The Nicobar Islands rain forests cover the Nicobar archipelago, part of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory in the eastern Indian Ocean, lying north of Sumatra and south of the Andaman group across 22 islands that stretch roughly 260 km north to south. The vegetation grades from coastal mangrove forests of Rhizophora and Bruguiera into tall interior evergreen and moist-deciduous forest, with canopy trees such as Dipterocarpus, Terminalia, Calophyllum, Garcinia, and wild mango (Mangifera sylvatica). The climate is wet and tropical, with temperatures around 22 to 30 degrees C and annual rainfall of about 3,000 to 3,800 mm delivered by southwest and northeast monsoons. Long isolation from the mainland has produced high endemism, including endemic palms such as Bentinckia nicobarica and Rhopaloblaste augusta and the flagship Nicobar imperial pigeon, the closest living relative of the extinct dodo. For tropical, frost-free gardens, the region's native ornamental and useful trees, including Artocarpus, Calophyllum, and these endemic feather palms, illustrate the lush, moisture-loving palette characteristic of the islands.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 7.0°N, 93.8°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
13b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
13b
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +2.5°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Realm
Indomalayan
Approximate area
655 sq mi
Conservation tier
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)
About the tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome
Warm, wet, highly productive forests — including tropical rainforests — with closed canopies, near year-round growing seasons, and the richest terrestrial biodiversity on Earth. Low seasonality and high rainfall sustain dense, layered vegetation from canopy to forest floor.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
No catalog plants intersect this ecoregion's zone range. As the catalog grows to cover this region's climate band, suggestions will surface here.
Collections for this ecoregion
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other tropical & subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregions to explore: