Which indigenous peoples make up much of the population of the Nicobar Islands?

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Cinque Islands, Andaman and Nicobar Islands — Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andaman redwood trees in the Cinque Islands, south of Rutland Island, in the southern Andamans, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.

The indigenous inhabitants of the Nicobar Islands are the Nicobarese and the related Shompen people. These groups continued to constitute the majority of the population of the Nicobars in the early 21st century.12

The Nicobarese are believed to descend from both the Malays of Southeast Asia and the Mon people of Myanmar. They speak various Nicobarese languages, which are part of the Mon-Khmer language group within the Austroasiatic family. While the Nicobarese form the primary indigenous population, the Shompen are recognized as a distinct subdivision, particularly associated with Great Nicobar Island.13