Havelock Island, officially Swaraj Island, is one of the largest islands in Ritchie's Archipelago, to the east of Great Andaman within the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The island is 41 km (25 mi) northeast of the capital city, Port Blair. Havelock Island is named after a British general, Sir Henry Havelock, who served in India. In December 2018, it was renamed, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as Swaraj Island as a tribute to Subhas Chandra Bose. Bose had hoisted the Indian flag at Port Blair on 30 December 1943 and proclaimed the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as liberated from British rule. He had subsequently named Neill Island as Shaheed and Havelock Island as Swaraj. Havelock is one of the few places that the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India has permitted and encouraged development of tourism, with a focus on promoting eco-tourism. Havelock Island avoided much of the devastation by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and its resulting tsunami and there were no documented casualties. There is a lighthouse at the northern point of the island, near Govinda Nagar, established in 2005. On 30 December 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Havelock Island would be renamed as Swaraj Island.
