The Most Isolated Tribe in the World: The Sentinelese

The Most Isolated Tribe in the World: The Sentinelese

Perhaps the most remote group of humans on planet Earth, the Sentinelese have lived completely out of contact with the outside world on North Sentinel Island in India's Bay of Bengal for some 60,000 years. Because the tribe is hostile to outsiders and has even killed those who have gotten too close, the Indian government doesn't allow anyone within three miles of the island and has even prohibited photography.

From the Sentinelese to the Korowai of Papua, see the photos and learn the most interesting facts about the uncontacted tribes of planet Earth

The Sentinelese, also known as the Sentineli and the North Sentinel Islanders, are an indigenous people who inhabit North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in the northeastern Indian Ocean. Designated a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group and a Scheduled Tribe, they belong to the broader class of Andamanese peoples.

Along with the Great Andamanese, the Jarawas, the Onge, the Shompen, and the Nicobarese, the Sentinelese are one of the six native and often reclusive peoples of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Unlike the others, the Sentinelese appear to have consistently refused any interaction with the outside world. They are hostile to outsiders and have killed people who approached or landed on the island.

In 1956, the Government of India declared North Sentinel Island a tribal reserve and prohibited travel within 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometres) of it. It further maintains a constant armed patrol in the surrounding waters to prevent intrusions by outsiders. Photography is prohibited. There is significant uncertainty as to the group's size, with estimates ranging between 35 and 500 individuals, but mostly between 50 and 200.