Coral Reefs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andaman and Nicobar Island is situated in the Bay of Bengal. These islands include the fringing reefs. There are about 500 islands. Most of these islands have a healthy biodiversity. Gulf of Kutch The reefs of Gulf of Kutch are relatively less developed due to large range of temperature and high salinity. These harbours have less biodiversity. The entire Gulf of Kutch is also known as a Marine National Park. Gulf of Mannar Gulf of Mannar has the fringing reefs with a chain of 21 islands from Rameswaram located in Rameshwaram District in the north to Thoothukudi (Tuticorin) in the south. This part of the gulf forms part of the Gulf of Mannar biosphere reserve. Lakshadweep Islands Lakshadweep Islands has exclusive coral reefs. The islands of Lakshadweep have 36 coral islands, of which 10 are inhabited. The islands range from less than 1 km to about 9 km in length, and do not exceed 2 kilometers in width. Tarkarli Tarkali in Maharashtra is a smaller reef. It is located off the main land of western India. Angria Bank Angria Bank in Maharashtra is a coral reef off Vijaydurg. Netrani Island There is a coral reef in Netrani Island in Karnataka. Netrani is a small island of India located in the Arabian Sea. It is off the coast of Karnataka situated approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) from the temple town of Murudeshwara in Bhatkal Taluk. This island has scuba diving facilities and the place is easily accessible from Mysore, Mangalore, Goa, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bengaluru. |