Great Nicobar Island
Geography and Strategic Significance
Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost and largest island of the Nicobar group in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. It is located at the junction of the Indian Ocean and the Malacca Strait — one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Its proximity to the Strait of Malacca (only ~90 nautical miles from the northern tip of Sumatra) gives it immense strategic value for naval surveillance, chokepoint monitoring, and projecting Indian naval power in the Indo-Pacific. The proposed Galathea Bay transshipment port would make India a direct competitor to Singapore and Colombo in container transshipment.
- Location: 6°N latitude, southernmost tip of India; ~1,500 km from Chennai
- Indira Point: southernmost tip of India, located on Great Nicobar
- Area: ~910 sq km; highest peak: Mount Thullier (~642 m)
- Strategic significance: flanks the Strait of Malacca — through which ~80% of China's oil imports pass
- Galathea Bay: one of India's deepest natural harbours; proposed site for the container transshipment port
- The island falls within the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory (Lieutenant Governor administration)
● Tracked since February 16, 2026 · last seen June 20, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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