The Andaman Islands are an Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. These roughly 300 islands are known for their palm-lined, white-sand beaches, mangroves and tropical rainforests. Coral reefs supporting marine life such as sharks and rays make for popular diving and snorkeling sites. Indigenous Andaman Islanders inhabit the more remote islands, many of which are off-limits to visitors. There are 572 islands in the territory having an area of 8,249 km² (3,185 sq mi). Of these, about 38 are permanently inhabited. The islands extend from 6° to 14° North latitudes and from 92° to 94° East longitudes. The Andamans are separated from the Nicobar group by a channel (the Ten Degree Channel) some 150 km (93 mi) wide. The highest point is located in North Andaman Island (Saddle Peak at 732 m (2,402 ft)). The Andaman group has 325 islands which cover an area of 6,170 km² (2,382 sq mi) while the Nicobar group has only 247 islands with an area of 1,765 km² (681 sq mi). The Andaman Islands are home to the Sentinelese people, an uncontacted people. The Sentinelese are the only people currently known to not have reached further than a Paleolithic level of technology.

Nancowry is an island in the central part of the Nicobar Islands chain, located in the northeast Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.In 1755, the government of Denmark formally claimed sovereignty over Nicobars, under the name of Frederiksøerne (Frederik Islands) and encouraged a mission established by the Moravian Brethren of Herrnhut. Along with Kamorta Island, which lies just to the north, Nancowry Island forms the “magnificent land-locked” Nancowry Harbour, used by European sailors since at least the 17th century and described as “one of the safest natural harbours in the world”  The harbour was apparently used as a base for piracy; in 1868, the British Navy entered the harbour in some force, destroying suspected pirate ships