Port Blair

Port Blair: clock tower

Port Blair, city, capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory, India, in the Bay of Bengal. It was occupied by the Japanese during World War II and was later returned to the British during the time when Lord Mountbatten was viceroy of India.

Port Blair is about 778 miles (1,255 km) from Kolkata (Calcutta) and some 738 miles (1,191 km) from Chennai (Madras). The city lies on the hilly southeastern Andaman Sea coast of South Andaman Island. The eastern, northern, and northeastern parts of the town are more than 100 feet (30 metres) above sea level; the western part is relatively lower and slopes toward a fine natural harbour. Port Blair receives an average rainfall of about 127 inches (3,180 mm) and has a mean temperature in the mid-80s F (about 30 °C).

Port Blair is a market town with a sawmill, several local museums, and an airport; tourism is important. The Aberdeen Bazaar makes up the central part of the town, where most of the hotels, shops, and bus depots are located. Older homes made of timber and tin and built on raised platforms are found around the central area. Places of interest include the Chatham Sawmill; a zoo housing rare species of birds; Sippighat Farm, a government-owned facility used for agricultural research (mainly the cultivation of spices); Viper Island, where the ruins of a jail stand on a hilltop; Corbyn’s Cove, northeast of central Port Blair on the seacoast; and the coastal Madhuban area farther to the northeast. Nearby Ross Island was developed by the British. A matchstick factory is located at Haddo, and a marine engineering workshop is at Phoenix Bay. The city is also home to a naval base and coast guard and air force installations. Pop. (2001) 99,984; (2011) 108,058.