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Why is Port Blair the main population centre of the Andaman and 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.

Port Blair (recently renamed Sri Vijaya Puram) serves as the primary population center of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands largely due to its historical development as a colonial administrative and naval hub.

The site was identified in 1789 by Lieutenant Archibald Blair, who recommended it for a settlement because of its fine natural harbor. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the British utilized the location as a key naval base and a penal colony, most notably constructing the Cellular Jail to incarcerate Indian revolutionaries.12

Following India's independence, the city became the capital of the union territory in 1956, further centralizing government and economic activity. Today, it functions as the territory's gateway, providing essential infrastructure such as the main airport and wharf, which facilitates travel and trade. Consequently, it remains the only major town in the region, housing more than one-fourth of the total population, while the remainder of the residents are dispersed across hundreds of small villages.23