Lakshadweep

Group of 36 coral islands, 10 inhabited, in the Indian Ocean, 320 km/200 mi off the Malabar coast, forming a Union Territory of India; area 32 sq km/12 sq mi; population (2001 est) 60,600. The administrative headquarters are on Kavaratti Island. Products include coir, copra, and fish. There is a tourist resort on Bangarem, an uninhabited island with a large lagoon. The religion is Islam.

The first Western visitor was Vasco da Gama in 1499. The islands were British from 1877 until Indian independence in 1947, and were created a Union Territory in 1956. Formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands, they were renamed Lakshadweep in 1973.