· Mountains and Corals
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
· Looking Ahead

Global 200 Snapshot

The Andaman Sea supports extensive coral ecosystems and one of the largest barrier reefs in the Indian Ocean. Significant numbers of endemic species occur in the ecoregion.  

Mountains and Corals

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands of the Andaman Sea are the peeks of a submerged mountain chain. The extensive coral reefs of this area have grown all around the islands.

Special Features

Warm, clear, shallow water supports diverse coral reefs. Fringing reefs ring the islands, while a barrier reef stretches for 200 miles (320 km) along the west coast. Some reefs are deeply indented, leaving room for quiet harbors and mangrove forests. Some small, flat islands are actually raised coral reefs.

	The Andaman and Nicobar Islands were first "discovered" in the ninth century by Arab merchants. But native peoples have lived there since the Stone Age, more than a million years ago.

Wild Side

Sandy coasts make perfect nesting areas for saltwater crocodiles and hawksbill, leatherback, and olive ridley sea turtles. Dugongs graze among a variety of sea grasses, while finless porpoises splash about. Blainville's beaked whales swim in deeper waters but come close to the reefs to hunt. The waters teem with fish, including snappers, groupers, anthias, wrasses, parrotfish, and blennies. The small endemic Andaman damselfish, seen in aquariums, closely guards the eggs that it lays on the undersides of rocks.

Cause for Concern

Mangroves are cut for firewood and building materials and cleared for agriculture and aquaculture. This creates sedimentation, which in turn harms the reefs and the marine life they support. Overfishing, tourism, and recreation are growing threats.

Looking Ahead

Check back soon for more about the conservation of this ecoregion.