Galathea National Park
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6°55′23″N 93°49′59″E / 6.923°N 93.833°E
| Galathea National Park | |
|---|---|
  | |
 | |
| Location | Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| Area | 110 |
| Established | 1992 |
Galathea National Park is a national park located in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. It is located on the island of Great Nicobar in the Nicobar Islands, which lie in the eastern Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal). Many unique and rare species of plants and animals are found in the park, a number of which (owing to their relative geographical isolation) are endemic to the islands.
Etymology
[edit]The Galathea National Park is named after the Danish colonial vessel Galathea which conducted survey for minerals in Great Nicobar in 1845-47.
History
[edit]The Great Nicobar Island Biosphere Reserve was declared by the government in 1989, and was recognised as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in 2013.[1][2]
Geoclimate
[edit]Geography
[edit]The total area of this park is approximately 110 square kilometres, and was gazetted as a National Park of India in 1992.[1] Galathea forms part of what has been designated as the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, which also includes the larger Campbell Bay National Park, separated from Galathea by a 12-km forest buffer zone.
Climate
[edit]There is an acute tropical climate here, only with the summer season and monsoons, the inhabitants of the park here have never encountered winter conditions.
During the rainy season, an average of 3000–3800 mm of rain per square meter falls here.[3]
Ecology
[edit]Flora
[edit]Galathea National Park, due to geographical surroundings and physical location is considered to be having world's best preserved tropical rain forests and large quantity of endemism.[4] The vegetation consists largely of tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests.
Fauna
[edit]Notable animal species found in the park include the giant robber crab, megapode and Nicobar pigeon. [5]
From February to December, the largest turtle in the world, the leather back turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), nests here.[6]
Transport
[edit]Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair is the nearest civil aviation airport on another Island. There are daily flights to and from Port Blair to Chennai and Kolkata which have approximately 2 hours flight time each.[7]
Issues
[edit]The Great Nicobar Island is at risk of being developed into a Military and trading hub by the Indian government as part of the Great Nicobar Development Plan.[8] The 9 billion dollar project will include the construction of the International Container Transshipment Port; upgrade of Campbell Bay to a dual-use airport for military and civilian purposes; a gas, diesel, and solar-based power plant; and a greenfield township on the 1,000-square-kilometer island. These developments would also boost the island's population into the hundreds of thousands.
Gallery
[edit]-
The Giant robber crab, or Coconut crab. -
A megapode bird. -
Nicobar pigeon in the national park.
See also
[edit]- Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team
- International Container Transshipment Port, Galathea Bay
- Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Galathea National Park". Learn UPSC. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "Great Nicobar". Unesco.org. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
- ^ "Galathea National Park complete detail – updated". NatureConservation.in. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ "Eco-sensitive zones of 0 km notified by 60 national parks: Study". Hindustan Times. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Restriction imposed on visiting Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary & National Park :: The Daily Telegrams". dt.andaman.gov.in. 3 May 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ "Galathea National Park – Geography and You". Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ^ "Galathea National Park". Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ Krishnan, Murali (20 February 2024). "Will India's megaproject sink Great Nicobar island? – DW – 02/20/2024". dw.com. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
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