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Current Context: Lakshadweep Administration plans to acquire ~30 acres (121,359 sq m) of private land on Agatti Island for beachfront facilities and a peripheral road, raising environmental and tribal concerns. About Lakshadweep :– • Lakshadweep is India’s smallest Union Territory by land area (≈32 sq km). • Consists of 36 islands; only 10 islands are inhabited. • Lakshadweep’s lagoon area is about 4,200 sq km, far larger than its land area. • Agatti Island is the only Lakshadweep island having a civilian airport. • Agatti covers only about 3.84 sq km and is one of the most densely inhabited islands of the UT. • Lakshadweep islands are coral atolls formed on submerged volcanic seamounts. • Major coral types found include Staghorn, Brain, Mushroom and Table corals. • Coral bleaching occurs when corals expel symbiotic zooxanthellae algae due to heat stress. • Lakshadweep witnessed severe coral bleaching during the 2024 marine heatwave event. • Marine heatwaves are prolonged periods of abnormally high sea-surface temperature. • Minicoy Island is the southernmost inhabited island of Lakshadweep and lies closest to the Maldives. • Nine Degree Channel separates Minicoy from the rest of Lakshadweep. • Eight Degree Channel separates Lakshadweep from the Maldives. • Kavaratti is the administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep. • Pitti (Bird) Island is an uninhabited island known for nesting seabirds. • Lakshadweep lies in the Arabian Sea, off the Kerala coast. • Coconut cultivation and tuna fishing are the traditional economic activities of Lakshadweep. Concepts:- Types of Coral Reef • Atoll: Ring-shaped coral island or reef enclosing a lagoon. • Fringing Reef: Coral reef attached directly to the coastline. • Barrier Reef: Coral reef separated from land by a lagoon. • Staghorn Coral: Fast-growing branching coral highly vulnerable to bleaching and ocean warming.

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