair

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The 2001 census of India reported over 8,200 people living on the islands of Ritchie's Archipelago, most of these on Havelock and Neil islands.

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Ritchie's Archipelago: Geography ►