Andaman and Nicobar Islands

1,400 km from mainland India and 1,000 km from Thailand, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are one of the most remote spots on the planet. The original inhabitants are various aboriginal tribes, ethnically Melanesian, who exist more or less out of the mainstream. There are some tribes, most notably the Sentinelese, who have had almost no contact with the rest of the world. Of nearly 600 islands, only 30 are open to foreign tourists, and all of these are in the Andamans. The islands exist in India's popular consciousness mainly because they were used as a penal colony during British rule to imprison rebels and freedom fighters, in addition to hardened criminals. The majority of people living on the islands are descendants of migrants from the mainland. Some of them descended from the prisoners. During World War II, the Andamans were the only part of India that was, briefly, occupied by the Japanese.