North Sentinel Island

There is an island in the world where people live but they are completely different from us and prefer to live in isolation. Today, we will see more about such an island which can also be called the world’s most unique island: North Sentinel Island.

North Sentinel Island is part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands group and is located within India’s territory. It is unique because North Sentinel Island is considered one of the most isolated and protected places in the world because the local tribe living here has no interest in modern society or the outside world. The area of this island is approximately 60 square kilometers.

The tribe living here is called the Sentinelese and this is a 60,000-year-old tribe. They follow a traditional way of life living according to their own customs. For this reason, the Indian government has provided significant protection and it is illegal to meet or visit them. The Indian government has enacted laws to preserve North Sentinel Island which ensure the safety and privacy of the people living there.

It is believed that the population on this island could be as high as 400, though this is not clear yet since no one has been able to go there. According to Indian law, it is illegal to go closer than 9 km to the island and the Indian Navy always monitors the area. If anyone violates the law and goes there and the islanders kill them, the Indian government will not take any action against the islanders, and the person who went there will be held responsible for their own fate.

Incidents Happened Till Now

Boats passing near this island have always been attacked, and on several occasions, even helicopters flying above have been attacked with arrows by the islanders. These attacks have resulted in injuries to some people.

In January 2006, the islanders killed two fishermen, named Sunder Raj (48) and Pandit Tiwari (52) who had accidentally entered their area while fishing.
In November 2018, the islanders killed an American missionary named John Allen Chau, who had illegally tried to meet them. The islanders do not welcome anyone coming to meet them, so they killed him.

History of the Island

British explorers and authorities attempted to survey North Sentinel Island and the Andaman Islands during the 19th century. However, the Sentinalese people always attacked anyone who came to their island and despite several attempts, contact with them was never successful.

In the 1950s, India declared this island a “no-contact” zone where it became illegal for any outsider to go or interact with the inhabitants. The primary reason for this was that the Sentinalese people wanted to preserve their ancient way of life and remain isolated from the outside world to avoid any negative impact from external forces.

The people of North Sentinel Island have never tried to go to neighboring islands and their culture is limited to their island. They have never attempted to seize other islands. If the Indian government had wanted it could have interacted with the islanders by sending its army there long ago, but the Indian government believes that their isolation and culture should not be disturbed, and the traditional way of life they are living should be respected.