Ross Island
Ross Island, officially renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, is a small island in the Andaman Islands, near Port Blair. Once the administrative headquarters of British India’s penal settlement, it now stands as an evocative historical site with colonial ruins overgrown by tropical forest. The island is part of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Key facts
Location: South Andaman district, Andaman Islands, India
Renamed: 2018, to honor Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
Area: Approximately 0.3 square kilometers
Access: By boat from Port Blair (about 2 km away)
Managed by: Indian Navy (restricted civilian access areas)
Present-day tourism and preservation
Today, the island is a protected heritage and eco-tourism site featuring ruins of the British settlement amid dense banyan roots. Visitors explore its old church, bakery, and government buildings via short ferry rides from Port Blair. A light-and-sound show recounts the island’s layered colonial and wartime past, while conservation efforts aim to balance tourism with environmental preservation.
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