Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is a Union Territory of 36 coral islands in the Arabian Sea, about 200 to 440 km off the Kerala coast. Ten are inhabited. The total land area is only about 32 sq km, making it the smallest Union Territory by area and population. The administrative centre is Kavaratti.

The islands are atolls — coral reefs enclosing shallow lagoons — and depend on fishing, particularly tuna, and coconut. Almost the entire population is Muslim, and the territory has among the highest literacy rates in India. Fresh water is scarce and depends on rainfall, and the islands are connected to the mainland by a limited number of ships and a single airstrip at Agatti.

Because the land is low-lying, the islands are among the parts of India most exposed to sea-level rise and coastal erosion. Development is tightly restricted: land is held under a system that limits ownership to residents, and proposals to expand tourism have repeatedly run into objections over land use and the impact on the lagoons.