Car Nicobar (Pu in the local language) is the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. It is also one of two local administrative divisions of the Indian district of Nicobar, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The island was ravaged by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
Flora and Fauna[]
The state bird is the Andaman Wood Pigeon which is an endemic bird, and found only in Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. The state animal is the Dugong, an endangered marine mammal, also known as Sea Cow. There are currently about 2200 varieties of plants that have been recorded out of which 200 are endemic and 1300 do not occur in mainland India. The north Nicobar Islands (including Car Nicobar and Battimalv) are marked by the complete absence of evergreen forests, while such forests form the dominant vegetation in the central and southern islands of the Nicobar group.
There are about 50 species of animals found on the islands with Rat being the largest group having 26 species followed by 14 species of bat. There are around 225 species of butterflies and moths.
Geography[]
Car Nicobar falls in between Little Andaman and Nancowrie. The area south to the Ten-degree channel comes under Car Nicobar headquarters. Car Nicobar is remarkably flat except for some cliffs in the north and small hilly areas in the interior. It is bordered by a silvery beach and areas of flat ground consisting of coraline diluvium. It is a flat fertile island covered with cluster of coconut palms and enchanting beaches with a roaring sea all around.
Compared to the Middle Andaman and South Andaman, Car Nicobar is a small island, having only 127 km². There are 15 villages, the largest of which is named U-rèk-ka (called "Malacca" for tourists), with a population of 4,314.
The climate of Car Nicobar Island is tropical, as it is just 9 degree from the equator, with an annual rainfall of 400 mm. The data of past ten year shows that the mean relative humidity in the Island is 79%, and the mean maximum temperature is of 30.20 C, and mean minimum temperature is 23.00 C.
The soil analysis revealed high content of sand & clay hindering the growth of agricultural crops. The area of Car Nicobar is suitable for the plantation crops, and coconut and arecanut are the major products, which are grown in the area.