North Sentinel Island cannot be visited by tourists and is protected by the Indian Authorities (Picture: AP)
When you picture the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean, you probably imagine relaxing on a beach in the Maldives, or sipping cocktails in Mauritius.
But there’s one island that’s far less travelled that its counterparts – and for good reason.
If you head east, to the Bay of Bengal, you’ll find North Sentinel Island, which boasts the same clear blue waters and white sand beaches as the popular honeymoon destinations, surrounded by coral reefs teeming with marine life.
But while it sounds idyllic, the archipelago, part of the Andaman Islands, is home to the Sentinelese, dubbed ‘the most dangerous tribe in the world’.
They are one of the few groups of ‘uncontactable’ people left on Earth. Estimates of how many inhabit the island vary wildly, from 15 to 500. And, having had very little contact with anyone outside the tribe, to say they are wary of visitors is an understatement.
Very little is known about the Sentinelese, with their language being incomprehensible to anyone outside of the group – we don’t even know what they call themselves.
But what we do know is that they are incredibly hostile to outsiders. The handful of times people have attempted to make contact have ended very, very badly.
As such, it’s strictly illegal to visit, and there’s an exclusion zone of five nautical miles (9.3 km) surrounding it. If you were to venture there, there’s no telling what fate might befall you.
Where is North Sentinel island?
North Sentinel island is located deep in the Bay of Bengal, in the north of the Indian Ocean.
North Sentinel island is located in the Bay of Bengal (Picture: Metro)
The nearest mainland countries to the island are Myanmar and Thailand, with Sri Lanka and India – which officially owns the island – to the west.
Until 2018, outsiders had to have a Restricted Area Permit to visit any of the Andamans. Now, visitors can explore 29 inhabited islands and 11 uninhabited islands permit-free.
But, this categorically does not include North Sentinel island, which is about the size of New York’s Manhattan and is protected by the exclusion zone that surrounds it.
@accidentally.uploaded
maybe gw salah pointed island nya yg mana krn banyak bgt pulau kecil di sekitarnya. but here’s the fact abt Andaman Island
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Who are the Sentinelese tribe?
The Sentinelese tribe is a secluded population on North Sentinel Island.
According to Survival International, a charity dedicated to working to protect tribal peoples, they have inhabited the islands for up to 60,000 years.
Most of what we know about them has been observed from boats moored some distance away from shore. Crews anchored nearby in the mid-1990s said they saw bonfires on the beach at night time, and the sounds of people singing.
What few photos and videos there are of …read more
Source:: Metro
