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Monday, September 7, 2015

Saint Martins Island (Narical Gingira) – The Coral Island of Bangladesh

St. Martin's Island is a small island in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the angle of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River. Local name of the island is "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Jinjira/Jinjera", that  means 'Coconut Island' in Bengali. It is the only one coral island in Bangladesh.
St Martin’s Island is perfect for tourist who is truly interested in escaping the holds of a modern world. Do not expect to find taxis, tarred roads or electricity here. Lodges are dependent on generators, as the island is all about sun, sea and palm trees. During the day, the island comes alive with water and beach sports, with beach parties and bonfires lighting up the evening skies. For the use of a phone or a reminder of what a television set looks like, visitors can pop down to the Coast Guard station.
It's possible to walk around the island in a day because it measures only 8 km2 (3 sq. mile), shrinking to about 5 km2 (2 sq. mi) during high tide. The island exists only because of its coral base, so removal of that coral risks erosion of the beaches. Sadly, St. Martin's has lost roughly 25% of its coral reef in the past 7 years.
St. Martin's Island has become a popular tourist place. Currently, some (about 5 in number) shipping liners run daily trips to the island, including Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad. Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar. The surrounding coral reef of the island has an extension named Chera Dwip.
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