Lakshadweep is an archipelago located 200 – 400 km west of the coast of Kerala in the
Arabian Sea. The archipelago consists of 36 main islands and many smaller islands, coral atolls and coral reefs. It is the smallest union territory in India. Lakshadweep
means a hundred thousand islands in the local language, Malayalam. Earlier the name
Lakshadweep referred to the three archipelagos in the Indian Ocean, the present
Lakshadweep, Maldives and Suvadives. Only — ten of the Lakshadweep islands are
inhabited and more than 90 percent of the indigenous population is Muslims. The main
economic activities are fishing, coconut cultivation and coir twisting. Tourism is an
emerging industry. Tourists require an entry permit to visit Lakshadweep; the permit is
issued in kochi (in Kerala). Foreign nationals are allowed only in kadmat, Bangaram and
Agatti islands. Coconut is the main crop cultivated in the island. Lakshadweep is India’s
largest producer of coconuts. About 2,598 hectares are under coconut cultivation and
the productivity per hectare is 22,310. Coconuts cultivated in the Lakshadweep are also
rich in coconut oil. Complete the following sentences as briefly as possible. Q 1) _____________ is the smallest union territory in India. Q 2) Lakshadweep is situated in _____________. Q 3) __________________ are the main economic activities of Lakshadweep islands.
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Answer:
Lakshadweep (/ləkˈʃɑːdwiːp/) is a group of islands in the Arabian sea, 200 to 440 km (120 to 270 mi) off the southwestern coast of India. The archipelago is administered as a union territory and district of India. They were also known as the Laccadive Islands, although geographically this is only the name of the central subgroup of the group. Lakshadweep means "one lakh islands" in Sanskrit, and Malayalam, the most spoken language in the territory.[3] The islands form the smallest Union Territory of India and their total surface area is just 32 km2 (12 sq mi). The lagoon area covers about 4,200 km2(1,600 sq mi), the territorial waters area 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi) and the exclusive economic zone area 400,000 km2(150,000 sq mi). The region forms a single Indian district with 10 subdivisions. Kavarattiserves as the capital of the Union Territory and the region comes under the jurisdiction of Kerala High Court. The islands are the northernmost of the Lakshadweep–Maldives–Chagos group of islands, which are the tops of a vast undersea mountain range, the Chagos-Lakshadweep Ridge.[4] The Lakshadweep consisted of 36 islands. But currently there are 35 islands, as the Parali 1 island submerged in water due to sea erosion.[
) _____________ is the smallest union territory in India. Q