North Cinque Island

North Cinque Island or Gue-a-lue[6] is an uninhabited island of the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.[7] the island is lying 37 km (23 mi) south from Port Blair.

North Cinque Island

Nickname: Gue-a-lue
North Cinque Island Location in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and in the Bay of Bengal North Cinque Island North Cinque Island (Bay of Bengal)
Geography
Location	Bay of Bengal
Coordinates	11.314°N 92.714°E
Archipelago	Andaman Islands
Adjacent bodies of water	Indian Ocean
Area	1.988 km^2 (0.768 sq mi)[1]
Length	3.6 km (2.24 mi)
Width	2 km (1.2 mi)
Coastline	12 km (7.5 mi)
Highest elevation	154 m (505 ft)[2]
Administration
India
District	South Andaman
Island group	Andaman Islands
Island sub-group	Cinque Islands
Tehsil	Port Blair Tehsil
Largest settlement	North Cinque Island (Wildlife Station)
Demographics
Population	0 (2011)
Additional information
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	744202[3]
Telephone code	031927 [4]
ISO code	IN-AN-00[5]
Official website	www.and.nic.in

Geography

The island belongs to the Cinque Islands of Rutland Archipelago and is located 5.5 km (3 mi) southeast of Rutland Island. The passage between North Cinque and Rutland is called Manners Strait. North Cinque Island and South Cinque Island, 1.5 km (1 mi) to the south, are sometimes considered to be a single Cinque Island. North Cinque consists of three rocky Peninsulas connected by sand bars. The northern peninsula is the largest one, 2.9 km long in the N-S direction and 1.1 km wide; it has two adjacent hills about 154 m and 145 m high.[2] The middle (southernmost) peninsula, 1.05 km across, lies 270 m to the south and has a bare hill 89 m high.[2] About 150 m to its west lies the third and smallest peninsula, an oval knob about 450 m across. The sand bar between the south and north peninsulas was broken through in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami but has since reformed.[8]

Administration

Politically, North Cinque Island is part of Port Blair Taluk.[9]

Demographics

There was a wildlife station on the island, but it was abandoned after budget cuts at 2011.[10] There is a lighthouse at the top of the tallest hill on the northern part of North Cinque, established 1972, about 2 km from the landing point.[11][12]

Fauna

The Cinque Islands have been declared a sanctuary as they house an enormous variety of coral reefs, sea weeds, colorful fishes, shells, starfish, sea anemones, salt-water crocodile, turtles and water snakes.[13]

Tourism

The island is a popular destination for underwater diving. It is best known for its coral richness and beach beauty.[14] It was named as one of the most visited locations of Andamans.[15]

References

1. "Islandwise Area and Population - 2011 Census" (PDF). Government of Andaman. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
2. Sailing Directions (Enroute), Pub. 173: India and the Bay of Bengal (PDF). Sailing Directions. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017. p. 288.
3. "A&N Islands - Pincodes". 22 September 2016. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
4. "STD Codes of Andaman and Nicobar". allcodesindia.in. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
5. Registration Plate Numbers added to ISO Code
6. US Hydrographic Office (1916) Bay of Bengal Pilot, page 288. H.O. pub. 160, Government Printing Office.
7. "Village Code Directory: Andaman & Nicobar Islands" (PDF). Census of India. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
8. Pankak Sekhsaria (2009), North Cinque Island Wildlife Sanctuary. Accessed on 2012-07-13
9. "DEMOGRAPHIC – A&N ISLANDS" (PDF). andssw1.and.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
11. North Cinque lighthouse Archived 6 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Government of India, Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships. Accessed on 2012-07-05.
13. link
14. guide
15. see tourist Itenerary section

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands travel guide from Wikivoyage