Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is India's smallest union territory, a scattering of tiny coral islands in the Arabian Sea off the southwestern coast. Its capital is Kavaratti. Pristine and remote, the archipelago is known for turquoise lagoons, coral reefs and a strict approach to preserving its fragile environment.

Lakshadweep consists of dozens of low coral islands, atolls and reefs, of which only a handful are inhabited, surrounded by clear lagoons. The land barely rises above sea level. The climate is tropical and humid, moderated by the sea.

The population is overwhelmingly Muslim, with a culture and Malayalam-based language closely linked to neighboring Kerala. Fishing and coconut cultivation are the mainstays of island life, and tourism is tightly controlled.

Settled long ago and influenced by Arab traders who brought Islam, the islands came under various south Indian rulers before British and then Indian administration. They became a union territory and were named Lakshadweep, meaning a hundred thousand islands, in 1973.