Havelock Island is named after a British general, Sir Henry Havelock, who served in India.
Havelock is one of the few places that the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India has permitted and encouraged development of tourism, with a focus on promoting eco-tourism.
Havelock Island avoided much of the devastation by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its resulting tsunami and there were no documented casualties.
There is a lighthouse at the northern point of the island, near Govinda Nagar, established in 2005.
The island belongs to the Ritchie's Archipelago and is located between Peel Island and Neill Island.
Politically, Havelock Island is part of Port Blair taluk.
The island's current population of 6,351 consists of mainly Bengali settlers. Many of these settlers have Bangladeshi origin as these people were given settlement by the Indian government after the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.
The six villages are:
Radhanagar Beach on the western coast, also known as Number 7 Beach, is one of the most popular beaches on Havelock and was named "Best Beach in Asia" by Time in 2004. Other notable beaches include Elephant Beach on the northwest coast and Vijay Nagar Beach (No. 5), Beach No. 3 and Beach No. 1 on the east coast. Kalapathar is another famous beach.
The island can be reached from Port Blair by government-operated ferries and private cruises. There are also helicopter services.
A local bus connects the jetty and villages on an hourly circuit.
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