Barren Island lies about 135 km south of Port Blair. This island, which lies on the seismically active tectonic plates in the Andaman Sea is home to the only active volcano in India. It marks the eastern most edge of the Andaman chain. It can only be seen from a distance and no one is allowed to step on the shore. Barren Island is basically rocky and the volcano once erupted in 1991 and then again in 1994-95. The crater still spews smoke and occasionally emits bursts of light. It is about half a kilometer away from the shore. It is totally uninhabited and has rightly been named Barren Island.