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History of Andaman & Nicobar is very interesting subject in itself. Andaman & Nicobar is a cluster of about 572 islands. The name Andaman is derived from Hanuman which a Hindu God. The name Nicobar means land of the people. The early history of Andaman & Nicobar dates back to about some thousand years. Then, there was the pre-colonial era and British colonial period. Finally, it came under the Indian control.
The first inhabitants of Andaman & Nicobar settled here several thousand years back. The cultural, linguistic and genetic isolation studies indicate habitation dating back to about 30,000 to 60,000 years. The original inhabitants of these isolated islands were tribals and these people managed to maintain their unique culture and lifestyle through millennia, as the area remained largely untouched by the forces of civilization. These tribes are classified into two groups such as the Jarawa, Sentinelese, the Andamanese and Onge of Negroid descent, living on the Andaman Islands and Nicobarese and Shompen of Mongoloid descent, residing in the Nicobar Islands.
During 1850s, these tribes came into contact with the outside world for the first time. The population of indigenous tribes lost territory to the new settlers over the years, and their numbers too dwindled as a result of epidemic diseases. However, still many of the tribes are carrying forward their simple life and lifestyle notwithstanding the influences of modern civilization.
These virgin islands offered a temporary maritime base for the ships of Marathas during the 17th century. Kanhoji Angre, the legendary Admiral of Maratha Navy, annoyed the colonial shipping routes with the base on the islands.
In 1789, the British discovered the Andaman & Nicobar Islands for the first time. Because of the natural calamities, they left these islands in 1796. The British were successful in taking possession of these islands in 1858 and established a penal colony for the dissenters and freedom fighters from the Indian subcontinent.
The British used these islands as prison for freedom fighters, and a tenure in Andaman's Cellular Jail was referred to as Kalapani. The Cellular Jain in Port Blair was known as the 'Siberia' of British India. The British ruled over these islands until the Japanese invasion and occupation in the Andaman Islands during the World War II.
On 29th December 1943, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisted the flag of independent India on the island. He also established the first independent government here. Netaji renamed these islands as 'Swaraj' (Self-rule) and 'Shaheed' (Martyr). General Loganathan of the Indian National Army was appointed as the Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The headquarters of the Civil Administration was set up on 21st March, 1944 near the Gurudwara at Aberdeen Bazaar. After the independence of India, these islands were retained back by India and were declared as the Union Territory in 1950.
On December 2004, Andaman and Nicobar Islands suffered a devastating tsunami, which killed at least 7000 people on the islands.
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