If you look at the political map of India in the Bay of Bengal, you will see a long chain of islands. These are not one single group, but are divided into two distinct halves by a very specific and famous body of water known as the Ten Degree Channel.
Despite being grouped together as a single Union Territory (Andaman & Nicobar Islands), the cultural and tribal differences between the Andamans and the Nicobars are vast, largely because they have been physically separated by this massive 150 km channel for millennia.
The Ten Degree Channel separates the Andaman Islands (in the north) from the Nicobar Islands (in the south).
To be very specific, it runs directly between the Little Andaman island and the Car Nicobar island.
In geography, the Earth is divided by horizontal imaginary lines called latitudes. The channel gets its name because it lies exactly on the 10-degree line of latitude North of the Equator (10° N).
The **Eight Degree Channel** (8° N latitude) separates the Indian islands of Lakshadweep (specifically Minicoy island) from the sovereign nation of the Maldives.
Islands of India: Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep
India has 1,382 islands. Main groups: Andaman & Nicobar (Bay of Bengal, 572 islands) and Lakshadweep (Arabian Sea, 36 islands).
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