- Barren Island is India’s only confirmed active volcano located in the Andaman Sea
- Its first recorded eruption was in 1787 with the latest activity starting in 1991
- The island has no permanent residents but hosts wild goats and fruit bats
India is home to so many natural wonders, from the snowy hills to deserts and green forests. But far from the mainland, in the Andaman Sea, lies a place that only a few people know about, India's only confirmed active volcano. Called Barren Island, this remote island has no permanent human settlement and can sometimes be seen from a plane.
Content creator and pilot Chidambaram Meyappan recently shared details about its history and location. The island's first recorded eruption happened back in 1787. It also has a volcanic neighbour, Narcondam Island, located around 140 kilometres to the north.
Although visitors cannot land on Barren Island, travellers can take diving trips from Swaraj Dweep, also known as Havelock Island, to explore nearby reefs. The underwater sand has black volcanic ash.
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On Instagram, while Chidambaram Meyappan was flying towards Bangkok, he shared, “About ten minutes after we cross the Andaman Islands, if you look down, you might see smoke rising from a small island in the middle of the sea.
“That's Barren Island, India's only active volcano. It broke out in 1991, after more than a century of silence, and is still active today.”
“Above the water, it stands just 1160 feet tall. But below the waterline, there's more than 50,000 feet of mountain you'll never see. For a place called Barren, it's surprisingly alive. Wild goats live on its slopes, fruit bats roost in its trees and divers come to explore the waters around it. So despite its name, Barren Island isn't barren at all.”
Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “The most beautiful island.”
Another shared, “Some of the most beautiful Coral life you will ever witness in Barren Island.”
“Was lucky to have walked on its crater a year before the tsunami,” a comment read.
An individual stated, “India is too diverse, we have everything.”
Another mentioned, “Where everyone dreams of going, that is my homeland. Proud to be Islander.”
One more added, “It's actually South Asia's only active volcano.”
Chidambaram Meyappan explained that goats were brought to Barren Island by British sailors in the 1890s. They left a few goats and the animals somehow managed to survive on the remote island for many years.
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