The History Of The Swaraj Dweep / Havelock Island, India - An Island of Beauty
- ThePersaudCatalog
- Jun 30
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 30
This month's article series will be discussing the beautiful & esteemed Havelock Island of India’s Andaman Sea.
Havelock Island is approximately 324.26 nautical miles (373.151744 miles, or 600.52952 kilometers) off the coast of the mainland country of Thailand. Havelock Island gets its name from Sir Henry Havelock, was British Major-General who served in India.
Havelock Island is a part of the Ritchie Archipelago, in the Western Central Andaman Sea. It is important to mention that the Andaman Sea is located in the eastern Bay of Bengal. Due to its location, the island's primary language is Bengali. The island was recently renamed to Swaraj Island, but for this article, we will refer to it as Havelock Island.
Havelock Island is most well known for its beautiful beaches, forests, & exquisite marine life. The island is surrounded by coral reefs, which are incredibly biodiverse. The thickly wooded forests on the island clash with the sandy beaches, which create a beautiful & unique environment. These coral reefs are fringing, & can be seen by all who roam the beaches.
Snorkelling & Scuba diving are extremely popular for this reason, so much so that this island is widely considered a small slice of paradise.
In addition to the island having beautiful oceans & forests, the island has interesting hillsides. The island's highest point of elevation is 167 meters (547.9 feet) high, & is called Yulutang. The island has a population of approximately 6,351, 84% of which are literate. With 92.2 square kilometers (35.59862 square miles) of land, the island has a population density of 68.88286334056399 people per kilometer (178.4057921346389 people per square mile).
The majority of the people on the island live in the largest town on the island, which is Govinda Nagar. The government of the Nicobar Islands does have a website, which is http://andaman.nic.in/. This website is for the entire administrative region, not just the island itself. The website is in English.
In this article, we will discuss the history of Havelock Island, the documented aboriginals of Havelock Island, the Most Destructive Man-Caused & Natural Disasters affecting Havelock Island, & the Economic state of Havelock Island. With that being said, let us delve into the history of Havelock Island.
The Documented History Of Havelock Island
Before Colonization
The first people to live on the island were the Onge, & Jawara Aboriginals. Both of these Aboriginals placed a heavy emphasis on connection with nature & the land. These tribes cultural influence can still be seen around the island in various ways.
After Colonization By The British
Historical Events From The 1800s
Havelock Island was discovered by the British, & was made a British Colony along with the rest of the Andaman Islands. A nearby island known as Ross Island had a penal colony established on it, which impacted the economic & infrastructural growth of Havelock Island. The British created roads, buildings, & water supply on the Island.
Historical Events From The 1900s
Starting in the early 1900’s, the island began building an economy on tourism. The islands coral reefs, beautiful forests, & fantastic beaches attracted many tourists. The government recognized the potential of this, & began building government hotels, restaurants, & resorts. The rest of the historical events from this century will be under the subsection “After Indian Independence”, as India gained its freedom in 1947.
After Indian Independence
On August 15th in 1947, India gained its independence from British Rule. This helped the local government have more autonomy, & which in turn caused more infrastructure to be built. Aside from the tourism industry growing, very little else has happened for the small Havelock Island.
The Aboriginals Of Havelock Island
The Onge Tribe Of Aboriginals
The Onge are a group of Andamanese Islanders who are native to the Nicobar & Andaman Islands. Unfortunately, very little of their once-thriving villages are left as the majority of them were destroyed in the 1940s. Before the British & Indian occupation, they were the only natives on Havelock Island. Their population is currently estimated at 120, a far cry from their once prosperous population of 670. They called Havelock Island, “Goubalambabey”.
The majority of this population lives on a small reservation at Dugong Creek. Their diet largely consists of wild boar, wild fish, & various kinds of plants. They also collect honey in the forests, for both consumption & artistic purposes.
Currently, they are extremely dependent on the Indian government for food rations, medical, & hygienic supplies. As a part of their culture, they chew bark to turn their teeth red, & they use white & ochre clay to paint themselves in a beautiful artistic tradition. There is no traditional Onge religion, & the majority of Onge today are not religious. They do, however, believe in spirits, & worship nature.
Additionally, as a population, they lack medical resources, & have a high infant mortality rate. Unfortunately, the Onge culture is at risk of extinction as a result.. Hopefully, they can navigate these perils, & are allotted better resources & rations.
The Most Destructive Man-Caused & Natural Disasters To Affect Havelock Island
Disaster No. 1: 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami
On December 26th of 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the Northern coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. This event was caused by a rupture along the Burma & Indian tectonic plates. This caused a massive tsunami, which destroyed parts of the harbour on the island, as well as affecting some coastal housing.
The tsunami destroyed the mangroves temporarily, & caused many families to be displaced. Unfortunately, there are no statistics as to how many injuries or deaths occurred as a result of the tsunami & earthquake. This event was without a doubt, the worst natural disaster to affect Havelock Island in recent years.
The Economic State Of Havelock Island
The economy of Havelock Island is extremely tourism-based. There are a few horticultural products that are exported, such as betel nuts, but they are exported in very low quantities. Generally, Havelock island is a middle-class island, & is not extremely poor, however, it is not very rich either.
The island’s products are slightly expensive compared to mainland India, because the island has no production means of its own. Everything on the island is imported to Port Blair, the administrative capital of the Nicobar Islands, & then is shipped to the Island.
Directories / Credits
Citation No. 1: “Brief Overview of Havelock Island's location and significance”, Written by Unknown, & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by the Andaman Islands. Retrieval Date: November 17th, 2023.
Citation No. 2: “Havelock & Neil Islands”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by India A2Z. Retrieval Date: November 17th, 2023.
Citation No. 3: “The Onge” Written By Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Survival International. Retrieval Date: November 17th, 2023.
Citation No. 4: “Havelock Island” Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by Yatra. Retrieval Date: November 17th, 2023.
Citation No. 5: “The Onge” Written By Ajita & Published on September 26th of 2022. Published by Medium. Retrieval Date: November 17th, 2023.
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