Agatti Island

Agatti Island is a 7.6 km long island, situated on a coral atoll called Agatti atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is 459 km (285 mi) west of the city of Kochi.

Agatti
Agatti Airport
Agatti is located in India
Agatti
Agatti
Location of Agatti Atoll in Lakshadweep
Agatti is located in Lakshadweep
Agatti
Agatti
Agatti (Lakshadweep)
Geography
LocationArabian Sea
Coordinates10.50°N 73°E / 10.50; 73
TypeAtoll
ArchipelagoLakshadweep
Adjacent toIndian Ocean
Total islands2
Major islands
Area3.226 km2 (1.246 sq mi)[1]
Length7.6 km (4.72 mi)
Width0.85 km (0.528 mi)
Coastline17 km (10.6 mi)
Highest elevation2 m (7 ft)
Administration
TerritoryUnion territory of Lakshadweep
DistrictLakshadweep
Island groupLaccadive Islands
Tehsils of IndiaKavaratti
Subdivisions of IndiaAgatti Island
Largest settlementAgatti (pop. 7500)
Demographics
Population7700 (2014)
Pop. density2,386/km2 (6180/sq mi)
Ethnic groupsMalayali, Mahls
Additional information
Time zone
PIN682553
Telephone code04894
ISO codeIN-LD-06[2]
Official websitewww.lakshadweep.gov.in
Literacy84.4%
Avg. summer temperature32.0 °C (89.6 °F)
Avg. winter temperature28.0 °C (82.4 °F)
Sex ratio1.059♂/♀

Geography

Agatti is located about 364 km off Kannur, 394 km off Kozhikode, and 459 km (285 mi) off Kochi in the mainland and 7 km to the southwest of Bangaram, the nearest island. Agatti is 531 km away from Kollam (Quilon) and 529 km away from Kollam Port.[3] Kavaratti, the closest inhabited island, lies 54 km to the SE and Suheli Par atoll 76 km to the south. Agatti Atoll's total land area is 3.226 km2 (1.246 sq mi) (of it, The main island 3.141 km2 (1.213 sq mi) and the small Kalpatti Island has 0.085 km2 (0.033 sq mi). Kalpatti is located at the southern end on the same reef.[4] The lagoon area is 24.84 km2 (9.59 sq mi).

Climate
Climate data for Agatti Island (Agatti Airport) 1981–2010, extremes 1996–2012
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 35.3
(95.5)		 35.3
(95.5)		 38.0
(100.4)		 37.8
(100.0)		 37.0
(98.6)		 37.8
(100.0)		 32.7
(90.9)		 34.8
(94.6)		 33.3
(91.9)		 35.0
(95.0)		 35.0
(95.0)		 36.3
(97.3)		 38.0
(100.4)
Average high °C (°F) 31.2
(88.2)		 31.5
(88.7)		 32.4
(90.3)		 33.2
(91.8)		 32.8
(91.0)		 31.1
(88.0)		 30.4
(86.7)		 30.5
(86.9)		 30.5
(86.9)		 30.9
(87.6)		 31.4
(88.5)		 31.3
(88.3)		 31.4
(88.5)
Average low °C (°F) 25.8
(78.4)		 26.0
(78.8)		 27.0
(80.6)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.6
(81.7)		 25.9
(78.6)		 25.7
(78.3)		 25.8
(78.4)		 25.8
(78.4)		 26.1
(79.0)		 26.1
(79.0)		 25.9
(78.6)		 26.3
(79.3)
Record low °C (°F) 22.5
(72.5)		 23.5
(74.3)		 24.2
(75.6)		 23.2
(73.8)		 22.1
(71.8)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.7
(72.9)		 22.5
(72.5)		 22.7
(72.9)		 22.2
(72.0)		 22.1
(71.8)		 22.8
(73.0)		 22.1
(71.8)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 8.3
(0.33)		 2.0
(0.08)		 0.5
(0.02)		 5.6
(0.22)		 179.6
(7.07)		 337.2
(13.28)		 339.9
(13.38)		 206.6
(8.13)		 142.3
(5.60)		 179.8
(7.08)		 105.3
(4.15)		 58.7
(2.31)		 1,566
(61.65)
Average rainy days 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.4 6.5 16.0 16.1 12.5 10.0 9.3 5.5 2.4 79.5
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) 69 68 67 67 72 79 80 78 78 77 75 70 73
Source: India Meteorological Department[5][6]

Population

Its population in the 2011 census was 7,560, and Islam is the main religion of the islanders.[7] Islamic religion is said to have been brought by Arab traveller Ibn Batuta. Most people speak Malayalam, English and Tamil. Agatti has its own 100 kW powerhouse which uses fuel to generate electricity. There is a desalination unit which provides desalinated water to the islanders.

Transportation
Sea

Lakshadweep is connected to Cochin by sea route. Seven passenger ships operate between the two ports and it takes 14–20 hours for the passage.[8]

Air

The 1,400 metres (4,600 ft) Agatti Aerodrome (IATA: AGX, ICAO: VOAT) is the only airport in Lakshadweep.[9][10]

Tourism

Agatti is one of the Lakshadweep islands open to tourism. Visitors, however, are allowed to the Island under certain restrictions. They are required to obtain Entry Permit from the Lakshadweep Administration for entering or visiting the island. Entry Permit is issued based on the visitor having a confirmed place to stay. There are only two hotels or resorts in Agatti: Agatti Island Beach Resort (AIBER)[11] and the other is Sea Shells Beach Resort.[12][13] A road runs through the island, which can be best enjoyed by hiring a bicycle available at many places.

Scuba in Agatti

Water sports activities such as scuba diving, wind surfing, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, sportfishing, yachting and night sea voyages are popular activities among tourists. Tourists flock to these islands throughout the year, except during the southwest monsoon months when seas are extremely rough.

Administration

The island belongs to the township of Agatti Island of Kavaratti Tehsil.[14]

References
  1. "Islandwise Area and Population - 2011 Census" (PDF). Government of Lakshadweep. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2016.
  2. Registration Plate Numbers added to ISO Code
  3. Kollam to Agatti
  4. "Oceandots - Agatti". Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
  5. "Station: Agatti (A) Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 7–8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  6. "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M112. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  7. Web123India
  8. "How to reach Lakshadweep". Official Website of Union Territory of Lakshwadeep. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  9. "Alliance Air". Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  10. "How to reach Lakshadweep". Official Website of Union Territory of Lakshadweep. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  11. Resort
  12. Resort
  13. Resort Archived 6 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Tehsils info
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