For 20,000 years the tribals of Andaman & Nicobar lived on these islands. Then, in the 19th and 20th centuries, civilisation came to their isles. Timber logging began. A penal colony (Kala Pani) was built. British and Indian governments brought in settlers from the mainland. Villages came up. Forests retreated. Now, the combined population of the Jarawa, Onge, Great Andamanese and Sentinelese is less than 500. Which is why one-third of Andamans (and all of Nicobar) is a tribal reserve. You can visit only some of the 570-odd islands of Andamans, but the corals, beaches, mangroves... will stay with you forever.
