North Sentinel Island

The island of the unknown

Geographic scope (Taylor)

North Sentinel Island is one of the Andaman islands and is in the Bay of Bengal. This is near to India and is very hard to access. People are not allowed on the Island, as the natives are very aggressive to visitors. It is very isolated, and the only information we have about the contents of the island are assumptions based on the surrounding islands. Many of the other Andaman islands were colonized by the British Empire, but North Sentinel Island was never colonized. This is how it has remained so remote and unexplored. Everything on this island is unknown, and there are very few animals known for certain on the island. Indian wild boars and Coconut crabs are two of the known creatures on the island.

The North Sentinel Island is located off the west coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Cost of Exploration (Audrey and Taylor)

We want to go to this island to research because no one has ever been able to before. We believe that there may be resources that could be used to help mankind. Natural bioactive compounds(substances that have a biological effect such as anti-cancer or anti-bacterial) that could be used for further scientific research. Since this island has never been explored before, there could be countless organisms that have bioactive compounds. If my team and I are going to explore this unknown region, we are definitely going to need some financial help. For all of my 10 man crew to fly to India it is going to cost $10,140. Once we get to India we will have to take another flight out to the Andaman Islands which will cost about $1450. My team will then need a private boat to get to the North Sentinel Island which will cost about $720. And lastly all hotels, food, and equipment will cost around $30,000 as well. The grand total for our three day expedition comes out to be $42,310. Although it is a very expensive trip, it could possibly change the scientific world.

Ethical Justification (Juliana)

This island has never been explored before. We don’t know what types of organisms and species could be on the island. Since mankind heavily relies on biodiversity for survival, using the new discoveries for food, medicine, and materials could potentially advance some of today's methods. The Sentinel Island and home to the Sentinelese. This tribe is very protective of their island and would rather not be bothered. With this in mind, we would still like to find a way to come to a peace agreement. If we are able to connect with them, we can potentially help them as well as learn more about the island and their people. 

Innovation Inc. Sponsers (Juliana and Audrey)

If Innovation Inc. sponsors us, we would be able to conduct in-depth research on the island. We might also be able to find the things that help the Sentinelese people trust us. The organisms on the islands have not been thoroughly studied. Being able to research this island will help the entire scientific community, as well as possibly benefit all of mankind. We could discover things such as new plants for medicines, different animals, and many other new discoveries. Also we want to conduct research on the people who live on the island to test how their bodily functions are different then someone from the everyday world. With the entirety of the trip costing $42,310, we believe that this amount of money is nothing compared to the amount of impact our research may have on humans. Our exploration should be a priority for Innovation Inc. because no one has ever explored there before.

The Sentinelese tribe has existed for approximately 60,000 years

North Sentinel Island

North Sentinel Island. Click to expand.

Located off the coast of the Andaman Islands.

Andaman Island

Andaman Island. Click to expand.

ANdaman island off the west coast of Thailand. Home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the area.

North Sentinel Island

Located off the coast of the Andaman Islands.

Andaman Island

ANdaman island off the west coast of Thailand. Home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the area.

Cover of Story (Audrey)

The Sentinel Island is home to the Sentinelese. The Sentinelese is a tribe that have existed for hundreds of years. They have no connection to the outside world and choose to live a hunters and gathers lifestyle. It is currently illegal to visit this island because since this tribe has been isolated from the world for a long period of time, they are very vulnerable to diseases and infections. The last person known to visit the island was named John Allen Chau. He was an American christian who was killed in 1991 while visiting the island. The Sentinelese have a history of being violent and prone to attacking anyone that comes near their home. This is why no one has been able to do any research on the island for hundreds of years, but we want to change that.

References

Goodheart, A. (2023, October 13). They live in isolation on North Sentinel Island—but the world won’t leave them alone. Culture. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/north-sentinel-islanders-live-in-isolation

North Sentinel Island. (2019). North Sentinel Island. https://northsentinelisland.com/

Smith, K. N. (n.d.). Everything We Know About The Isolated Sentinelese People Of North Sentinel Island. Forbes. Retrieved April 25, 2024, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/kionasmith/2018/11/30/everything-we-know-about-the-isolated-sentinelese-people-of-north-sentinel-island/?sh=39a8e0c935a0

Survival International. (2018). Sentinelese. Survivalinternational.org. https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/sentinelese

Where Is North Sentinel Island? | Wonderopolis. (n.d.). Wonderopolis.org. https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/Where-Is-North-Sentinel-Island

The North Sentinel Island is located off the west coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The Sentinelese tribe has existed for approximately 60,000 years