Lakshadeep South India :-
 

The tiniest Union Territory of India, Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 12 atolls, three reefs and five submerged banks. It is a uni-district Union Territory with an area of 32 Sq.Kms and is comprised of  ten inhabited islands, 17 uninhabited islands attached islets, four newly formed islets and 5 submerged reefs. The inhabited islands are Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni and Minicoy. Bitra is the smallest of all having only a population of 225 persons (Census 1991). The uninhabited island Bangaram has been enumerated during 1991 census operation and has a population of 61 persons.
 

It is located between 8 º- 12 º 13" North latitude and  71º -74º   East longitude, 220 to 440 Kms. away from the coastal city of Kochi in Kerala, in the emerald Arabian sea. Considering its lagoon area of about 4,200 Sq.kms, 20,000 Sq.kms of territorial waters and about 4 lakhs Sq.kms. of economic zone, Lakshadweep is a large territory.


More than 93%  of the population who are indigenous, are Muslims and majority of them belong to the Shafi School of the Sunni Sect.
 

Malayalam is spoken in all the islands except Minicoy where people speak Mahl which is written in Divehi script and is spoken in Maldives also. The entire indigenous population has been classified as Scheduled Tribes because of their economic and social backwardness. According to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes list (modification orders), 1956, the inhabitants of Lakshadweep who and both of whose parents were born in these islands are treated as Scheduled Tribes. There are no Scheduled Castes in this Union Territory.


The main occupation of the people is fishing, coconut cultivation and coir twisting. Tourism is an emerging industry.


There are no conclusive theories about the formation of these coral atolls. The most accepted theory is given by the English Evolutionist Sir Charles Darwin. He concluded in 1842 that the subsidence of a volcanic island resulted in the formation of a fringing reef and the continual subsidence allowed this to grow upwards. 


When the volcanic island became completely submerged the atoll was formed encircling the lagoon where, with the action of the wind, waves, reef to currents and temperature, the coral islands were formed. 


Sand bags were first formed in an atoll. They became naturally the nesting grounds for sea birds. They continued to be their exclusive preserve till as a result of the fertilization of the soil by their droppings ( Guano deposits), ground vegetation became possible and man then took over, thus leaving the birds to seek another sanctuary.