Kavaratti (, ) is the capital of 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 ...

. Kavaratti is a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

as well as the name of the

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 ...

upon which the town stands. It is well known for its pristine white sand beaches and calm lagoons, which makes it a popular tourist destination. It is located west to the city of

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 ...

, west of the city of

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 ...

, and west of the city of

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 ...

Etymology

The name Kavaratti might derive from

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

or Jeseri, reflecting the island's geographical or cultural features. For instance, Kava could relate to a natural feature like 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 ...

or bay, and ratti might signify a settlement or land.

Details

The island is 5.6 km (3.5 miles) long and tapers to a point at one end from a maximum width at the other of 1.2 km (0.75 mile). There is a shallow lagoon on the western side of the island, and coconut palms grow all over the island. Kavaratti town is noted for the carved wooden pillars and roofs of its mosques and the carved stones of its graveyards. The town has administrative buildings, a bank, numerous mosques, and an aquarium. Tourism is of growing importance to the economy.

Geography

The island of Kavaratti lies off the coast of the state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

at .Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kavaratti
/ref> It has an average elevation of 0 metres (0 feet). The closest island is uninhabited Pitti islet, located north of Kavaratti. The inhabited island of Agatti lies 54 km to the NW and Suheli Par 53 km to the SW.

is the closest major city on the Indian mainland at a distance of . It has a

area of .

Climate

Kavaratti has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Aw''). March to May is the hottest period of the year. The year-round temperature ranges between . Humidity range is 70 to 76 percent. The

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...

rains usually start at the end of May and continue through early November. The island receives an average of around of rain during the year.

Demographics

The 2011 population for Kavaratti was 11,210 based on the 2011 census of India. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Of the 1797 families on the island, 57 (about 3%) are below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. The literacy was 88.6% for Kavaratti. This was an increase from 44.4% in 1971. The male literacy rate was 94.1%, while the female literacy was 81.66%. In Kavaratti, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The most commonly spoken languages are

, Mahl, English and the native Jeseri.

Economy

Tourism is one of the primary industries on the island. The island has pristine white sand beaches, favored by tourists for sun bathing. The calm lagoons on Kavaratti island are ideal for water sports and swimming. A number of hotels and resorts have been developed on Kavaratti in recent years. The waters around the coral atoll are rich in diverse marine life. The Kavaratti Aquarium has a rich collection of corals and a vast collection of tropical fish specimens. The other major industries on the island are fisheries and agriculture.

Coconut 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, ...

is the dominant crop on the island. With a decline in fisheries, tourism has seen an increase as a means of livelihood.

Transportation

Among the most popular means of travel to Kavaratti from the Indian mainland is via an overnight voyage by passenger ships. A number of passenger liners operate from Kochi to Kavaratti and other Lakshadweep islands. The nearest domestic airport is Agatti Airport on Agatti Island away, followed by

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

or boat transfers from Agatti to Kavaratti. Commercial flights usually operate from Kochi to Agatti. The closest international airport are the Cochin International Airport in

and the Calicut International Airport at

on the mainland.

Water supply

Ground water is the major source of water supply to Kavaratti. The island has 190 ponds to collect monsoon waters and 1325 wells. With increasing population, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

commissioned a low temperature desalination plant (LTTD) in Kavaratti in May 2005. The desalination plant established at a cost of 5 crores has a capacity to supply 100,000 litres of drinking water every day.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kavaratti Islands of Lakshadweep Atolls of India Cities and towns in Lakshadweep district Indian union territory capitals Islands of India Populated places in India