Which of the following is geographically closest to Great Nicobar?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Sumatra
Sumatra (Indonesia) is the closest. Indira Point, the southern tip of Great Nicobar and the southernmost point of India, is only about 140 km from Sumatra. Java, Borneo and Sri Lanka lie much farther away.
- ✓ (a) The Andaman and Nicobar Administration puts Indira Point barely 140 km from Sumatra; its geography note gives about 91 geographical (nautical) miles to Achin Head in Sumatra.
- ✗ (d) Sri Lanka lies across the Bay of Bengal to the west, much farther from Great Nicobar than Sumatra is.
- ✗ (c) Java lies south-east of Sumatra, so it is farther from Great Nicobar than Sumatra is.
- ✗ (b) Borneo lies far to the east of Sumatra, so it is also farther from Great Nicobar.
Remember · Great Nicobar (Indira Point, India's southernmost point) lies only about 140 km from Sumatra, Indonesia.
Sources
- Andaman and Nicobar Administration, Nicobar district: Location & Area ↗ “presently known as Indira Point which is also southern most point of India, is 310 Kms from Car Nicobar and barely 140 Kms from Sumatra Island (Indonesia)”
- Andaman and Nicobar Administration, Nicobar district: Geography ↗ “The extreme southern point of Great Nicobar, previously known as Pygmalion Point and now Indira Point, is about 91 geographical miles from Pulo Brass of Achin Head of Sumatra.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·