LAKSHADWEEP  
     
  Lakshadweep is the smallest union territory of India. The group is located 200 to 300 km off of the coast
of Kerala in the Arabian Sea. The total land area of the territory is 32 km². Eleven of the islands are
inhabited. Lakshadweep is the northern part of the erstwhile Lakshadweepa.
Lakshadweep officially consists of 12 atolls, 3 reefs and 5 submerged banks, with a total of about
36 islands and islets. The reefs are in fact also atolls, although mostly submerged, with only small
unvegetated sand cays above the high water mark. The submerged banks are sunken atolls.
Almost all the atolls have a northeast-southwest orientation with the islands lying on the eastern rim,
and a mostly submerged reef on the western rim, enclosing a lagoon. 		 
     
 
Atoll/Reef/Bank
(alternate name) 		Type Land
Area
(km2) 		Lagoon
Area
(km2) 		No. of
islets 		Pop.
Census
2001 		Location
Amindivi Islands
Cora Divh bank - 339.45 - - 13°42′N, 72°11′E
Sesostris Bank bank - 388.53 - - 13°08′N, 72°00′E
Bassas de Pedro
(Munyal Par, Padua Bank) 		bank - 2474.33 - - 13°07′N, 72°25′E
Cherbaniani Reef (Beleapani Reef) reef 0.01 172.59 2 - 12°18′N, 71°53′E
Byramgore Reef (Chereapani) reef 0.01 57.46 1 - 11°54′N, 71°49′E
Chetlat Island atoll 1.14 1.60 1 2289 11°42′N, 72°42′E
Bitra Island atoll 0.10 45.61 2 264 11°33′N, 72°09′E
Kiltan Island atoll 2.20 1.76 1 3664 11°29′N, 73°00′E
Kadmat Island (Cardamum) atoll 3.20 37.50 1 5319 11°14′N, 72°47′E
Elikalpeni Bank bank - 95.91 - - 11°12′N, 73°58′E
Peremul Par reef 0.01 83.02 1 - 11°10′N, 72°04′E
Amini Island1) atoll 2.59 155.091) 1 7340 11°06′N, 72°45′E
Laccadive Islands
Bingaram Island (Bangaram)2) atoll 2.30 46.25 4 -3) 10°56′N, 72°17′E
Agatti Island2) atoll 3.84 17.50 4 7072 10°50′N, 72°12′E
Pitti Island1) island1) 0.01 155.091) 1 - 10°50′N, 72°38′E
Androth Island (Andrott) atoll 4.90 4.84 1 10720 10°50′N, 73°41′E
Kavaratti Island atoll 4.22 4.96 1 10113 10°33′N, 72°38′E
Kalpeni Island atoll 2.79 25.60 7 4319 10°05′N, 73°38′E
Suheli Par atoll 0.57 78.76 2 - 10°05′N, 72°17′E
Minicoy
Investigator Bank bank - 141.78 - - 08°32′N, 73°17′E
Minicoy Island atoll 4.80 30.60 2 9495 08°17′N, 73°02′E
Lakshadweep   32.69 4203.14 32 60595 08°16′-13°58′N,
71°44°-74°24′E
 
 
1) Amini Island and Pitti Island are both on Pitti Bank,
a largely sunken atoll with a lagoon area of 155.09 km2
2) Bingaram and Agatti Islands are connected by a shallow submarine ridge
3) new international tourist resort,
otherwise uninhabited, but with a population 61 at the 1990 census
 
     
  The main islands are Kavaratti (where the capital city, Kavaratti, is located), Agatti, Minicoy, and Amini.
The total population of the territory was 60,595 according to the 2001 census. Agatti has an airport where
there are direct flights from Kochi, Kerala or Ernakulam (Cochin). Tourists need a permit to visit the islands;
foreign nationals are not permitted to visit certain islands. Consumption of liquor or alcoholic drink is not
permitted in the islands except at Bangaram Island.

The name of the archipelago literally translates as “hundred thousand islands” (laksha = “one hundred thousand”,
dweep = “island”). Until 1973, the island group was known by the anglicised name Laccadives (compare to Maldives
and Suvadives) although the term Laccadives strictly only applies to central Lakshdweep with the northern Amindivi
Islands and Minicoy to the south considered separate. This is reflected in the pre-1973 name of the union
territory, Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands.

 
     
     
  MINERAL RESOURCES  
  Limestone/limeshell occurs in the Union Territory but mineral production is not reported.