Havelock Island

Havelock Island
Swaraj Dweep
A view of a beach in Havelock Island
Location of Havelock Island in Ritchie's Archipelago
Location of Havelock Island in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Geography
LocationBay of Bengal
Coordinates11°58′N 93°00′E / 11.96°N 93.00°E / 11.96; 93.00
ArchipelagoAndaman Islands
Adjacent toIndian Ocean
Total islands1
Major islands
  • Swaraaj Dweep
Area92.2 km2 (35.6 sq mi)
Length18 km (11.2 mi)
Width8 km (5 mi)
Coastline58.5 km (36.35 mi)
Highest elevation167 m (548 ft)
Highest pointYulutang
Administration
South Andaman
Andaman Islands
Island sub-group
Ritchie's Archipelago
Ritchie's Archipelago Tehsil
Largest settlement
Govinda Nagar
Demographics
Population6,351 (2011)
Pop. density68.5/km2 (177.4/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsBengali
Additional information
Time zone
PIN744211
Telephone code031928
Official websitewww.and.nic.in
Literacy84.4%
Avg. summer temperature30.2 °C (86.4 °F)
Avg. winter temperature23.0 °C (73.4 °F)
Sex ratio1.2♂/♀
Census code35.639.0004
Official languagesBengali, Hindi, English

Havelock Island, officially known as Swaraj Dweep (transl. Independence Island), is one of the largest islands in Ritchie's Archipelago, to the east of Great Andaman within the Andaman Islands of India. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The island is 41 km (25 mi) northeast of the capital city, Port Blair.

Etymology

Havelock Island was previously named after a British general, Sir Henry Havelock, who served in India.

In December 2018, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi renamed it as 'Swaraj Dweep' as a tribute to Subhas Chandra Bose. Bose had hoisted the Indian flag at Port Blair on 30 December 1943 and proclaimed the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as liberated from British rule. He had subsequently named Neil Island as Shaheed Dweep and Ross Island was renamed as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep as well.

History

In the Swaraj Dweep and Long Island, the vast majority of settlers at Shaheed Dweep were refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan, following the genocide and exodus of Hindu Bangladeshis prior to that country's war of independence in 1971. Havelock Island avoided much of the devastation by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its resulting tsunami and there were no documented casualties.

Havelock Island is one of the few places that the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India has permitted and encouraged development of tourism, with a focus on promoting eco-tourism. There is a lighthouse at the northern point of the island, near Govinda Nagar, established in the year 2005.

Geography

The island belongs to the Ritchie's Archipelago and is located between Peel Island and Neil Island.

Administration

Politically, Havelock Island is part of Port Blair taluk.

Demographics

The island's population of 6,351 (as of 2011)[citation needed] consists of mainly Bengali settlers. Many of these settlers have East Bengali origin as these people were given settlement by the Indian government after the Partition of India in 1947.

The six villages are:

Tourism

As the premier tourism hub of the archipelago, Swaraj Dweep attracts a massive volume of international and domestic travelers, centered primarily around Radhanagar Beach (Beach No. 7), which is globally renowned for its white sands and pristine sunsets. The island serves as the primary epicenter for marine adventure sports in India, featuring numerous certified PADI and SSI scuba diving schools that utilize prominent dive sites like Dixon's Pinnacle. Beyond diving, the local tourism economy thrives on luxury beach resorts, sea walking activities, kayaking through mangrove creeks, and day trips to Elephant Beach for snorkeling.

Transportation

The island's transportation infrastructure is anchored by regular government and high-speed private catamaran ferries, such as Makruzz and Nautika, which connect it to Sri Vijaya Puram and Shaheed Dweep via the main Govind Nagar Jetty. Locally, transport is dominated by auto-rickshaws, public buses, and a robust rental market for scooters and bicycles operating along its main numbered arterial roads. The local administration has also introduced electric buses to promote eco-friendly transit.

See also