North Sentinel Island

North Sentinel Island

North Sentinel Island is one of the Andaman Islands, a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal that belong to India. It is home to the Sentinelese, a group of people who choose to stay completely separate from the rest of the world.

The island is small, about eight kilometres long and seven kilometres wide. Because the Sentinelese have never had contact with the outside world, they may not be protected against diseases. For this reason, laws in India say that no one may travel to the island or come closer than five kilometres to it. The Indian Navy patrols the area to make sure these rules are followed.

The Sentinelese have not wanted any visitors. They have been known to shoot arrows at boats and helicopters that come too close. It is important for everyone to respect the Sentinelese’s wish to live alone and stay safe.

History

See also: Sentinelese § Contact

The Onge, one of the other indigenous peoples of the Andamans, knew about North Sentinel Island. They call it Chia daaKwokweyeh. They share some traditions with the Sentinelese, but their languages are different.

British explorers visited the island in the past. In 1771, a ship saw lights from the island. In 1867, a ship got stuck near the island, and its passengers were attacked but later saved.

In 1880, a government worker named Maurice Vidal Portman visited the island and took some Sentinelese people to Port Blair. Sadly, two of them became unwell and passed away. The others were taken back home.

After India became independent, there were more visits. In 1991, researchers made peaceful contact by offering coconuts, which the Sentinelese accepted. However, understanding their language stayed hard.

The Sentinelese survived a big earthquake and tsunami in 2004. In later years, some people tried to visit the island without permission, which caused serious problems. India has rules to protect the Sentinelese and their way of life.

Geography

North Sentinel Island is located about 36 kilometers west of the village of Wandoor on South Andaman Island. It is also 50 kilometers west of Port Blair and 60 kilometers north of South Sentinel Island. The island covers an area of roughly 59.67 square kilometers.

The island is surrounded by coral reefs and has no natural harbors. It is covered in forests, except for a narrow white-sand beach around the shore. After the beach, the land rises gently to higher ground toward the center. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake lifted the island by about one to two meters, which exposed parts of the coral reefs and changed the island's shape.

Flora and fauna

North Sentinel Island has thick, green forests. Scientists think many plants and animals live there, but they have not been studied well yet. Early visitors saw tall jungle areas with special trees like bulletwood and Malabar silk-cotton trees. The island is home to Indian boar, which the local people eat. It is also a good place for coconut crabs and many kinds of birds.

The waters around the island have coral reefs and mangroves. These reefs were hurt by a big ocean event in 1998, but they are growing back. People have seen sharks, sea turtles, and dolphins in the water nearby.

Demographics

North Sentinel Island is home to the Sentinelese, a group of indigenous people who stay separate from the rest of the world. In 2012, it was thought that there were between 50 and 400 Sentinelese people. India’s 2011 census said there were 15 people in 10 households, but this was just an estimate.

Like the Jarawas, the Sentinelese could be at risk from infectious diseases they have no protection against. The Indian government has made the island and the waters five nautical miles around it off-limits to keep them safe.

Political status

Rules help protect the Sentinelese and other tribes. In 2005, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration said they want to let the Sentinelese keep their way of life and not take control of the island. Even though North Sentinel Island is not its own special area of India, many experts think the people there live on their own.