Exploring The Forbidden Island: North Sentinel Island's Secrets

North Sentinel Island is a tiny, isolated island in the Indian Ocean, inhabited by an indigenous tribe known as the Sentinelese. The Sentinelese are believed to be one of the few remaining uncontacted groups in the world, having rejected most attempts by outsiders to make contact. The island is protected by the Indian government, which has made it illegal for anyone to approach or land on the island without permission. This is to protect the Sentinelese from infectious diseases, against which they have no immunity, and to respect their desire to remain isolated. Despite the risks, some people have ventured to the island, often facing violent responses from the Sentinelese, who defend their isolation forcefully.

The Sentinelese tribe are untouched by the modern world

The Sentinelese tribe, also known as the Sentineli and the North Sentinel Islanders, are an indigenous people who inhabit North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in the northeastern Indian Ocean. They are one of the few remaining groups in the world that are mostly "uncontacted". They owe their isolation to their geography, protective laws enforced by the Indian government, and their own fierce defence of their privacy.

The Sentinelese are believed to have lived in near-total isolation for tens of thousands of years. They are hunter-gatherers and live in small, temporary huts with slanted leaf-covered roofs. They use spears, bows, and arrows to hunt terrestrial wildlife and catch local seafood. They are also skilled at scavenging metal to create tools and weapons. The Sentinelese are known to be hostile towards outsiders, and have killed people who have approached or landed on the island. They have a fearsome reputation, but Indian anthropologist T N Pandit, who spent decades trying to befriend the tribe, believes that they are largely "peace-loving".

The Sentinelese are estimated to number between 15 and 500 people, with most estimates ranging between 50 and 200. They are vulnerable to communicable diseases as they have never been vaccinated. Their language is unknown to outsiders, and even other indigenous groups in the Andaman Islands cannot understand it. The Sentinelese are believed to be vulnerable to common illnesses such as the flu and measles, as they have likely never been exposed to them.

The Indian government has made efforts to protect the Sentinelese tribe, declaring North Sentinel Island a tribal reserve in 1956 and prohibiting travel within 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) of it. The government also maintains a constant armed patrol in the surrounding waters to prevent intrusions by outsiders. Photography is prohibited, and the government has abandoned gift-giving expeditions to the island. Outsiders are banned from approaching the island, and officials have called off attempts to retrieve the bodies of those killed by the Sentinelese, citing the risk of a dangerous clash.

The island is protected by the Indian Navy

The North Sentinel Island is one of the most isolated and protected places on Earth, and for good reason. The island is home to the Sentinelese tribe, one of the last remaining tribes in the world who have chosen to remain isolated and untouched by modern civilization. The Indian government has recognized the Sentinelese tribe's desire for isolation and has taken steps to protect their way of life. As a result, the Indian Navy enforces a strict no-go zone around the island, prohibiting any outsiders from entering.

The Indian Navy's presence in the region is not just a symbolic gesture; they actively patrol the waters around North Sentinel Island and take any incursions very seriously. In the past, they have intercepted and turned away boats attempting to approach the island, and they maintain a constant watch to ensure that no unauthorized persons attempt to make contact with the tribe.

The Navy's protection of the island is crucial to the survival of the Sentinelese tribe. The tribe is believed to have a very small population, and they are extremely vulnerable to diseases that outsiders might carry. Additionally, the Sentinelese have made it clear through hostile reactions to past attempts at contact that they wish to remain isolated. The Indian Navy's enforcement of a buffer zone around the island ensures that their wishes are respected and their way of life is preserved.

The no-go zone enforced by the Indian Navy extends to both the waters and the land surrounding North Sentinel Island. This means that not only are boats and ships prohibited from approaching the island, but no one is allowed to set foot on the island itself. The Navy's patrols help to ensure that this restriction is upheld, and they are authorized to use force if necessary to deter any potential intruders.

The Indian Navy's protection of North Sentinel Island is a unique and important responsibility. By enforcing a strict no-go zone, they are playing a crucial role in preserving the culture and way of life of the Sentinelese tribe. Their presence in the region ensures that the tribe can continue to live in isolation, free from unwanted contact or interference from the outside world.

It is important to respect the boundaries that the Indian Navy has put in place and to understand the importance of their mission in protecting the Sentinelese tribe. As travelers and outsiders, it is our responsibility to ensure that we do not endanger their way of life or infringe upon their right to live in isolation.

