The Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, live in:

The Shompen are an indigenous tribe living in the dense tropical rainforests of Great Nicobar, the largest and southernmost island of the Nicobar group. They are one of the most isolated tribes in India and are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). The 2011 Census counted about 229 Shompen, although the actual number may be a few hundred.

Key features of the Shompen:

They are semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers who live in small groups inside the forest, moving their camps from time to time. They also practise simple horticulture.

They hunt wild pigs and other animals, catch fish, and collect forest produce. Pandanus fruit is an important part of their diet.

They are of Mongoloid origin, like the Nicobarese, and their language is different from the other Nicobarese languages.

Most of their territory lies within the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve and its Campbell Bay and Galathea National Parks. The Shompen are protected by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956, and there is a government policy (since 2015) to protect them without forcing contact.

In recent years, the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, which includes a transshipment port at Galathea Bay, an international airport and a new township, has raised concerns among anthropologists and environmentalists about its impact on the Shompen and on the forests and wildlife of the island.

The six indigenous tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands:

• Negrito tribes of the Andamans: Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese.
• Mongoloid tribes of the Nicobars: Nicobarese and Shompen.
• All except the Nicobarese are PVTGs.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Lakshadweep's people are Muslim islanders.
• ✗Sikkim's communities include the Lepcha and Bhutia.
• ✗Mizoram's people are mainly Mizos.