Kalpeni

Kalpeni is west from the port of Kochi and lies south of Andrott and to the NNE of Minicoy, with the broad Nine Degree Channel between them. Suheli Par atoll lies to the west of Kalpeni. Kalpeni forms a single coral atoll along with the uninhabited islands of Cheriyam, Tilakkam, Kodithala and Pitti islet. The eastern and southern shorelines of the island have accumulations of coral debris, the result of a violent storm that hit the area in 1847. It has a lagoon area of . List of Islands • Kalpeni is the main island. It has an area of , and is located at . • Kodithala is immediately to the north of Kalpeni, with an area of . • Cheriyam is the northernmost island, with a population of 10. The island has a water tank, a pond, a small road from the village to a lighthouse at the north point, constructed by MGNREGS at 2015. It has an area of , and is located at . It is the largest of Kalpeni's satellite islands. The land in Cheriyam belongs to 49 families living in Kalpeni.MGNREGS is currently making an economic development on the island to accommodate a new village and resort like on Sentosa. It would impact the economic growth of Kalpeni Island. • Tilakkam group is a group of islands off the west of Kalpeni. The land of these islands has and belongs to two different families of Kalpeni: • Koomel is a small islet off the west tip of Kalpeni. It has an area of , and is located at . • Tilakkam east has an area of , and is located at . • Tilakkam west has an area of , and is located at . • Pitti islet has an area of , and is located at . ==Demographics==

Kalpeni was the first island in the Union Territory where girls were allowed to go to school and get an education. ==Administration==

The island belongs to the township of Kalpeni of Andrott Tehsil. ==Tourism==

Kalpeni has a beach at the northern tip of the island called Tip Beach where one can do snorkeling, sea bath and kayaking. Because of the coral reefs present in the sea near the beach, the water is shallow and calm, making it an excellent spot for beach activities. There is a lighthouse in Kalpeni from whose top one can see a bird's eye view of the island, the lagoon with the smaller islands, the reef and the surrounding ocean. From the top of the lighthouse, one can visualize the abundance of coconut trees, and the ground is not visible due to dense packing of the tops of these trees. ==Image gallery==

File:Kalpeni-Panoramic-View-From-Lighthouse.jpg|Island's panoramic view from lighthouse File:Moideen_Mosque_Kalpeni_Panoramic_View.jpg|Moideen Mosque – a panoramic view File:Agatthiyatti_Stone.jpg|A deep whirlpool in the Agatthiyatti Stone area File:Sunset_at_Kalpeni.jpg|Sunset at Kalpeni File:Tip_Beach_Kalpeni.jpg|Tip Beach entrance at Kalpeni File:Kalpeni atoll of Lakshadweep 2.jpg|Boat jeti at Kalpeni atoll of Lakshadweep File:Kalpeni_Light_House.jpg|Lighthouse ==References==