Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost and largest island of the Nicobar archipelago, forming part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory. Geographically, it is located in the Bay of Bengal, closer to the coasts of Southeast Asia than to the Indian mainland. The island is a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve and is known for its high biodiversity, including the Mount Thullier peak.
The island's history includes a claim by Denmark in 1755 before its rights were sold to the British in 1868. The southernmost tip of India, Indira Point, is situated here, renamed in 1985 from Pygmalion Point. The island is home to the indigenous Nicobarese and the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group. A large area, approximately 853 sq km, is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1956.
Recently, the island has become the focus of the Great Nicobar Island Development Project (GNIDP), a large infrastructure initiative conceived by NITI Aayog and approved in 2021. The project, costing over ₹72,000 crore, aims to transform the island into a strategic maritime and economic hub by leveraging its proximity to the Malacca Strait. Key components include an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Galathea Bay, a dual-use airport, and a power plant. This development involves the diversion of 130.75 sq km of forest land and has drawn scrutiny over its ecological impact and potential threat to the Shompen community, despite government assurances of tribal welfare aligned with the Forest Rights Act, 2006.