Smallest inhabited island under spotlight

Strategic Focus on Bitra Island: Bitra Island is currently under review by the Lakshadweep administration for possible acquisition for defence purposes. This move aligns with India’s broader maritime security strategy, particularly in the strategically significant Arabian Sea.

Bitra is the smallest inhabited island in the Lakshadweep archipelago, with a total land area of just 0.105 sq km. Despite its small size, its position holds significant geostrategic value due to proximity to key shipping routes.

Geographic location and climate

Bitra lies close to Agatti Island, which is one of the key entry points into Lakshadweep. The island falls within the tropical zone and is classified under the ‘Aw’ category (tropical savannah) as per the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system.

The island receives an average annual rainfall of approximately 1600 mm, influencing its sparse vegetation and water availability.

Static GK fact: The Köppen-Geiger system is one of the most widely used climate classification systems in geography, developed by Wladimir Köppen.

Lakshadweep’s broader significance

Lakshadweep is India’s smallest Union Territory, comprising 36 islands in total. These include coral atolls, lagoons, and reefs, which play a crucial role in biodiversity and ecological preservation.

Static GK fact: Lakshadweep translates to “a hundred thousand islands” in Sanskrit, though it has only 36 actual landforms.

The islands are dispersed over a large oceanic area, giving them high strategic utility. Their location makes them crucial for India’s coastal defence, surveillance, and marine economy initiatives.

Defence interest in island territories

The focus on Bitra is part of a larger trend of enhancing India’s maritime surveillance infrastructure. With rising concerns over marine piracy, illegal fishing, and foreign presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), small islands like Bitra could serve as micro naval outposts or surveillance stations.

Static GK Tip: The Indian Navy has increasingly invested in radar stations and monitoring units across islands like Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

A defence presence in Bitra would also support humanitarian and disaster response in this cyclone-prone zone, and reinforce India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) policy.

Static Usthadian Current Affairs Table

Strategic Focus on Bitra Island: