Genetic and cultural studies suggest that the indigenous Andamanese people may have been isolated from other populations during the Middle Paleolithic era, more than 30,000 years ago.

[5] Genetic and cultural studies suggest that the indigenous Andamanese people may have been isolated from other populations during the Middle Paleolithic era, which ended 30,000 years ago.

[4][5] The Nicobar islands existed on a major trade route connecting India to the South East Asia and had much contact with the outside world for centuries.

[9][10] It was part of an established Chola trade route connecting India and South East Asia, with the practice continuing in the subsequent years during the reigns of Rajendra II and Kulothunga I.

[11][12] Chola inscriptions from Thanjavur, dated to 1050 CE, describe the islands as Ma-Nakkavaram meaning "great open/naked land" in Tamil.

However, various attempts to settle on the islands were unsuccessful due to repeated outbreaks of malaria, which led to the death of the colonists.

[18] In 1789, the British colonised the Andaman islands to set up a naval base and establish a penal colony.

[8] In 1872, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were united under a single command and administered by a chief commissioner based out of Port Blair.

[24] In the years under Japanese occupation, there have been reports of widespread looting, arson, rape and extra judicial killings.

[25] Japanese Vice Admiral Teizo Hara and Major-General Tamenori Sato surrendered to Lieutenant Colonel Nathu Singh, the commanding officer of the Rajput Regiment on 15 August 1945, on board the Royal Navy warship HMS Sandbar and the territory was officially handed back over to the British to Brigadier J.

The islands were claimed by the Indian National Congress for India and the Muslim League for Pakistan during the partition negotiations.

[31] The islands have been developed into a key defence establishment since the 1980 due to its strategic location in the Bay of Bengal across the Strait of Malacca.

[34] The locals and tourists on the islands suffered the greatest casualties while the indigenous people largely survived unscathed due to movement to high grounds following the oral traditions passed down over generations that warned them to evacuate following earthquakes.

[38] The northernmost point of the islands is 901 km (560 mi) away from the mouth of the Hooghly River in the Indian mainland.

The islands may have sandy, rocky sandstone or marshy beaches on the coastlines and might be surrounded by shoals and coral reefs.

[46] The islands are generally surrounded by shallow seas of varying depths in the vicinity with some deep natural bays occurring along certain coasts.

[48] The forest coverage is estimated to be 86.2% of the total land area with about 2,200 varieties of plants of which 200 are endemic and 1,300 do not occur in mainland India.

[52] The islands serve as an intermediate resting site for birds such as Horsfield's bronze cuckoo, Zappey's flycatcher and Javan pond heron during long distance migrations.

[45] Larger marine species include salt water crocodiles, dugongs, turtles, dolphins and whales.

[62] In the early 21st century, the population of indigenous people has drastically dropped and As of 2016[update], it was estimated to consist of 44 Great Andamanese, 380 Jarawas, 101 Onges, 15 Sentinelese and 229 Shompens.

[63] The Government of India is trying to protect the remnant population by providing access to healthcare facilities, communication and social engagement.

[69][65] The majority of the population, however, are speakers of immigrant languages which include Bengali (28.5%), Tamil (15.2%), Telugu (13.2%), Hindi (12.9%), Malayalam (7.2%).

[80] Other crops include pulses, oilseeds, vegetables like okra, brinjal, cucurbit and radish; spices and fruits such as mango, sapota, orange, banana, guava and pineapple.

[82] As of 2008[update], there were 1,833 registered small-scale industries with majority being involved in engineering, woodworking and textiles apart from 21 factories.

[86] The islands have many beaches due to its long coastline and various water sports are practised including kayaking, scuba diving and parasailing.

[87] Major attractions include the Cellular Jail, Chatham Saw Mill, Forest Museum, Samudrika Naval Marine Museum, Anthropological Museum, Fisheries Aquarium, Science Center and Carbyn's cove in Port Blair; Bharatpur, Lakshmanpur and Sitapur beaches in Shaheed Dweep; Elephant and Radhanagar beaches in Swaraj Dweep; Hudi tikri, Red, Bird and Bat islands, Amkunj beach near Rangat; Dhaninallah mangroves and Karmatang beach near Mayabunder; limestone caves and mud volcanoes near Diglipur; Craggy island and Ross & Smith islands and various national parks and protected sanctuaries.

[88] The islands are served by Veer Savarkar International Airport near Port Blair which has regular flights to major cities in India.

[89] The airport operates as a civil enclave, sharing airside facilities with INS Utkrosh of the Indian Navy.

Bharat Broadband Network started work on laying fiber optic submarine cables connecting the islands with Chennai in December 2018.

[107][108] On 10 August 2020, the undersea optical fibre cable went live, which enabled high-speed broadband connections in the islands.