The forbidden island hiding one of the world’s greatest mysteries. No one escaped alive

Almost no one from the outside world is allowed to visit North Sentinel Island. India prohibits access not only to the island itself but also to the surrounding waters, protecting one of the world’s most isolated communities, the Sentinelese.

The island belongs to the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago and covers about 60 square kilometers. Although satellites can observe it, foreigners have not thoroughly explored or mapped its interior. Most knowledge about the residents comes from distant observation and a small number of encounters over time.

The Sentinelese population is not known precisely. Estimates cited by Mediafax range from several dozen to several hundred people, with recent calculations placing the number between 50 and 200. Their language has not been identified, and little is known about how the community is organized or how its members live.

India introduced special protections under legislation covering Indigenous tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Since 1996, tourists, fishermen, researchers and other civilians have been barred from approaching within five nautical miles, about 9.3 kilometers, of the coast. The restrictions aim to prevent outside contact, especially exposure to diseases to which the community may not have developed immunity.

The island’s secrecy has continued to attract people who ignore the ban. In 2018, 26-year-old American John Allen Chau reached the island illegally after asking local fishermen to take him near the shore. He wanted to contact the community and preach Christianity, but the attempt ended in his death. In April 2025, 24-year-old American Mihailo Viktorovich Polyakov was arrested after trying to reach the island. The Sentinelese are known to use bows and arrows to keep approaching people away.