Port Blair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Port Blair
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City
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| Sri Vijaya Puram | |
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Clockwise from top:
Aerial view of Port Blair, Seaside Road, Cellular Jail, Jaljeevshala Aquarium, Port Blair Science Centre, Beach in Port Blair |
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 Port Blair
Location in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Port Blair
Location in Bay of Bengal
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| Country |  India |
| Union Territory |  Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| District | South Andaman |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Body | Port Blair Municipal Council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 41 km2 (16 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population
(2011)
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| • Total | 140,572 |
| Time zone | UTC+5.30 (IST) |
| Climate | Am |
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Port Blair, also known as Sri Vijaya Puram, is the main city and capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These islands are a union territory of India, located in the Bay of Bengal. Port Blair is the administrative center for the South Andaman district. It is also the only officially recognized town in the territory.
Port Blair is the main gateway to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. You can reach it by air or sea from mainland India. A flight takes about two to three hours to Veer Savarkar International Airport. A sea journey to Kolkata, Chennai, or Visakhapatnam from Haddo Wharf takes three to four days.
The city is home to several museums. It also has important military bases. These include INS Jarawa of the Indian Navy and bases for the Indian Coast Guard. The Andaman and Nicobar Command is the first integrated command for India's armed forces.
The famous Cellular Jail is in Port Blair. Nearby islands like Corbyn's Cove, Wandoor, Ross Island, and Viper Island were once used by British colonists. The city was named after Captain Archibald Blair. He was a British naval officer from the East India Company. In September 2024, the Government of India officially changed the city's name to Sri Vijaya Puram.
Contents
History of Port Blair
Early History
The first people to live here were the Andamanese. Scientists have found old kitchen waste dumps near Port Blair. These show that people have lived here for at least 2,000 years.
Modern Times
In 1789, the British started a prison colony on Chatham Island. They named it Port Blair after Archibald Blair. This colony later moved and was called Port Cornwallis. However, many people got sick and died, so the colony closed in 1796.
In 1824, Port Cornwallis was a meeting point for the British fleet during the First Anglo-Burmese War. Later, in the 1830s and 1840s, native people sometimes attacked shipwrecked sailors. This worried the British government.
After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British needed a new prison for many new prisoners. So, in 1857, they started building a new penal colony at Port Blair. They avoided the swampy areas that caused problems before. The first prison was on Viper Island. Prisoners, many of them political, were forced to do hard labor. Conditions were very tough.
As the Indian independence movement grew, the large Cellular Jail was built from 1896 to 1906. It held Indian prisoners, often in solitary confinement. The Cellular Jail was also known as Kala Pani, meaning "Black Waters." This name came from the harsh treatment of its prisoners.
During World War II, Japanese forces took over the islands in 1942. From 1943 to 1944, Port Blair was the headquarters for the Azad Hind government. This government was led by Subhas Chandra Bose. British forces returned to the islands in October 1945.
In 2004, a large tsunami hit the area. Port Blair was damaged but recovered enough to help with relief efforts for the islands. In 2017, Port Blair was chosen to become a smart city.
Climate
Port Blair has a tropical monsoon climate. This means it has warm temperatures all year round. It also gets a lot of rain, especially from April to December. January, February, and March are the driest months.
- The highest temperature ever recorded was 36.8 °C (98.2 °F) on 20 April 2013.
- The lowest temperature ever recorded was 14.6 °C (58.3 °F) on 5 June 1986.
