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Why has the Indian government banned tourists and explorers from visiting the North Sentinel island?
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act of 1956 prohibits travel to the island and any approach closer than five nautical miles (9.26 km) in order to prevent the resident tribespeople from contracting diseases to which they have no acquired immunity. The area is patrolled by the Indian Navy.
Which island is banned in India?
North Sentinel Islands
North Sentinel Islands (Andamans) This one is home to the Sentinelese, an indigenous people in voluntary isolation who have defended, often by force, their protected isolation from the outside world.
Why is North Sentinel Island banned in India?
India has banned its citizens from visiting North Sentinel Island or attempting to make contact with the people who live there. Going within three miles of the island is illegal.
What is North Sentinel Island?
North Sentinel Island is part of the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. It is home to the Sentinelese people, who are among the world’s last uncontacted tribes – that is, indigenous groups that maintain no contact with modern civilisation. Most past efforts to contact the Sentinelese have been met with hostility.
How did the Sentinelese respond to India’s invasion?
In 1970, India claimed the isolated little island, and a survey dropped a stone tablet on the beach to say so. There’s no record of the Sentinelese response. Pandit and his colleagues kept trying to make contact, mostly by pulling a dinghy onto the beach, dropping off coconuts and other gifts, and beating a hasty retreat.
How many Sentinelese people live on the island?
Nobody is quite sure how many Sentinelese people live on the island — it’s estimated to be anywhere between 50 and 400 people. They have lived in seclusion on the island for more than 60,000 years, according to anthropologists.