Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep is an island union territory within India. The administrative center is Kavaratti. Population 64,429 (last among territories).
The area of the territory is 32 km² (the last place among the territories). The territory is a group of islands in the southeastern part of the Arabian Sea. Includes the Laccadive and Amindive Islands, as well as Minicoy. Only 11 of these islands are permanently inhabited.
According to Jibin123, the Lakshadweep (Laccadive) Islands are one of the few places on our planet that are practically undisturbed by civilization. This is a small group of Coral Islands, located 325 kilometers west of India, and is an excellent place for diving and one of the best places to relax on magnificent and uncrowded beaches.
Lakshadweep (Laksha dweepa), translated from Sanskrit means “One Hundred Thousand Islands” in fact, these figures are slightly exaggerated. The Indian Union Territory of Lakshadweep is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, consisting of 12 atolls, three reefs and five shoals. There are 11 inhabited and 16 uninhabited islands in this territory. Inhabited are Kavaratti, Agatti, Amini, Bangaram, Kadmat, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra, Andrott, Kalpeni and Minicoy. Bitra is the smallest of all and has a population of only 225 people. Geologically, the coral islands of Lakshadweep belong to the same “chain” as the Maldives.
The administrative center of Lakshadweep is located on the island of Kavaratti. The most extensive, in terms of territory and population, is Andrott Island , but it is not intended for tourists. The islands of Bangaram and Agatti are ideal for relaxation.
Charmingly beautiful and small island Bangaram, with an area of only about 2.3 square meters. km. is a typical tropical paradise with a white sandy beach and a lagoon perfect for relaxation and snorkelling, while the calm waters around the island are ideal for snorkelling. Two more tiny islands are located very close by – Thinnakara and Parali. Beyond the lagoon lies a coral reef and a colorful deep sea world that is home to sea turtles, dolphins, rays, sea ruffs, scarfish, octopuses and sharks.
Bangaram is home to one of the best diving centers in the Lakshadweep Islands. Which will offer you dives to the galleon that sank 200 years ago and lies at a depth of 15 meters. Experienced divers will be able to dive into a 6-meter crevice between two vertical plumb lines extending into the depths of the ocean. Practically, throughout the year (more often in October and April) here you can see a large oceanic Manta ray, its wingspan reaches up to 4 meters. Whale and dwarf sharks, turtles and Napoleon fish (wrasse family) are also found here. On the island there is a small and only Bangaram Island Resort 4 * hotel offering its own bungalows for accommodation.
Agati island. This small (only 3.84 square kilometers) island is surrounded by an excellent reef, where living corals are inhabited by an incredible number of marine life, including turtles and reef sharks. Visibility underwater here often exceeds 30 meters. The surrounding lagoon, the most beautiful on the islands, offers ideal conditions for diving. Here is the only airport, as well as the resort complex Agatti Island Beach Resort and the diving center Diveline Agatti.
The islands of Kalpeni, Kadmat and Minikoy are also open for tourists to visit.
The Lakshadweep Islands have a tropical climate and can be visited all year round. The hottest time is in April and May, when temperatures can reach 35 degrees. From May to September, the incoming monsoon brings about half of the total precipitation. The best time is from the beginning of October to the middle of May.
You can get to the Lakshadweep Islands by plane from the nearest Indian cities – Cochin or Goa. It is also possible to get there by boat from Cochin (from 14 hours). From Agatti to Bangaram can be reached by boat or helicopter.
Gujarat
Gujarat (Gujarat) – a state of India, in the north-west of the Hindustan peninsula, off the coast of the Arabian Sea and its gulfs – Cambay and Kutch, includes the plains of the Lesser and most of the Greater Rann of Kutch, the peninsulas of Kutch and Kathiyawar. It borders Pakistan to the northwest, Rajasthan to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and Maharashtra to the southeast. The state was formed in 1960 by carving out Gujarati-majority areas from the state of Bombay. The area is 196 thousand sq. km, the population is 53.6 million people (2004). The administrative center is Gandhinagar. 90% of the population are Hindus, 8.4% are Muslims. Main languages: Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi. The largest city is Ahmedabad, the major cities are Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar.
Much of the state’s surface is flat, low-lying plain. In the interior of the Kathiyawar and Kutch peninsulas, there are basalt plateaus (prevailing heights of 200-500 m). The climate is subequatorial, with unstable moisture. The average temperature in January is from +16 °C to +23 °C, in July from +27 °C to +41 °C. Monsoon rains come in June-September. In most of Gujarat, precipitation falls from 500 mm to 1000 mm per year, in the west – 250-500 mm.
A significant part of the territory of Gujarat (more than 20 thousand square kilometers), mainly in the northwest, is occupied by swamps and salt marshes of the Rann of Kach. Vegetation in the west – savannas, in the east – tropical dry forests, woodlands and thorny shrubs. Gir Forest National Park is located in Gujarat.
In antiquity and in the Middle Ages, the territory of Gujarat was an important area for the production of cotton, dyes, fabrics, its port cities were busy trading centers. In the area of Lothala, Rangpur, Kalibangan, there were settlements of the Harappan civilization (about 3000-1500 BC), later the territory of Gujarat was part of the Maurya state (about 320-185 BC). This region was one of the centers of the spread of Jainism. On Mount Girnar (on the peninsula of Kutch) is one of the most ancient Jain settlements with cave cells and temples.
In the Middle Ages, the states of Maitraks (6th-7th centuries), Chaulukyas, or Solanki (9th-12th centuries) existed in Gujarat. In 1297-1396, these lands were under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate. The governor of Delhi, Muzaffar Khan, separated from Delhi and in 1406 declared himself Shah (Sultan) of Gujarat. Ahmedabad became the capital of the state. This state was especially strengthened under Mahmud I Begarr (15th – early 16th centuries).
In 1509, 1521 and 1531, the Portuguese tried to capture the Gujarati fortress of Diu, which protected the entrance to the bay, in the depths of which stood the main Gujarati port of Cambay. In 1535, the ruler of Gujarat, Bahadur, ceded Diu to the Portuguese in exchange for a promise of help in the fight against the Mughal king Humayun, who had captured Gujarat. Bahadur later tried to take Diu back but was killed by the Portuguese. In 1558-1559. The Portuguese captured the Daman fortress on the opposite coast of the Gulf of Cambay from Diu. The fortresses of Daman and Diu blocked the entrance to the Gulf of Cambay, which damaged the trade of Gujarat.
In 1572, the Mughal ruler Akbar conquered the Gujarat Sultanate and included it in his state. By the middle of the 18th century, the territory of Gujarat fell under the rule of the Maratha princes from the Gaekwar dynasty. By 1818, the control of the British East India Company was established over most of the territory of Gujarat, later this territory was included in the British province of Bombay (small vassal principalities remained on the Kathiyawar Peninsula). Mahatma Gandhi was born in Porbandar, Gujarat. After India gained independence in 1947, the territory of Gujarat became part of the state of Bombay, and in 1960 it was separated into an independent state with its center in Ahmedabad.