| Climate data for Port Blair (1981–2010, extremes 1901–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.0 (91.4) |
34.6 (94.3) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.8 (98.2) |
36.4 (97.5) |
35.6 (96.1) |
32.8 (91.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
35.4 (95.7) |
35.6 (96.1) |
34.0 (93.2) |
35.4 (95.7) |
36.8 (98.2) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 30.7 (87.3) |
31.4 (88.5) |
33.1 (91.6) |
33.8 (92.8) |
33.3 (91.9) |
31.3 (88.3) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.7 (87.3) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.2 (88.2) |
30.6 (87.1) |
34.0 (93.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.5 (85.1) |
30.2 (86.4) |
31.3 (88.3) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.4 (84.9) |
29.2 (84.6) |
29.2 (84.6) |
29.7 (85.5) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.5 (85.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) |
26.3 (79.3) |
27.2 (81.0) |
28.2 (82.8) |
27.7 (81.9) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.6 (79.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.8 (80.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 22.4 (72.3) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.9 (75.0) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.0 (73.4) |
23.3 (73.9) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 18.8 (65.8) |
19.4 (66.9) |
20.0 (68.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.9 (71.4) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
19.6 (67.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 14.8 (58.6) |
15.9 (60.6) |
16.2 (61.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
17.1 (62.8) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.0 (64.4) |
15.6 (60.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.3 (63.1) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 32.1 (1.26) |
16.8 (0.66) |
32.5 (1.28) |
75.8 (2.98) |
368.8 (14.52) |
448.2 (17.65) |
442.5 (17.42) |
446.4 (17.57) |
458.3 (18.04) |
301.4 (11.87) |
242.4 (9.54) |
103.2 (4.06) |
2,968.3 (116.86) |
| Average rainy days | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 15.9 | 18.8 | 18.6 | 19.1 | 18.8 | 15.5 | 11.6 | 4.5 | 130.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) | 74 | 72 | 72 | 74 | 81 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 87 | 85 | 82 | 75 | 80 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 266.6 | 265.6 | 266.6 | 237.0 | 158.1 | 90.0 | 102.3 | 99.2 | 117.0 | 167.4 | 189.0 | 241.8 | 2,200.6 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 8.6 | 9.4 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 6.0 |
| Source 1: India Meteorological Department | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA(extremes), Tokyo Climate Center (mean temperatures 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
Tourism in Port Blair
Port Blair is where most tourists start their visit to the Andaman Islands. From here, they can travel to other islands.
Some popular places to visit in Port Blair include:
- The Cellular Jail, a historic prison.
- Corbyns Cove Beach, a beautiful sandy beach.
- North Bay Island, known for its coral reefs.
- Ross Island, now called Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island.
- Chidiatapu, famous for its sunsets.
- Wandoor, a village near a national park.
- The Samudrika Naval Marine Museum, which shows marine life and local tribes.
- Other museums within the city.
Some of these places may have entry fees.
People of Port Blair
Population Growth
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1951 | 7,789 | — |
| 1961 | 14,075 | +80.7% |
| 1971 | 26,218 | +86.3% |
| 1981 | 49,634 | +89.3% |
| 1991 | 74,955 | +51.0% |
| 2001 | 99,984 | +33.4% |
| 2011 | 108,058 | +8.1% |
| Source: Government of India | ||
In 2011, Port Blair had a population of 100,608 people. About 53% of the population were males and 47% were females. Around 9.3% of the people were under 6 years old.
Languages Spoken
Bengali is the most common language in Port Blair. Other widely spoken languages include Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil. Hindi is the official language of the region. English is also used for official communication.
Religions
| Religion in Port Blair City (2011) | ||||
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| Religion | Percent | |||
| Hinduism | 74% | |||
| Islam | 12.7% | |||
| Christianity | 12.4% | |||
| Others | 0.9% | |||
The main religion in Port Blair is Hinduism. Christianity and Islam are also widely practiced.
Literacy Rate
| Literacy in Port Blair | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Literacy | Percent | |||
| Male | 92.79% | |||
| Female | 86.73% | |||
| All | 89.76% | |||
Port Blair has a high literacy rate of almost 90%. This is higher than the average literacy rate for India, which is about 74%. For males, the literacy rate is about 92.79%. For females, it is about 86.34%.
City Government
The Port Blair Municipal Council (PBMC) is the local government body for Port Blair. It manages the city's services. The council started on 2 October 1957.
The council has 24 wards, which are like local voting areas. Elections for the council were last held in 2022. The chairperson leads the council. In 2022, U. Kavitha was elected chairperson. In 2023, S. Selvi became the chairperson.
| Port Blair Municipal Council | |
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| Type | |
| Type |
Municipal council
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| History | |
| Founded | 2 October 1957 |
| Leadership | |
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Chairperson
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S. Selvi, TDP
Since 16 March 2023 |
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Secretary
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Smitha R, IAS
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| Structure | |
| Seats | 24 |
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Political groups
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Government (13)
Opposition (11) |
| Elections | |
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Last election
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2022 |
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Next election
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2027 |
| Meeting place | |
| Indira Bhavan | |
Education
Port Blair has several colleges for higher education:
Teacher Training
- Tagore Government College of Education
General Degrees
- Andaman and Nicobar college
- Jawaharlal Nehru Government College
Engineering
- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Institute of Technology
Law
- Andaman Law College
Medicine
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences
Images for kids
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The Ross Island Prison Headquarters, 1872
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Sri Vettimalai Murugan temple in Port Blair
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Statue of Rajiv Gandhi
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Sunset in the bay
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Gandhi statue, Gandhi park
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Seaside Road
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Port Blair Science Centre
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Jaljeevshala Aquarium
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Aberdeen clock tower
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Memorial for the 1859 Battle of Aberdeen
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Port Blair Jain temple
See also
In Spanish: Port Blair para niños
