KERALA PSC / OUR INDIA / UNION TERRITORIES / NOTES

KERALA PSC / OUR INDIA / UNION TERRITORIES / NOTES

 

ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLAND

 

·       Group of islands in the Indian Ocean

·       Geographically it is the part of Southeast Asia, close to Aceh in Indonesia and separated from them by the Andaman Sea.

·       It comprises two island groups, the Andaman islands and the Nicobar islands

·       The Nicobarese live throughout many of the islands; and the Shompen, restricted to the hinterland of Great Nicobar

·       The islands provided a temporary maritime base for ships of the Marathas in the 17^th Century.

·       The British used the islands as an isolated prison for members of the Indian Independence movement. The mode of imprisonment was called Kalapani. The Cellular Jail in Port Blair was regarded as the ‘Siberia’ of British India

·       For a time during 1943 and 1944, Port Blair was the headquarters of the Azad Hind government under Subash Chandra Bose

·       It became an Indian union territory (UT) in 1950

·       There are 572 islands in the territory, of which only approximately 38 are permanently inhabited. Most if the islands (about 550) are in the Andamans group, 26 of which are inhabited

·       The smaller Nicobars comprise some 22 main islands (10 inhabited)

·       The Andamans and Nicobars are separated by the Ten Degree Channel

·       The major language spoken in the Andamans in numerical order are Bengali (25.95%), Hindi (18.4%), Urdu (14.2%), Tamil including Sri Lankan Tamils (17.84%), Nicobarese and Telugu (12.93%)

 

CHANDIGARH

 

·       Chandigarh is a union territory of India, that serves as the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana

·       Chandigarh Capital Region (CCR) includes Mohali, Panchkula and Zirakpur

·       First planned city of India-Chandigarh

·       Chandigarh Administration is under the control of the Administrator who is appointed under the provisions of Art239 of the Constitution. The administrative control of Chandigarh is under the Ministry of Home Affairs

·       Chandigarh is called a “Pensioner’s Paradise” and “City Beautiful”.

·       The Rock Garden or Rock Garden of Chandigarh is a Sculpture garden in Chandigarh

·       On 15 July 2007, Chandigarh became the first Indian city to go smoke-free

·       International Dolls Museum is situated at the Bal Bhavan

·       Mohali Cricket Stadium is in Chandigarh

·       Governor of Punjab is the Administrator of Chandigarh

 

DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI

 

·       Located in Western India

·       Nagar Haveli is wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat, whereas Dadra is an enclave lying a few kilometers north of Nagar Haveli in Gujarat

·       Dadra and Nagar Haveli are in the watershed of the Daman Ganga River

·       In 1783, Nagar-Aveli was given to the Portuguese as a compensation by the Maratha navy. Then, in 1785 the Portuguese purchased Dadra. It was administered by the Portuguese Governor of Daman until 1954

·       In 1961 Indian forces took over Goa, Daman &Diu.

·       A Lieutenant Governor administers the territory.

 

DAMAN & DIU

 

·       Daman and Diu along with Goa was a colony held by the Portuguese, even after the Independence

·       In 1961, it was made an integral part of India

·       After conferring statehood on Goa on 30^th May, 1987, Daman and Diu was made a separate Union Territory.

·       Daman lies about 193 km away from Mumbai

·       It is bound on the East by Gujarat, on the West by the Arabian sea, on the North by the Kolak river, and on the South by Kalai river.

·       The neighbouring district of Daman is Valsad in Gujarat

·       Diu is an island connected by two bridges. The neighbouring districts of Diu is Junagadh of Gujarat

 

LAKSHADWEEP

 

·       It is also known as the Laccadive Islands

·       Lakshadweep is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, 200 to 300 km off the coast of the South West Indian state of Kerala

·       Ten of the islands are inhabited

·       The main islands are Kavaratti (where the capital city, Kavaratti, is located), Agatti, Minicoy and Amini

·       Agatti has an airport where there are direct flights from Kochi

·       Fishing is major activity of people

·       Official language is Malayalam

·       Largest island in Lakshadweep is Androth

·       Lakshadweep is under the jurisdiction of Kerala High Court

·       Important tourist places are Agatti, Bangaram, Kalpeni, Kadmat, Kavaratti and Minicoy

·       The territory elects one member to the Lok Sabha

·       The world’s first ever low temperature thermal desalination plant (LTTD) was opened in Kavaratti

·       The India Lakshadweep stands first in coconut production

 

PUDUCHERRY

 

·       Former name – Pondicherry

·       It is a former French Colony

·       Puducherry comprises the former French establishment Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, which lie scattered in South India

·       It was under the French rule for 138 years and merged with the Indian Union on 1^st November 1954

·       It is bounded on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the three sides by Tamil Nadu

·       About 150 kms south of Puducherry on the East Coast lies Karaikal

·       Mahi is situated on the Malabar coast on the Western Ghats surrounded by Kerala

·       Yanam is situated adjoining the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and is about 200 kms from Visakhapattanam airport.

·       Pondicherry, Karaikal and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahe located on the Arabian Sea

·       The territory was officially known as Pondicherry until 2006 when it was renamed Puducherry

·       The most popular tourist destinations are the four beaches in Pondicherry, which are Promenade Beach, Paradise Beach, the Auroville Beach and Serenity Beach

 

KERALA PSC / OUR INDIA / UNION TERRITORIES / NOTES

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