<P> On 26 December 2004 the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were devastated by a 10 m (33 ft) high tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake . More than 2,000 people lost their lives, more than 4,000 children were orphaned or suffered the loss of one parent, and a minimum of 40,000 people were rendered homeless . More than 46,000 people were injured . The worst affected Nicobar islands were Katchal and Indira Point; the latter subsided 4.25 metres (13.9 feet) and was partially submerged in the ocean . The lighthouse at Indira Point was damaged but has been repaired since then . The territory lost a large amount of area which is now submerged . The territory which was at 8,073 km (3,117 sq mi) is now at 7,950 km (3,070 sq mi). </P> <P> While locals and tourist of the islands suffered the greatest casualties from the tsunami, most of the aboriginal people survived because oral traditions passed down from generations ago warned them to evacuate from large waves that follow large earthquakes . </P> <P> There are 572 islands in the territory having an area of 8,249 km (3,185 sq mi). Of these, about 38 are permanently inhabited . The islands extend from 6 ° to 14 ° North latitudes and from 92 ° to 94 ° East longitudes . The Andamans are separated from the Nicobar group by a channel (the Ten Degree Channel) some 150 km (93 mi) wide . The highest point is located in North Andaman Island (Saddle Peak at 732 m (2,402 ft)). The Andaman group has 325 islands which cover an area of 6,170 km (2,382 sq mi) while the Nicobar group has only 247 islands with an area of 1,765 km (681 sq mi). </P> <P> The capital of the union territory, Port Blair, is located 1,255 km (780 mi) from Kolkata, 1,200 km (750 mi) from Visakhapatnam and 1,190 km (740 mi) from Chennai . The northernmost point of the Andaman and Nicobars group is 901 km (560 mi) away from the mouth of the Hooghly River and 190 km (120 mi) from Myanmar . Indira Point at 6 ° 45'10" N and 93 ° 49'36" E at the southern tip of the southernmost island, Great Nicobar, is the southernmost point of India and lies only 150 km (93 mi) from Sumatra in Indonesia . The only volcano in India, Barren Island, is located in Andaman and Nicobar . It is an active volcano and erupted in 2017 . </P>

Latitude and longitude extent of andaman and nicobar islands