NASA MODIS Image of the Day: February 29, 2012 – Lakshadweep Islands, India
Off of the western coast of India, in the Laccadive Sea, a group of coral islands float like white-ringed gems in the dark blue waters.
The Lakshadweep Islands are a group of about thirty-six islands and islets which lie 175 kilometers from the Malabar Coast.
There are twelve atolls, three reefs and five submerged atolls. Only ten of these islands are inhabited. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite acquired this true-color image on February 19, 2012. From north the south the following major features can be seen: Cherbaniani Reef, Byramgore Reef, Bitra Reef, the slightly bowl-shaped Peremul Par, which is a sunken reef, Bangaram Island, Agatti Island with Kalpitti located on the southern end of the same reef, and Kavaratti Island to the far southwest. North of Kavaratti Island the long Kadmat Island can also be seen. Kavaratti Island is the most centrally located island of the archipelago, with a land area of about 4.2 square kilometers. Most of the population lives in the town of Kavaratti, which is the capital of the Union Territory of India and home to over 10,000 people. The coral reefs and lagoons of Lakshadweep provide an excellent home for an extremely diverse marine ecosystem. The Pitti Bird Sanctuary (on Pitti Island) is the only oceanic tern nesting sanctuary in India. Lakshadweep is also home to a significant population of endangered green and hawksbills turtles.
