Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park (M.G.M.N.P)
IUCN category II (national park)
Location	Andaman Islands, India
Nearest city	Wandur
Area	281.5 km²
Established	1983

Labyrinth Islands

Nickname: North Mahatma Gandhi Islands
Labyrinth Islands Location of Labyrinth Islands
Geography
Location	Bay of Bengal
Coordinates	11°32′N 92°36′E / 11.53°N 92.60°ECoordinates: 11°32′N 92°36′E / 11.53°N 92.60°E
Archipelago	Andaman Islands
Adjacent bodies of water	Indian Ocean
Total islands	17
Major islands	Boat Red Skin
Area	29.043 km^2 (11.214 sq mi)land area
Highest elevation	78 m (256 ft)[1]
Highest point	mount Tarmugli
Administration
India
District	South Andaman
Island group	Andaman Islands
Island sub-group	Rutland Archipelago
Tehsil	Port Blair Tehsil
Largest settlement	Jolly Buoy Beach
Demographics
Demonym	Hindi
Population	0 (2011)
Pop. density	0.00 /km^2 (0 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Hindu, Andamanese
Additional information
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	744103[2]
Telephone code	031927 [3]
Official website	www.andamans.gov.in/Brochures/ef/MGMNP.pdf
Census Code	35.639.0004
Official Languages	Hindi, English

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is a national park of India near Wandoor on the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.^[4]

History

The park was created 24 May 1983 under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to protect marine life such as the corals and nesting sea turtles prevalent in the area. It was placed under the protection of the Chief Wildlife Warden of the forest department of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.^[5] The park facilities and staff quarters are located in south Wandur beach. ^[6]

Geography

There are 2 major island groups in the park: the Labyrinth Islands and the Twin Islands The islands are situated 16 km (10 mi) south from Port Blair. The marine park covers 281.5 km² made up of 17 islands and the open sea creeks running through the area. There is a chance for ecotourism on the islands Jolly Buoy and Red Skin which are open during some seasons offering glass bottom boats, scuba diving and snorkeling as a way to see the park's coral reefs and marine life.^[7][8][9] The islands belongs to the Rutland Archipelago and are located between Rutland Island and South Andaman Island.

Ecosystems

Most of the coral reefs in the park are fringing reefs. The type and composition of vegetation varies from island to island. Most notably there you can see a difference between the tourist islands which suffer more anthropocentric change and others which do not. There are also some islands more isolated or protected from the effects of weather in the Bay of Bengal. Tarmugli, the largest island, is covered with thick mangrove vegetation, sand covered beaches, uprooted trees and sheet rocks.^[10] Twin Islands are an important breeding ground for turtles within the park.

List of Islands

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park has some 20 islands and rocks.

	Island	Sobriquet	type	Location	Area (hectares)	Coastline (km)	Length (km)	Width (km)	elevation (m)
1	Alexandra		island	11°34′36″N 92°36′38″E / 11.57667°N 92.61056°E	408.8	9.3	2.5	2.00	0.00
2	Bell		island	11°34′08″N 92°33′57″E / 11.56889°N 92.56583°E	6.7	1	0.38	0.21	0.00
3	Boat		island	11°31′35″N 92°33′38″E / 11.52639°N 92.56056°E	247.6	7.71	2.7	1.3	27.00
4	Chester		island	11°33′06″N 92°35′10″E / 11.55167°N 92.58611°E	6.6	1.00	0.33	0.33	0.00
5	Grub		island	11°33′06″N 92°35′10″E / 11.55167°N 92.58611°E	2.3	0.7	0.13	0.25	24.00
6	Hobday		island	11°32′40″N 92°36′42″E / 11.54444°N 92.61167°E	367.80	10.50	3.23	1.91	0.00
7	Jolly Buoy		island	11°30′26″N 92°36′41″E / 11.50722°N 92.61139°E	18.80	2.50	1.10	0.20	45.00
8	Malay		island	11°31′48″N 92°36′12″E / 11.53000°N 92.60333°E	80.20	4.25	1.71	0.61	68.00
9	Pluto		island	11°33′06″N 92°35′10″E / 11.55167°N 92.58611°E	13.3	1.81	0.75	0.22	49.00
10	Red Skin		island	11°33′00″N 92°35′30″E / 11.55000°N 92.59167°E	428.20	12.39	4.9	1.4	46.00
11	Riflemen		island	11°30′50″N 92°38′40″E / 11.51389°N 92.64444°E	2.40	0.70	0.27	0.15	0.00
12	Snob		island	11°35′55″N 92°34′27″E / 11.59861°N 92.57417°E	17.65	2.18	0.96	0.26	75.00
13	Tarmugli		island	11°34′30″N 92°33′00″E / 11.57500°N 92.55000°E	1216.70	20.00	5.5	3.8	78.00
14	West Twin		island	11°33′06″N 92°35′10″E / 11.55167°N 92.58611°E	38.70	0.00	0.00	0.00	48.00
15	East Twin		island	11°33′06″N 92°35′10″E / 11.55167°N 92.58611°E	20.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	44.00
16	North Hobday		island	11°33′30″N 92°36′30″E / 11.55833°N 92.60833°E	17.80	1.93	0.00	0.00	0.00
17	?		island	11°33′38″N 92°35′55″E / 11.56056°N 92.59861°E	0.50	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
18	?		island	11°32′22″N 92°35′02″E / 11.53944°N 92.58389°E	10.10	1.77	0.00	0.00	0.00
	Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park Islands		Archipelago	11°32′22″N 92°35′02″E / 11.53944°N 92.58389°E	2904.5				0.00

Administration

Politically, all islands are part of Port Blair Taluk.^[11]

Demographics

The islands are on uninhabited land, but there is a population of 7300 living in 10 adjacent villages (Mainly Manglutan and Wandur)

Image gallery

• 
  Jolly Buoy Island, one of the 20 islands in the national park.
• 
  Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park near Port Blair, Andaman Islands

References

1. "Sailing Directions (enroute) | India and the Bay of Bengal" (PDF) (173). National Geospatial-intelligence Agency, United States Government. 2014. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
2. "A&N Islands - Pincodes". 22 September 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
3. "STD Codes of Andaman and Nicobar". allcodesindia.in. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
4. "Village Code Directory: Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF). Census of India. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
8. Jolly Buoy info
9. red skin island
10. Tarmugli
11. "DEMOGRAPHIC – A&N ISLANDS" (PDF). andssw1.and.nic.in. Retrieved 2016-09-23.

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage
• The Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park
• 11 Status of Coral Reefs of Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Wandoor, Andamans by K Dorairaj and R. Soundararajan