Strategic Importance of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Opportunities for India

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) archipelago comprising of about 836 islands is located at the cross roads of Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Its strategic location provides India with a significant advantage in terms of maritime security, defence and trade routes. The islands rich marine biodiversity, pristine beaches and untapped marine resources offer vast potential for various sectors such as aquaculture, fisheries, marine biotechnology and sustainable tourism. These islands have central location in the Indo-Pacific and therefore offer a strategic vantage point to India. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around these islands is 5,83,884 Sq kms which is almost 30 per cent of India’s EEZ. The coastline of these islands measures 3083.5 km out of the total coastline of India, which is 11098.81 km as recently promulgated by the Government of India.