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The Laccadive islands (Lakshadweep) are a group of islands and coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. The archipelago lies between a latitude of 8 ° North and 12 ° 13 ‘North, and a longitude of 71 ° East and 74 ° East. In the archipelago there are many islands and sandbanks. But among these 12 are atolls, three are coral reefs and five submerged reefs. The Laccadive islands are located a few hundred kilometers off the southwestern Indian coast off the coast of Kerala.
The Laccadive islands are coral islands, usually real atolls that rest on an underwater ridge. These islands are made up of sandbanks where coconut trees and other types of vegetation took root, which developed thanks to monsoon rains and high tropical temperatures. The inhabitants of the islands survive thanks to trade and subsistence agriculture.
CORAL ATOLLS
Only eleven are the inhabited islands of the archipelago: Kavaratti (where the capital is located, which has the same name of the island), Agatti, Amini, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni, Bangaram and Minicoy. The total population of this Indian territory is around 60,000 inhabitants. The inhabitants of the archipelago are Muslim and speak a dialect of the Malayalam language. Which is the same language spoken in the state of Kerala. The islands are small atolls and the total area is approximately 32 square km, they form the smallest territory in the Indian Union.
The extraction of coconut fiber and the production of fiber products represent the main island industry. Among other activities, fishing is an important means of livelihood for the islanders. Tourism is an emerging sector, thanks to the beauty of the waters and underwater life. It is an archipelago similar to the nearby Maldives, but much less exploited for tourism. Agatti has an airport where direct flights arrive from Cochin.
