Question

Tick the correct answer:
The Indian islands in the Arabian Sea are known as ______________
A. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
B. Lakshadweep Islands
C. Maldives
D. None of these

Answer 1

Hint:
- These islands were designated as a separate union territory of independent India on 1 November 1956.
- They were previously known by names like Minicoy, Laccadive and Amindivi islands.
- It is a group of coral islands and atolls. It is the top of an underwater ridge.

Complete solution:
India is a peninsular country with an extended coastline, and some parts of its territories are in the form of island groups or archipelagos in the water bodies on both its eastern and western coasts. The Arabian Sea is on the western side of India and contains a group of islands which are part of the country.

A. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are Indian islands in the Bay of Bengal. They are an archipelago of around 300 islands, out of which only around 38 are inhabited. Therefore, this is not the correct option.

B. Lakshadweep Islands are Indian islands in the Arabian Sea. Only 10 of the total number of islands are inhabited. It is the top of the undersea mountain range called the Chagos-Lakshadweep Ridge. This is the correct option.

C. Maldives are a group of islands located in the Arabian Sea. These islands are a country by themselves and not a part of India. It is the smallest Asian country with an area of roughly 298 km/sq. This is not the correct option either.

D. since Lakshadweep islands is the correct answer, this option is not correct.

Hence, the correct answer is option B.

Note:
- The term ‘Lakshadweep’ means ‘one hundred thousand islands’ in Sanskrit, Malayalam and Marathi.
- The capital of the Andaman and Nicobar islands is Port Blair. It is also the largest city in the union territory.
- The capital of the Lakshadweep Islands is the smallest union territory of India. Its capital is Kavaratti.
- Malé is the capital of Maldives. It is also known as the King’s Island. The country is a chain of 26 atolls.