Sylvin Thomas at 17:16, 22 October 2025

2025-10-22T17:16:20Z

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{{short description|National park in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
{{Coord|6.923|93.833|display=title}}

{{Infobox protected area
| name = Galathea National Park
| iucn_category = II
| map = India
| relief = 1
| mapframe = Yes
| mapframe-zoom = 9
| location = Andaman and Nicobar Islands
| area = 110
| established = 1992
}}

'''Galathea National Park''' is a [[national park]] located in the [[Union Territory]] of [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], [[India]]. It is located on the island of [[Great Nicobar]] in the [[Nicobar Islands]], which lie in the eastern [[Indian Ocean]] ([[Bay of Bengal]]). Many unique and rare species of plants and animals are found in the park, a number of which (owing to their relative geographical isolation) are [[endemic (ecology)|endemic]] to the islands.

==Etymology==

The Galathea National Park is named after the [[Danish India|Danish colonial]] vessel ''Galathea'' which conducted [[Galathea_expeditions#First_expedition|survey for minerals in Great Nicobar in 1845-47]].

==History==

The Great Nicobar Island Biosphere Reserve was declared by the government in 1989, and was recognised as [[UNESCO]] [[Man and the Biosphere Programme|Biosphere Reserves]] in 2013.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Great Nicobar |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/mab/great-nicobar |access-date=15 January 2025 |website=Unesco.org}}</ref>

==Geoclimate ==

===Geography ===

The total area of this park is approximately 110 square kilometres, and was gazetted as a [[National parks of India|National Park of India]] in 1992.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Galathea National Park |url=https://www.learnupsc.com/2023/06/galathea-national-park.html |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Learn UPSC}}</ref> Galathea forms part of what has been designated as the [[Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve]], which also includes the larger [[Campbell Bay National Park]], separated from Galathea by a 12-km forest buffer zone.

=== Climate ===

There is an acute tropical climate here, only with the summer season and monsoons, the inhabitants of the park here have never encountered winter conditions.

During the rainy season, an average of 3000–3800 mm of rain per square meter falls here.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-04-08|title=Galathea National Park complete detail – updated|url=http://natureconservation.in/galathea-national-park-complete-detail-updated/|access-date=2021-05-27|website=NatureConservation.in|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Ecology==

===Flora===

Galathea National Park, due to geographical surroundings and physical location is considered to be having world's best preserved tropical rain forests and large quantity of endemism.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eco-sensitive zones of 0 km notified by 60 national parks: Study |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/indias-national-parks-and-sanctuaries-without-eco-sensitive-zones-preliminary-analysis-by-vidhi-centre-for-legal-policy-101682968028044.html |access-date=1 April 2024 |publisher=Hindustan Times |date=2 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> The vegetation consists largely of [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]].

===Fauna===

Notable animal species found in the park include the [[giant robber crab]], [[megapode]] and [[Nicobar pigeon]]. <ref>{{cite news |title=Restriction imposed on visiting Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary & National Park :: The Daily Telegrams |url=https://dt.andaman.gov.in/DetailNews.aspx?newsid=LLo4XGqhXXoh8AhYrMmoBcp7q0VUtnW8GdfIOXpXKhk= |access-date=1 April 2024 |publisher=dt.andaman.gov.in |date=3 May 2016}}</ref>

From February to December, the largest turtle in the world, the [[Leatherback sea turtle|leather back turtle]] ''(Dermochelys coriacea)'', nests here.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Galathea National Park – Geography and You|url=https://geographyandyou.com/galathea-national-park/|access-date=2021-05-27|language=en}}</ref>

==Transport==

[[Veer Savarkar International Airport]] at [[Port Blair]] is the nearest civil aviation airport on another Island. There are daily flights to and from Port Blair to [[Chennai]] and [[Kolkata]] which have approximately 2 hours flight time each.<ref name=Galathea>{{cite web|title=Galathea National Park|url=http://www.celebrateindia.com/wildlife/national-park/galathea-national-park-0|access-date=6 February 2013}}</ref>

==Issues==

The Great Nicobar Island is at risk of being developed into a Military and trading hub by the Indian government as part of the [[Great Nicobar Island#Great_Nicobar_Development_Plan|Great Nicobar Development Plan]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Krishnan |first1=Murali |title=Will India's megaproject sink Great Nicobar island? – DW – 02/20/2024 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/will-indias-megaproject-sink-great-nicobar-island/a-68308442 |access-date=20 February 2024 |work=dw.com |agency=Deutsche Welle |date=2024-02-20 |language=en}}</ref> The 9 billion dollar project will include the construction of the [[International Container Transshipment Port, Galathea Bay|International Container Transshipment Port]]; upgrade of [[Campbell Bay (Great Nicobar)|Campbell Bay]] to a dual-use airport for military and civilian purposes; a gas, diesel, and solar-based power plant; and a greenfield township on the 1,000-square-kilometer island. These developments would also boost the island's population into the hundreds of thousands.

==Gallery==

<gallery>
file:Coconut Crab on Chagos Archipelago.jpg|The Giant robber crab, or Coconut crab.
file:Micronesian megapode 6.jpg|A megapode bird.
file:Nicobar Pigeon RWD2.jpg|Nicobar pigeon in the national park.
</gallery>

==See also==

* [[Andaman and Nicobar Environmental Team]]
* [[International Container Transshipment Port, Galathea Bay]]
* [[Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{National Parks of India}}

[[Category:National parks in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1992]]
[[Category:1992 establishments in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]

{{AndamanNicobar-geo-stub}}
{{India-protected-area-stub}}

Galathea National Park - Revision history

Sylvin Thomas at 17:16, 22 October 2025