The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal between 60 and 140 latitude and 920 and 940 longitude, have been inhabited for thousands of years since the Middle Paleolithic period. For most of this period the inhabitants of these islands have maintained their separate existence, diversifying into distinct linguistic, cultural and regional groups.

In the mid- nineteenth century AD, they first came into sustained contact with the outside world. Today they consist mainly of the Great Andamanese tribes such as the Jakha, Ange and Sentinelese and the Nicobarese such as the Great Nicobarese and the Shompen. This union territory, with a tropical climate nourished by both the south-west and north-east rainy seasons, is at present divided into three revenue districts and its capital is Port Blair.

The inhabitants of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have migrated from various parts of India and also Burma. The culture of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is unique and has mainly two types of inhabitants- Indian and indigenous settlers. The first type consists of migrants especially from the Indian mainland areas like Punjab, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Myanmar and Burma.

The indigenous settlers make Andaman and Nicobar Islands different from the rest of the country. They are the main reason why these islands have an entrepreneurial aura.