India’s island territories aren’t one solid mass. They’re strings of islands, cut apart by channels UPSC loves to test.
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Indian Geography · IndGeo0123
Three gaps, three different islands split.
200km
Nine Degree Channel width
Nearly all merchant shipping between the Middle East and East Asia funnels through it.
Nine Degree Channel
Minicoy ↔ Lakshadweep
Depth over 2,500m
Ten Degree Channel
Andaman ↔ Nicobar
~150km wide, N-S
Duncan Passage
Within Andaman
S. Andaman ↔ Little Andaman
Which islands, exactly
Nine Degree ChannelMinicoy vs Amindivi/main group
Ten Degree ChannelLittle Andaman vs Car Nicobar
Duncan PassageSouth Andaman vs Little Andaman
🏝️ The Lakshadweep Channel
1. The Nine Degree Channel
- Location The Nine Degree Channel runs through the Lakshadweep archipelago, in the Arabian Sea.
- What It Separates It separates Minicoy Island, at the archipelago’s southern end, from the main Lakshadweep group further north, including the Amindivi Islands.
- Scale The channel is roughly 200km wide, and reaches depths of over 2,500 metres.
- The Name It takes its name from lying near the 9-degree line of north latitude.
🌊 The Andaman and Nicobar Waterways
1. The Ten Degree Channel
- What It Separates The Ten Degree Channel separates the Andaman group from the Nicobar group, specifically Little Andaman from Car Nicobar.
- Scale It runs about 150km wide, north to south, near the 10-degree line of latitude.
- A Common Trap Don’t confuse it with the Nine Degree Channel. This one splits the Andaman group from the Nicobar group, not the Lakshadweep islands.
2. Duncan Passage
- What It Separates Duncan Passage lies within the Andaman group itself, between South Andaman and Little Andaman.
- A Shorter Gap Unlike the Nine and Ten Degree Channels, which separate entire island groups, Duncan Passage splits two islands within the same Andaman chain.
Test Yourself
🧭 Why These Channels Matter
1. Strategic Shipping Lanes
- Shipping The Nine Degree Channel is a major international shipping route, carrying traffic between the Persian Gulf, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.
- Security Both the Nine and Ten Degree Channels sit close to India’s western and eastern maritime approaches, giving them strategic naval significance.
- Geography Quiz Value Together, these channels are a favourite way for UPSC to test whether a candidate can place India’s scattered island territories correctly on a map.
Beyond the answer
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