Islands in Flux:The Andaman and Nicobar Story

Island systems have attracted the attention of biologists and geologists since a long time. Some of the key concepts in biology, say ideas on evolution by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace originated by observing patterns of island biodiversity. Not many countries have access to islands for research, but with the magnificent Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands, we do. The A&N Islands, an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, has 349 islands with the Andaman group consisting of 325 islands and the Nicobar group 24 islands. The Andaman group of islands is characterized by Indo-Malayan biota, whereas the Nicobar islands are characterized by Indonesian biota and form a part of the Sundaland mega-biodiversity hotspot as well. Sporadic scientific literature is available on the biodiversity, geology and anthropology of the islands. The book under review is a ‘one-stop place’ to acquire knowledge about the wealth and history of the A&N Islands.