Baratang is an Island in the Indian Ocean belonging to the Andaman class of islands. It lies just 150 kilometers away from Port Blair, the capital city of Andaman. Covering an area of 242.6 square kilometers, Baratang is one of the main islands of the chain and is mostly known for its natural beauty. Here, you can find plenty of beaches, mangroves, and other such wonders of nature. And, hidden amongst these gems is the mud volcano. One of such mud volcanoes in Baratang Islands erupted recently in 2005 owing to the oceanic seismic shifts of 2004. The volcano had also erupted in 2003, which is why the locals have named it the ‘jalki.’ The mud volcanoes in Baratang Islands are the only known volcanoes in the whole of the Indian sub-continent, although other volcanoes exist in the surrounding islands. One example is the volcano situated in Barren Island, an island that lies in the Andaman Sea. This volcano is the only known active type of volcano in SouthEast Asia, Narcondum being the other. But it is dormant as suggested by the Geological Survey of India.
