Which one of the following regions of India has a combination of mangrove forest, evergreen forest and deciduous forest?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have all three forest types together. Forest Survey of India places their forests in the Tropical Wet Evergreen, Tropical Semi-Evergreen, Tropical Moist Deciduous and Littoral & Swamp groups. Mangroves grow along their coasts, creeks and mud flats. None of the other three regions has the evergreen component.
- ✓ (d) Forest Survey of India classifies the islands' forests into four type groups: Tropical Wet Evergreen, Tropical Semi-Evergreen, Tropical Moist Deciduous, and Littoral & Swamp. The last group includes mangroves along salt marshes, tidal creeks and estuaries. So evergreen, deciduous and mangrove forests all occur here.
- ✗ (a) North Coastal Andhra Pradesh is mainly deciduous forest country. It lacks the tropical evergreen forest needed for this combination.
- ✗ (b) South-West Bengal has deciduous forest on its plateau fringe and some coastal mangrove. It has no tropical evergreen forest.
- ✗ (c) Southern Saurashtra is semi-arid, with dry deciduous and thorn forest. It has no evergreen forest.
Remember · The Andaman and Nicobar Islands combine tropical wet evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous and littoral/swamp (mangrove) forests. This makes them the classic example of all three types in one region.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- India State of Forest Report 2019, Vol II – Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Forest Survey of India) ↗ “the forests in Andaman & Nicobar Islands belong to four Type Groups i.e. Tropical Wet Evergreen, Tropical Semi Evergreen, Tropical Moist Deciduous and Littoral & Swamp Forests”
- NCERT Class 11 · India: Physical Environment, Chapter 5 “the mangrove forest and other wetlands of the island arcs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Mangroves grow along the coasts in the salt marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·

