Lakshadweep General Information

Lakshadweep, the smallest union territory of India, is a group of islands 200 to 300 km off of the coast of Kerala in the Laccadive Sea. Their total land area is 11 sq mi or 32 km². Ten of the islands are inhabited. Lakshadweep is the northern part of the erstwhile Lakshadweepa.
Lakshwadeep, comes from Lakshadweepa, which literally means one hundred thousand (laksha) islands (dweepa) in Sanskrit.
Until 1973, the island group was known by the anglicised name Laccadives although the term strictly only applies to central Lakshdweep with the northern Amindivi Islands and Minicoy to the south considered separate. The Laccadive Islands plus Minicoy Island are known as the Cannanore Islands.
The union territory is administered by an Administrator appointed by India's central government. Lakshadweep is under the jurisdiction of the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam. The Territory also elects one member to the Lok Sabha (lower parliament house).
The main islands are Kavaratti (where the capital city, Kavaratti, is located), Agatti, Minicoy, and Amini. The total population of the territory was 60,595 according to the 2001 census. Agatti has an airport

Location:
8° and 12° North Latitude and 71° and 74° East Longitude. It is 220 to 440 km off the Malabar Coast in Kerala, India.

People:
The people of all the northern islands speak a dialect of Malayalam. According to local folk beliefs, they descended from traders who were washed up on the islands during a particularly heavy storm. However, the people of Minicoy, the southernmost atoll, speak Mahl, a variant of Divehi, the language of the Maldives. The islanders are ethnically similar to coastal Kerala's Malayali people, and were influenced by Arab traders. Inhabitants of Minicoy, the southernmost and largest island, closely resemble Maldivians. Most of the indigenous population is Muslim. The locals call themselves the Div-i or the Aminidivi ("from the mother island"). There is also a sizable Ahmadiyya Muslim Community here.

Economy
Lakshadweep's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $60 million at current prices. Coconut is the main crop cultivated in the islands. Lakshadweep is India's largest producer of coconuts.
Coconut fibre extraction and production of coir fibre products is Lakshadweep's main industry.
Due to its isolation and scenic appeal, Lakshadweep is emerging as a major tourist attraction for Indians. This brings in significant revenue, which is likely to increase. Since such a small region cannot support industries, the government is actively promoting tourism as a means of income.