Baratang Island

Baratang Island is an island of the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the North and Middle Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. the island is lying 150km north from Port Blair.HistoryA lighthouse was commissioned in 1985 at the eastern entrance to the andaman strait.GeographyThe island belongs to the Great Andaman Chain, and with an area of it is one of the main islands of the group, a closely set archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, adjoining the Andaman Sea. Middle Andaman is to its north, and South Andaman to the south. The islands of Ritchie's Archipelago lie to the east. Port Blair, the capital of the Indian Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is located approximately from the southern tip of Baratang. Baratang contains the only known examples of mud volcanoes in India. These mud volcanoes have erupted sporadically, with recent eruptions in 2005 believed to have been associated with the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The previous major eruption recorded was on 18 February 2003. The locals call this mud volcano jalki. There are other volcanoes in the area. The Barren Island volcano which is the only active volcano in South Asia and the Narcondum volcano which is considered to be a potentially active volcano.