Indira Point
Encyclopedia
Indira Point is situated on the island of Great Nicobar
in the Nicobar Islands
, eastern Indian Ocean
, and it represents the southernmost point of land in the territory of India
. The point is located in the Union Territory
of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is named in honour of Indira Gandhi
. It was formerly known by various names, including Pygmalion Point, Parsons Point and, for a brief period of time, India Point.
Although Kanyakumari is the southernmost tip of the mainland of the Indian subcontinent
itself, Indira Point was the farthest south on Indian soil until the tsunami
generated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
inundated much of its area, partly submerging the lighthouse
. However, geologists have stated that the sea is slowly starting to retreat back to its original position.
Great Nicobar
Great Nicobar is the largest of the Nicobar Islands of India, north of Sumatra. Indira Point, its southernmost tip, is also the southernmost point of India. The island of Sumatra is located to the south of Great Nicobar...
in the Nicobar Islands
Nicobar Islands
The Nicobar Islands are an archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean...
, eastern Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, and it represents the southernmost point of land in the territory of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The point is located in the Union Territory
Union Territory
A Union Territory is a sub-national administrative division of India, in the federal framework of governance. Unlike the states of India, which have their own elected governments, union territories are ruled directly by the federal government; the President of India appoints an Administrator or...
of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is named in honour of Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
. It was formerly known by various names, including Pygmalion Point, Parsons Point and, for a brief period of time, India Point.
Although Kanyakumari is the southernmost tip of the mainland of the Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
itself, Indira Point was the farthest south on Indian soil until the tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
generated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
inundated much of its area, partly submerging the lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
. However, geologists have stated that the sea is slowly starting to retreat back to its original position.