The Sisters (Andaman Islands)

Sister Islands are a group of uninhabited islands of the Andaman Islands. They belong to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.^[6] These islands are 57 km (35 mi) south from Port Blair.

Sister Islands

Sister Islands Location of Sister Islands
Geography
Location	Bay of Bengal
Coordinates	11.145°N 92.725°E / 11.145; 92.725
Archipelago	Andaman Islands
Adjacent to	Indian Ocean
Total islands	2
Major islands	East West
Area	0.49 km2 (0.19 sq mi)[1]
Highest elevation	76 m (249 ft)[2]
Highest point	East Sister
Administration
India
District	South Andaman
Island group	Andaman Islands
Island sub-group	Rutland Archipelago
Tehsil	Port Blair Tehsil
Demographics
Population	0 (2011)
Additional information
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	744202[3]
Telephone code	031927 [4]
ISO code	IN-AN-00[5]
Official website	www.and.nic.in

History

Before the British established a colony on the Andaman, the Sister islands were visited occasionally by the Onge people of Little Andaman Island for fishing. They may have been a waystation for their temporary settlement of Rutland Island between 1890 and 1930.^[7]

The islands have been a wildlife refuge since 1987, with 0.36 km².^[8]

Geography

The islands belong to the Rutland Archipelago and are located south of Passage Island (Andaman). The islands are located at the northern side of the Duncan Passage,^[9] about 6 km southeast of Passage Island and 18 km north of North Brother. The group consists of:

• East Sister Island (Andaman)
• West Sister Island (Andaman)

The islands are 220 m apart, connected by a coral reef. They are covered by forests and have rocky shores except for a beach on the NW side of East Sister. East Sister Island is 76m high and West Sister Island is 70.7m high.

Administration

Politically, Sister Islands are part of Port Blair Taluk.^[10]