The Indian government recognises the islanders' desire to be left alone

The Sentinelese, an indigenous tribe living in voluntary isolation, have defended their protected isolation from the outside world, often by force. The Indian government recognises the islanders' desire to be left alone and has taken steps to restrict outsiders from entering the island.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation 1956 prohibits travel to the island and any approach closer than five nautical miles (nine kilometres). The area is patrolled by the Indian Navy, and the government has restricted outsiders to remote monitoring (by boat and sometimes air) from a safe distance. The Indian government will not prosecute the Sentinelese for killing people in the event that an outsider ventures ashore.

In 2018, the Indian government excluded 29 islands, including North Sentinel, from the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) regime to boost tourism. However, the government's home ministry stated that the relaxation of the prohibition on visitations was intended to allow researchers and anthropologists (with pre-approved clearance) to visit the Sentinel Islands. Despite this, the Indian government has declared the entire island and its surrounding waters extending five nautical miles from the island to be an exclusion zone to protect the Sentinelese from outside interference.

The Sentinelese have repeatedly attacked approaching vessels, whether they were boats intentionally visiting the island or those that ran aground on the surrounding coral reef. Such attacks have resulted in injury and death. The Indian government has suspended anthropological visits to the island and ceased attempts to recover the bodies of those killed by the Sentinelese, recognising the islanders' desire to be left alone and the risk of a dangerous clash between investigators and the tribe.

The Sentinelese have no immunity to outside diseases

The Sentinelese people of North Sentinel Island are one of the few remaining "uncontacted" groups in the world. They are indigenous to the island, which is located in the Indian Ocean at the southwest point of the Great Andaman Islands, an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. The Sentinelese have maintained their isolation from the outside world through their fierce defence of their territory and the protective laws enforced by the Indian government.

The Sentinelese are extremely vulnerable to diseases to which they have no immunity. This is a significant concern, as any contact with outsiders could have tragic consequences for the Sentinelese due to their lack of acquired immunity to common infectious diseases. Their isolation has meant that they have not built up immunity to illnesses that are typically non-lethal to people in the wider world. For example, the Jarawa people, another indigenous group in the region, suffered a measles epidemic when they emerged from semi-isolation in 1999, and were only saved from extinction by the intervention of a physician.

The Sentinelese's lack of immunity is due to their isolation from the outside world and their small population. They have had very limited contact with outsiders, and even then, it has often ended badly for both parties. Their population is estimated to be between 15 and 500 people, with little to no genetic variation. This small, isolated population means that they have not been exposed to a wide range of diseases and, therefore, have not developed immunity through natural selection.

The Sentinelese's isolation also means they have not been vaccinated against common diseases, and they do not have access to modern medicine or healthcare. They lead a traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle, living in lean-to huts with slanted roofs and fishing, harvesting crabs, and gathering fruits and tubers that grow wild on the island. They have no knowledge of the modern world and its advancements, including mobile phones and the internet.

The Indian government has recognised the Sentinelese's desire to be left alone and has taken steps to protect them. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation 1956 prohibits travel to the island and any approach closer than five nautical miles (nine kilometres). The area is patrolled by the Indian Navy, and the government will not prosecute the Sentinelese for killing people who venture onto the island. These measures aim to protect the Sentinelese from the potentially devastating impact of outside diseases and respect their wish to remain isolated.

The island is home to an important bird habitat

North Sentinel Island is a protected area of India, and part of the Andaman Islands, an Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. The island is home to the Sentinelese, an indigenous tribe in voluntary isolation, who have repeatedly defended their protected isolation from the outside world by force.

The island is largely covered in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest. The exact composition of the terrestrial flora and fauna remains unknown, as the island has never been fully explored by the outside world. However, it is known that the island is an important bird habitat. Due to its close proximity to South Sentinel Island, it is likely that bird species such as the Pied imperial pigeon, Nicobar pigeon, and the Andaman crake live there.

The island's marine life has also not been well surveyed. A large coral reef is known to circle the island, and mangroves fringe its banks. Sharks have allegedly been seen in the waters off the island, and sea turtles likely occur near the island, as they are a major food source for the Sentinelese. Dolphins have also been sighted in the surrounding waters.

Frequently asked questions