Ross Island
An abandoned settlement set up by British colonialists in the Andaman archipelago.
Originally set up as the residential headquarters for the British administration of the Indian Penal Settlement in the Andaman Islands, Ross Island is now abandoned entirely. The residential structures remain, old houses, a church, a bazaar, stores, a large swimming pool and a small hospital, though their brick is slowly being overtaken by the roots of wild Ficus plants.
The island is named after surveyor, Sir Daniel Ross, and was inhabited initially in 1788-89 after Archibald Blair’s survey of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Owing to inclement weather conditions, however, the mortality rate was very high and the settlement was soon abandoned. In 1887 it was repopulated, following a resolution to set up a jail and penal colony there under British administration, following a number of uprisings by Indians. The island was continuously inhabited and controlled by the British until March 1942, when Japanese troops invaded and took control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands including Ross. Remnants of bunkers constructed by the Japanese remain.
Subsequent to WWII, the island was once again under the control of the British and following the independence of India, was transferred to the Indian government. However, subsequent to the Japanese, Ross Island was no more inhabited and now remains uninhabited. In 1979, the island was handed over to the Indian Navy which has established a small base named INS Jarawa there. In 1993, a museum was also set up on the island.
Today the island is open to visitors, and contains several brick walkways that go all around the settlement. There a number of small shops with water and food supplies, and ferries run every hour or so from Port Blair, the main settlement of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As it is also a naval base, visitors are required to sign in on entry and exit, and the island is not open to tourists at night.
Read more about Ross Island on Atlas Obscura…
Category: Anomalous Islands, Incredible Ruins
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Edited by: bluefish, Dylan