The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal and a Union Territory of India.The territory is located geographically 150 km ( 93 mi ) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Burma by the Andaman Sea. It comprises two island groups, the Andaman Islands and the Nicobar Islands, separated by the 10° N parallel, with the Andamans to the north of this latitude, and the Nicobars to the south. The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west. The territory's capital is the Andamanese town of Port Blair. The territory's population as per the most recent ( 2011 ) Census of India was 379,944. Added together, the total land area of the territory is approximately 6,496 km2 ( 2,508 sq mi ).The history of organized European colonization on the islands began when the Danish settlers of the Danish East India Company arrived on Nicobar Islands on 12 Dec 1755.

On Jan 1, 1756, the Nicobar Islands was made a Danish colony and renamed 'New Denmark'. In Dec 1756, the Nicobar Islands was renamed 'Frederiksøerne' ( Frederiks Islands ). During 1754–1756 they were administrated under the name of Frederiksøerne from Tranquebar ( in continental Danish India ); missionaries from the Moravian Church Brethren's settlement in Tranquebar attempted a settlement on Nancowry and died in great numbers from disease; the islands were repeatedly abandoned due to outbreaks of malaria between 14 Apr 1759 - 19 Aug 1768, from 1787-1807/05, 1814–1831, 1830–1834 and finally from 1848 gradually for good.