The Nicobars: Frequently Asked Questions by George Weber

Can the Nicobar Islands be visited?

No.

The Nicobar Islands are not open to visiting foreigners, whether scholars or tourists. Even Indian citizens need a special permit, which is granted only rarely. Most of the "permanent" non-Nicobari Indian population of the islands consists of labourers and their families who were sent there from India for specific construction or other projects - and then just stayed on illegally.

Since the tsunami of 26 Dec 2004 the limitations imposed have become even stricter. Only Indian officials, aid workers and a few researchers are permitted to visit the islands. The local population is busy with reconstruction work and survival.

Were the Nicobars hard hit by the Tsunami?

Terribly hard.

The number of dead and missing in the Nicobar islands as a percentage of the total population through earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004 is by far the highest of all Tsunami-stricken areas. Because of the islands' remoteness (they are the most outlying and least accessible Indian territory), it also took longest for information on the situation to reach the world - and for aid to reach the islands.

Only Sumatra in Indonesia is geographically closer than the Nicobars to the epicenter of the 26 Dec 2004 earthquake. In Sumatra at certain points the tsunami waves reached more than 30 m in height. In the Nicobars the highest waves probably reached a maximum of around 15 m. However, unlike huge and mountainous Sumatra, the small Nicobar islands are relatively low-lying sandy specks of land. They are islands on which waves of "only" a few meters can penetrate far inland and larger ones even wash over an entire island.

For more information see Tsunami maps, charts and statistics.

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Last changed 1 May 2007