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Andaman and Nicobar Islands[an´dumun, nik´ObAr] Pronunciation Key, union territory (2001 provisional pop. 356,265), India, in the Bay of Bengal. Port Blair (1991 pop. 74,955), in the Andamans, is the capital. Comprising the Andaman Islands (2,508 sq mi/6,496 sq km) in the south and the Nicobar Islands (707 sq mi/1,831 sq km) in the north, the territory chiefly exports tropical products and lumber. It is administered by the home minister in the central Indian government. Known to Europeans since the 7th cent. A.D., the Andamans, consisting of more than 200 islands, were the site of a British penal colony from 1858 to 1945. The population is made up of indigenous Negritos and settlers from the Indian mainland. Some of the Negritos have preserved a Stone Age culture. The Nicobars, which comprise 19 small islands, are separated from the Andamans by a channel that is 90 mi (145 km) wide. The native population is of Mongoloid stock. The Nicobars became a British possession in 1869. Japanese forces occupied both archipelagos during World War II.
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