Early history Genetic and cultural studies suggest that the indigenous
Andamanese people may have been isolated from other populations during the Middle Paleolithic era, which ended 30,000 years ago. Archeological work on the islands has concentrated on
shell midden sites. The islands were mentioned by
Ptolemy in the 2nd century CE. It was part of an established Chola trade route connecting India and South East Asia, a practice that continued during the subsequent reigns of
Rajendra II and
Kulothunga I. Chola inscriptions from
Thanjavur, dated to 1050, describe the islands as
Ma-Nakkavaram meaning "great open/naked land" in Tamil. The islands were later noted by Marco Polo in the 13th century and
Friar Oderic in the early 14th century.
European colonisation fishing () The European
colonisation on the islands began when settlers from the
Danish East India Company arrived on the Nicobar Islands on 12 December 1755. On 1 January 1756, the Nicobar Islands were made into a
Danish colony, first named (New Denmark) and later (Frederick's Islands). The islands were managed from the Danish colony of
Tranquebar in the Indian mainland. However, various attempts to settle on the islands were unsuccessful due to repeated outbreaks of
malaria, which led to the death of the colonists. Between 1778 and 1783,
William Bolts tried to establish an
Austrian colony on the Nicobar islands, mistakenly assuming that the Danish had abandoned the claims to the islands, renaming them
Theresa islands. In 1789,
Archibald Blair of the
Royal Indian Navy colonised the
Andaman islands, and established a
naval base. in
Port Blair constructed during the
British Raj In February 1858, the British re-established a colony in
Port Blair. A new
penal colony was established on the
Ross Island near Port Blair, mainly to house the prisoners of the
Indian rebellion of 1857, and the first set of 200 convicts arrived at the island in March 1858.
World War II to
Nathu Singh aboard
HMS Rocksand in 1945 During
Second World War, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were invaded by
Japan. The Japanese captured Port Blair on 23 March 1942 and established control over the islands. Japan gave provisional control of the islands to the
Azad Hind organisation of
Subhash Chandra Bose on 29 December 1943, and the Andaman and Nicobar islands were renamed as
Shaheed-Dweep (Martyr island) and
Swaraj-dweep (Self-rule island) respectively. Bose appointed general
A. D. Loganathan as the governor of the islands. However, he had limited power while the real control of the islands remained with the Japanese. The residents were often killed by the Japanese for trivial reasons. The largest incident was the
Homfreyganj massacre on 30 January 1944, where 44 local civilians were shot by the Japanese on suspicion of spying. Japanese vice admiral Teizo Hara and major general Tamenori Sato surrendered to lieutenant colonel
Nathu Singh Rathore, commanding officer of the
Rajput Regiment, on 15 August 1945 aboard the
Royal Navy ship
HMS Rocksand. On 7 October 1945, the territory was officially handed back to British brigadier J. A. Salomons, commander of the
116th Indian Infantry Brigade, and chief administrator Noel Patterson, in a ceremony at the Gymkhana Ground in Port Blair.
Post independence During the
Partition of India, the British announced their intention to retain possession of the islands and use them to resettle
Anglo-Indians and
Anglo-Burmese on these islands. The islands were claimed by the
Indian National Congress for India and the
Muslim League for
Pakistan during the partition negotiations. After the
Indian Independence in 1947, the islands became part of the
Dominion of India. As per the
Constitution of India, the Islands were designated as the only part D territory in 1950, to be administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the
Government of India. The islands were later used to resettle people displaced during the partition with a substantial number of displaced immigrants establishing agricultural colonies. The islands became a separate
union territory administered by the
Government of India, following the
re-organization in 1956. The islands have been developed into a key defence establishment since the 1980s due to its strategic location in the Bay of Bengal across the
Strait of Malacca. On 26 December 2004, the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar islands experienced high
tsunami waves following
an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean which resulted in more than 2,000 casualties, 46,000 injuries and rendering at least 40,000 homeless. The locals and tourists on the islands suffered the greatest casualties while the indigenous people largely survived unscathed due to movement to high grounds following the oral traditions passed down over generations that warned them to
evacuate following earthquakes. ==Geography==