Minicoy Island

Minicoy (locally known as Maliku) is the southernmost inhabited island of India, located 200 km south of the main Lakshadweep cluster and just 300 km north of the Maldivian atolls. This geographical distance has produced a culture unlike any other island in the territory: the inhabitants speak Mahl, a dialect of Dhivehi (the Maldivian language), live in matrilineal households organised into traditional units called ‘avariges’, and practice tuna fishing as the primary livelihood — a tradition stretching back over 2,000 years. The island’s landmark is its 300-year-old lighthouse, built by the British Admiralty in 1885 and still in service. Minicoy’s lagoon is exceptionally clean and its reef, sheltered from the main shipping lane, is one of the least disturbed in the Indian Ocean.