Bangaram Atoll

Bangaram Atoll Location of Bangaram Atoll in Lakshadweep
Geography
Location	Arabian Sea
Coordinates	10°57′N 72°17′E / 10.95°N 72.29°E / 10.95; 72.29
Type	Atoll
Archipelago	Lakshadweep
Adjacent to	Indian Ocean
Total islands	6
Major islands	Bangaram Thinnakara Pirli 1 Pirli 2 Pirli 3 South Bangaram
Area	1.234 km2 (0.476 sq mi)[1]
Length	1.22 km (0.758 mi)
Width	0.7 km (0.43 mi)
Coastline	3.9 km (2.42 mi)
Highest elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Administration
India
Territory	Union territory of Lakshadweep
District	Lakshadweep
Island group	Laccadive Islands
Tehsils of India	Kavaratti
Subdivisions of India	Agatti Island
Largest settlement	Thinnakara (pop. 30)
Demographics
Population	40 (2014)
Pop. density	32/km2 (83/sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Malayali, Mahls
Additional information
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	68255x
Telephone code	04896
ISO code	IN-LD-06[2]
Official website	www.lakshadweep.gov.in

Bangaram is an atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India.

Geography

The atoll has a roughly rectangular shape and is 8.1 km in length with a maximum width of 4.2 km and with a lagoon area of 36 km² (14 sq mi). It is located over 352 km (219 mi) off Kannur, 382 km (237 mi) off Kozhikode, 400 km (250 mi) off Kochi, and 525 km (326 mi) from Kollam Port in the Indian Ocean.

Bangaram atoll is about 7 km (4.3 mi) northeast of the island of Agatti and 25 km (16 mi) to the southeast of Perumal Par, in the western Lakshadweep archipelago at 10°56′N 72°17′E / 10.933°N 72.283°E / 10.933; 72.283. Bangaram atoll is connected to the reef of Agatti through a shallow submarine ridge.^[3]

Islands

• Bangaram Island, the largest island in the atoll, with a land surface of 0.623 km² (0.241 sq mi) is located at 10°56′24″N 72°17′10″E / 10.94°N 72.286°E / 10.94; 72.286. There is a long brackish pond in the center of the island fringed by screwpine and coconut palms.
• South Bangaram Cay, the smallest island in the atoll, with a land surface of 0.001 km² (0.00039 sq mi) is located at 10°55′59″N 72°16′41″E / 10.933°N 72.278°E / 10.933; 72.278. It is a small sand cay.
• Thinnakara, another large island in the atoll, has a land surface of 0.522 km² (0.202 sq mi) . It is located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) East-Northeast of Bangaram island, at the edge of the lagoon basin 10°56′42″N 72°18′54″E / 10.945°N 72.315°E / 10.945; 72.315.
• Parali 1, Parali 2 and Parali 3 are three small islets at the eastern fringe of the reef 10°57′18″N 72°19′48″E / 10.955°N 72.33°E / 10.955; 72.33.^[4][5] The Islets have a total land surface of 0.089 km² (0.034 sq mi) Parali 1 Was washed away in 2017^[6]

Demographics

Bangaram Island, the main island in the atoll, has a small population of 10. Bangaram Island Resort was located on the east coast of this island.^[7] Thinnakara, has a construction camp (~30) for the new resort being built on its west coast.^[8]

Administration

The island belongs to the township of Agatti Island of Kavaratti Tehsil.^[9]

Tourism

The Bangaram Island Beach Resort opened to tourism in 1974, but the lack of commercial flights made access difficult. Tourism took off after the Agatti Aerodrome on the nearby Agatti island was commissioned and regular commercial flights from Kochi were established.^[10] The resort had 60 cottages. Current alcohol regulations in Lakshadweep allow consumption of alcoholic drinks only on Bangaram Atoll.

The new Thinnakara is owned by locals from Agatti. It will offer numerous adventure activities, including scuba diving, snorkelling, deep sea fishing beside white sand beaches, a calm lagoon and a sparkling, clear coral reef.^[11]

Flora and fauna

The Atoll is popular for its serene setting. Numerous species of tropical birds are found on the island.^[12]

Image gallery

• 
  Satellite picture showing the atolls of the Lakshadweep except for Minicoy
• 
  Map
• 
  One of the islands of Bangaram Atoll
• 
  View of the lagoon off Bangaram Island
• 
  Bangaram resident mother with child