Lakshadweep Profile

Lakshadweep, formerly known as Laccadives are an archipelago of 36 exquisitely coral islands, with untouched beaches and verdant coconut groves, scattered off the Kerala coast in the Arabian Sea. Covering an area of 32 sq. km, Lakshadweep is the smallest union territory of India.

Out of 36 small islands, only ten are inhabited and they are Andrott, Amini, Agatti, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmath, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Kiltan and Minicoy. These islands form the smallest of the Union Territories of India, and are the country's only coral islands. The main islands are Kavarrati, Minicoy, and Amini. Kavaratti is the headquarters of these islands, while Bitra is the smallest of all, with a nominal population.

Far from the chaos of mundane world, as we know it, they represent a rather magical realm of existence. Each island is densely covered with coconut palms, and serenely set in a sea, the waters of which range from palest aquamarine and turquoise, to deepest sapphire and lapis lazuli. About 93 percent of the people in Lakshadweep are Shafi School Muslims of the Sunni sect, and they speak Malayalam.