Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Rare Glimpse of North Sentinel Island, Home of Uncontacted Sentinelese
Deep in the ocean, there is a special island called North Sentinel Island.
It is part of India, in a group of islands called the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.
A group of people called the Sentinelese live there.
They have chosen not to talk to people from the outside world.
They hunt and gather food the way people did long ago.
Nobody knows exactly how many of them live there—some think between 50 and 400.
Because they have been isolated, their bodies may not be able to fight off common sicknesses like the flu.
If a visitor brought even a small illness, it could make many of them very sick.
So the government of India made it against the law to go near the island.
A special protected zone keeps boats about nine kilometres away from the shore.
North Sentinel Island lies in the Bay of Bengal, about 64 km west of Port Blair in India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.
The Sentinelese are considered one of the world's last uncontacted peoples and have consistently rejected contact with modern society.
Population estimates range from roughly 50 to 400, but the exact number is unknown because a conventional census is impossible.
Coral reefs, the lack of a natural harbour, and dense tropical evergreen forest make the island difficult to reach.
India enforces a five-nautical-mile (about 9.3 km) exclusion zone, and approaching the island or contacting the Sentinelese is prohibited under Indian law.
- Who
- The Sentinelese, one of the world's last uncontacted indigenous peoples, and the Indian authorities who protect them.
- What
- A rare glimpse of North Sentinel Island, the heavily protected home of the Sentinelese, who reject contact with the outside world.
- When
- Not specified in the article.
- Where
- North Sentinel Island, in the Bay of Bengal within India's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, about 64 km west of Port Blair.
- Why
- The Sentinelese remain isolated because outsiders could introduce diseases such as influenza and measles, to which the community may have little or no immunity, potentially devastating them.
- Location
- North Sentinel Island, Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, Bay of Bengal
- Distance from Port Blair
- Approximately 64 km west
- Residents
- The Sentinelese, one of the world's last uncontacted tribes
- Population estimate
- Roughly 50 to 400, exact number unknown
- Exclusion zone
- 5 nautical miles (about 9.3 km) from the shore
- Legal status
- Approaching the island or making contact with the Sentinelese is prohibited under Indian law
- Natural barriers
- Coral reefs, no natural harbour, tropical evergreen forest