Bitra, also known as Bitrā Par, is a
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
atoll
An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...
belonging to the
Amindivi
The Aminidivi Islands, are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the northern group of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Laccadive Islands subgroup roughly by the 11th parallel north. The total ...
Subgroup of islands of the Union Territory of
Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep (), also known as Laccadives (), is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands in the Arabian sea, located off the Malabar Coast.
The name ''Lakshadweep'' means "one lakh islands" in Sanskrit, though the Lac ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
It is west of the city of
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
.
History
Prior to the 20th century, islanders from
Kiltan
Kiltan or Kilthān Island is a coral island belonging to the Amindivi Subgroup of islands of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India.
It is at a distance of 291 km away from Kannur, 303 km away from Kozhikode, and west of the city ...
and
Chetlat
Chetlat Island is a coral island belonging to the Amindivi Subgroup of islands of the Lakshadweep archipelago in India. It has a distance of west of the city of Kochi.
History
Local history says that islanders were cruelly treated by Portuguese ...
visited the island to collect the eggs of
pelagic bird
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or wa ...
s breeding there. Until 1945, when a woman from Chetlat made this island her home, there were no attempts to settle this island permanently. There is a small shrine dedicated to an old Arab saint by the name of Malik Mulla who was buried on the island. The shrine has become a pilgrimage site.
Geography
The atoll of Bitra encompasses two islands.
The main Bitra Island is located at the northern end of the Bitrā Par coral reef .
The small south cay is located on the southern part of the coral reef .
Bitra is the smallest of the populated islands of Lakshadweep. It is located 33 km to the north of
Perumal Par
Perumal Par, also known as Peremul Par, is an uninhabited coral atoll belonging to the Amindivi Subgroup of islands of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India.
It has a distance of south of the city of Delhi. Geography
Perumal Par is located ...
and 41 km to the southeast of
Byramgore Reef
Byramgore Reef, also known as Chereapani Reef ( ml, Cheriyapanniyam), is a coral atoll belonging to the Amindivi Subgroup of islands of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India.
It has a distance of south of the city of Delhi.
Geography
Byr ...
.
The Bitra Par
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'') a ...
area is .
Population
The 2011 census determined that 271 people made this island their home, making it the least populated among the inhabited islands in Lakshadweep.
Administration
The atoll belongs to the
township
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
of Bitra of
Aminidivi
The Aminidivi Islands, are one of the three island subgroups in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is the northern group of the Lakshadweep, separated from the Laccadive Islands subgroup roughly by the 11th parallel north. The total ...
Tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...
.
Tehsils info
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Transportation
The main island has a small jetty on the south shore and a helipad on the westpoint.
Economics
The inhabitants on the island are engaged in very small scale farming and fishing which are mainly for the island consumption.
Image gallery
File:Lakshadweep.jpg, Satellite picture showing the atolls of the Lakshadweep except for Minicoy
Minicoy, locally known as Maliku (), is an island in Lakshadweep, India. Along with Viringili, it is on ''Maliku atoll'', the southernmost atoll of Lakshadweep archipelago. Administratively, it is a census town in the Indian union territory of ...
File:Map of Lakshadweep-en.svg, Map
References
External links
Bitra Island
*
Islands of Lakshadweep
Atolls of India
Cities and towns in Lakshadweep district
{{Lakshadweep-geo-stub