All you need to know about Bitra Island in Lakshadweep

Dileep V Kumar

Jul 24, 2025

Community & Culture

Community & Culture

Bitra — often hailed as the ‘Jewel of Lakshadweep’ — is a glistening speck in the vast Arabian Sea, rich in ecological charm and marine wealth. 

Community & Culture

With just 0.105 sq km of land, Bitra is the smallest inhabited island in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.

Community & Culture

Yet, it cradles a sprawling lagoon of over 45 sq km and boasts the highest percentage of live coral cover in the archipelago.

Community & Culture

Despite its modest size, Bitra’s environmental significance is monumental — a natural sanctuary of coral atolls, reefs, and rich marine biodiversity.

Community & Culture

Beyond its windswept shores and coral sands, Bitra hides a remarkable underwater phenomenon.

Community & Culture

It is home to the largest known spawning aggregation of the squaretail coral grouper (Plectropomus areolatus) in Indian waters.