Bangaram is an

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical parts of the oceans and seas where corals can develop. Most ...

in the

Union Territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

Lakshadweep Lakshadweep () is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north, the Laccadive Islands (separated from Amindivi roughly by the 11th parallel north), and th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Geography

The atoll has a roughly rectangular shape and is 8.1 km in length with a maximum width of 4.2 km and with a

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

area of . It is located over off

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...

, off

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

, off

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

, and from

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

Port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. Bangaram atoll is about northeast of the island of

Agatti Agatti Island () is a 7.6 km long island, situated on a coral atoll called Agatti atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is west of the city of Kochi. Geography Agatti is located about 364 km off Kannur, 394 km ...

and to the southeast of

Perumal Par Perumal Par, also known as Peremul Par, is an uninhabited coral atoll belonging to the Amindivi Subgroup of islands of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It has a distance of south of the city of Delhi. Geography Perumal Par is located ...

, in the western Lakshadweep

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...

at . Bangaram atoll is connected to the reef of Agatti through a shallow

submarine ridge A mid-ocean ridge (MOR) is a seafloor mountain system formed by plate tectonics. It typically has a depth of about and rises about above the deepest portion of an ocean basin. This feature is where seafloor spreading takes place along a div ...

Islands

*Bangaram Island, the largest island in the atoll, with a land surface of is located at . There is a long brackish pond in the center of the island fringed by

screwpine ''Pandanus'' is a genus of monocots with about 578 accepted species. They are palm-like, dioecious trees and shrubs native to the Old World tropics and subtropics. Common names include pandan, screw palm and screw pine. The genus is classified ...

and

coconut palm The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

s. *South Bangaram Cay, the smallest island in the atoll, with a land surface of is located at . It is a small sand cay. *Thinnakara, another large island in the atoll, has a land surface of . It is located East-Northeast of Bangaram island, at the edge of the

basin . *Parali 1, Parali 2 and Parali 3 are three small islets at the eastern fringe of the reef . The Islets have a total land surface of Parali 1 Was washed away in 2017

Demographics

Bangaram Island, the main island in the atoll, has a small population of 10. Bangaram Island Resort was located on the east coast of this island. Thinnakara, has a construction camp (~30) for the new resort being built on its west coast.

Administration

The island belongs to the

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

Agatti Island Agatti Island () is a 7.6 km long island, situated on a coral atoll called Agatti atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is west of the city of Kochi. Geography Agatti is located about 364 km off Kannur, 394 km ...

Kavaratti Kavaratti (, ) is the capital of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India. Kavaratti is a census town as well as the name of the atoll upon which the town stands. It is well known for its pristine white sand beaches and calm lagoons, which m ...

Tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

Tourism

The Bangaram Island Beach Resort opened to tourism in 1974, but the lack of commercial flights made access difficult. Tourism took off after the

Agatti Aerodrome Agatti Airport is a regional airport serving the union territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is located at the southern end of Agatti Island, and is the sole airstrip in the archipelago, which lies off the west coast of mainland India. Histor ...

on the nearby Agatti island was commissioned and regular commercial flights from

were established. The resort had 60 cottages. Current alcohol regulations in Lakshadweep allow consumption of alcoholic drinks only on Bangaram Atoll. The new Thinnakara is owned by locals from Agatti. It will offer numerous adventure activities, including

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

snorkelling Snorkeling ( British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing the ambient air through a shaped tube called a snorkel, usually with swimming goggles or a ...

, deep sea fishing beside white sand beaches, a calm lagoon and a sparkling, clear coral reef.

Flora and fauna

The Atoll is popular for its serene setting. Numerous species of tropical birds are found on the island.

Image gallery

File:Lakshadweep.jpg, Satellite picture showing the atolls of the Lakshadweep except for

Minicoy Minicoy, locally known as Maliku (), is an island in Lakshadweep, India. Along with Viringili, it is on Maliku atoll, the southernmost atoll of Lakshadweep archipelago. Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian States and territories ...

File:Map of Lakshadweep-en.svg, Map File:LakshadweepIsland.jpg, One of the islands of Bangaram Atoll File:Sea off Bangaram island, Lakshadweep.jpg, View of the lagoon off Bangaram Island File:Bangaram-mother with child.jpg, Bangaram resident mother with child

References

* {{Lakshadweep Islands of Lakshadweep Atolls of India Underwater diving sites in India Cities and towns in Lakshadweep district Populated places in India Islands of India