A bird's eye view shows this cluster of 350 small and large islands as small, green specks staggered on the vast blue waters. Situated midway between India and Burma, in the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were at one time inhabited by various tribes which strongly resisted any efforts at civilization. Some of these tribes are perhaps among the oldest tribal communities in the world,communities in the world,and tourists are prohibited from establishing contact with them. Owing to prolonged isolation they are somewhat hostile and are also under the danger of catching infection from outsiders. Indian legend traces the name Andaman to a derivation of Handuman or Hanuman the Monkey God of the epic Ramayana, who is said to have used these islands as stepping stones on his way to Sri Lanka, to save Goddess Sita, consort of Lord Rama. Modern history perhaps dates to 1789 when Lord Cornwallis, the British Governor-General commissioned a survey of the islands.
