North Sentinel Island

Current Context: A U.S. citizen has been arrested for illegally entering North Sentinel Island, home to one of the world’s last uncontacted tribes

Key Facts

• Location: Bay of Bengal, 50 km west of Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India.
• Geography: Surrounded by coral reefs, dense forests, expanded after the 2004 tsunami.
• Sentinelese Tribe: Uncontacted, hostile to outsiders, live as hunter-gatherers (population: 50–150).

Legal Protections:

• 1956 Law: Travel within 9 km banned, Sentinelese immune from prosecution.
• Restricted Area Permit (RAP): Island remains off-limits, no tourism or external contact.