Lakshadweep Islands

[Deano]

In the Arabian Sea, roughly 200 kilometres (120 miles) off the west coast of southern India, are the Lakshadweep Islands. The island chain consists of 27 islands along with coral atolls and sand banks. Lakshadweep’s coral atolls glow iridescent blue-green.

Only 10 or 11 of the islands are inhabited, but human presence in the Lakshadweep Islands extends back centuries. Located along a heavily traveled sea route between West Asia and Africa on one side, and South Asia and the Far East on the other, the islands likely served as landmarks and resting places in emergencies. Evidence of centuries-old human habitation includes Buddhist shrines, pottery shards dating back to 1500 B.C., and a hoard of more than 400 Roman coins. From the second century A.D.
Full story from NASA Earth Observatory
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=77647&src=eoa-iotd

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