The 'Lakshadweep Islands' in the Arabian Sea are primarily of which origin?

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Lakshadweep archipelago consists entirely of coral atolls and reef islands formed on top of submerged volcanic ridges in the Arabian Sea. Unlike volcanic islands formed by direct tectonic hotspot activity, these coral structures developed through the gradual accumulation of calcium carbonate skeletons from marine organisms over millennia. Charles Darwin propounded the classic subsidence theory explaining the formation of such ring-shaped atolls in tropical oceanic waters. Tourism and sustainable coconut cultivation remain core economic activities for the island inhabitants.