Language & Religion:

    Languages:

Six distinct dialects and languages are spoken in the Archipleago- one Car Nicobar, another Chowra, Teressa and Bompoka, together have one, the centre Islands of Kamorta, Nancowry, Trinket and Katchal speak a fourth, Little Nocobar and Great Nicobar with their adjacent Islands have a fifth. Lastly, the shompens who are also one of the Aboriginal tribe staying in interior part of Great Nicobar employ a speech that is different from the others. The languages has 25 consonants and 35 vowel. It is Polysyllabic and untoned. There are quite a number of foreign words from “SHAPOTO” ( for boat) , “Labre ( for book-paper) and “SHAPEO” (for hat) are from Portuguese language. The words “MONGKO” (cup) “KAPO” (Buffalow) and “HAIYAM” (fowl) are for instance from the Malaya language.

    Religion :

98 percent of the Nicobarese are Christians following the Protestant faith. Christianity spread after the advent of a South Indian Missionary, one Mr. Vedeppan Thambuswamy who later took the name of Mr. Vedeppan Solomon. The remaining 2 percent population consists of Muslim originally from Minicoy and Gujarat. Some of them married Nicobarese and can now be termed as “Nicobari Muslims”. Then a section of the people in Island like Chowra and Shompens of Great Nicobar still profess their old religion of animism.

In Car Nicobar there are 10 churches. The oldest church is at Mus (St. Thomas Church), where the maker of modern Nicobar Bishop John Richardson was buried.