After PM Modi’s visit, Lakshadweep remains top-searched keyword on Google for 2nd day in a row

After PM Modi’s visit, Lakshadweep remains top-searched keyword on Google for 2nd day in a row

Subject: Geography

Section: Mapping

Context: Lakshadweep, the Union Territory, became the most searched keyword on Google after Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared photos of the archipelago.

More on news:

• The Prime Minister inaugurated the Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands Submarine Optical Fiber Connection and laid the foundation stone for the renovation of primary healthcare facilities and five model Anganwadi centers.
• Similar to ‘Make in India’, a new movement known as ‘Wed in India‘ should begin to encourage young citizens to get married within India, while highlighting the country’s strength and abilities.
• The Prime Minister’s push for Lakshadweep as an island destination among travelers could also be seen as a counter to India’s neighbor the Maldives – which is a popular beach destination among Indians.

About Lakshadweep:

• India’s smallest Union Territory Lakshadweep is an archipelago consisting of 36 islands .
• Capital:  Kavaratti
• It is a uni-district Union Territory and comprises 12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks.

Geography

• It comprises 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.
• Amindivi Islands is the northernmost island, on the other hand Minicoy Islands is the southernmost island.
• Andrott is the nearest island to the mainland and has an east-west orientation unlike other islands lying in the north-south direction. It is the Largest Island in the Lakshadweep.
• The Eight Degree Channel separates the islands of Minicoy and Maldives.
• The Nine Degree Channel separates the island of Minicoy from the main Lakshadweep archipelago

Demography

• Malayalam is spoken in all the islands except Minicoy where people speak Mahl which is written in Dhivehi script and is spoken in Maldives also.
• More than 93% of the population who are indigenous, are Muslims and majority of them belong to the Shafi School of the Sunni Sect.
• The entire indigenous population has been classified as Scheduled Tribes because of their economic and social backwardness.
•  There are no Scheduled Castes in this Union Territory.

Flora and Fauna

• Coconut, Thenga is the only crop of economic importance in Lakshadweep.
• Two different varieties of sea grass are seen adjacent to the beaches are known as Thalassia hemprichin and Cymodocea isoetifolium. They prevent sea erosion and movement of the beach sediments.
• Oceanic birds generally found in Lakshadweep are Tharathasi and Karifetu, generally found in one of the uninhabited islands known as PITTI. This island has been declared as a bird sanctuary.
• The money cowrie is also found in abundance in the shallow lagoons and reefs of the islands.
• Colorful coral fish such as parrot fish, Butterfly fish (Chaetodon auriga), Surgeonfish are also found in abundance.

History:

The Union Territory was formed in 1956 and it was named Lakshadweep in 1973.

Art and Culture:

• Kolkali and Parichakali are the two popular folk art forms in the Territory. They are an integral part of the cultural milieu except in Minicoy where “LAVA” is the most popular dance form.
• For marriages “OPPANA” is a common feature, a song sung by a lead singer and followed by a group of women.