The Union Territory of Lakshadweep consists mainly of:

Lakshadweep, India's smallest Union Territory, is a group of coral islands in the Arabian Sea. It consists of 12 atolls, 3 reefs and 5 submerged banks, with a total of about 36 islands and islets.

Location:

• Lakshadweep lies about 200 to 440 km off the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea.
• It is India's only coral island group.

Area and population:

• Total land area: about 32 square km, making it the smallest Union Territory of India.
• Only 10 of the islands are inhabited, including Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Andrott, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra and Minicoy.
• The population is about 64,000 (2011 Census).
• Kavaratti is the capital.
• Andrott is the largest island, and Bitra is the smallest inhabited island.

Name:

"Lakshadweep" means "a hundred thousand islands" in Sanskrit and Malayalam.

Before 1973, the territory was called the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands. It was made a Union Territory in 1956 and renamed Lakshadweep in 1973.

People and culture:

• Most of the people are Muslims, and the main language is Malayalam, while Mahl (similar to Dhivehi of the Maldives) is spoken on Minicoy.
• A large part of the population belongs to Scheduled Tribes.

Economy:

• Fishing, especially tuna, and coconut cultivation are the main occupations.
• Coir making and tourism are also important.

Environment:

• The islands are surrounded by beautiful coral reefs and lagoons, with rich marine life.
• They are very vulnerable to rising sea levels, as most islands are only a few metres above sea level.
• Pitti Island is a bird sanctuary, important for seabirds such as terns.

Administration:

• Lakshadweep is administered by an Administrator appointed by the President.
• It comes under the jurisdiction of the Kerala High Court.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Its islands are coral, not volcanic.
• ✗It has about 36 islands, not over 500.
• ✗Good to know
• ✗Lakshadweep has more than two atolls.