Sentinelese

Sentinelese
	Sentinelese people on the beach of North Sentinel Island, 1974
Total population
	Unknown,; wide estimate 15–500; narrow estimate 50–150
Regions with significant populations
	North Sentinel Island, India
Languages
	Sentinelese (undescribed)
Related ethnic groups
	Possibly Jarawa or Onge
	North Sentinel Island North Sentinel Island (India) North Sentinel Island North Sentinel Island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)

Aerial photograph of North Sentinel Island

The Sentinelese, also known as the North Sentinel Islanders, are 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 make up one of the six indigenous (and often reclusive) peoples of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The tribe has had minimal contact with outsiders and has usually been hostile to those who approach or land on the island. While friendly contact was reported in the early 1990s, such instances are rare.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation of 1956 declared North Sentinel Island a tribal reserve and prohibited travel within 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of it. It further maintains a constant armed patrol in the surrounding waters to prevent intrusions by outsiders. Photography is prohibited, though some have gotten close enough to take pictures. There is significant uncertainty as to the group's population, with narrow estimates indicating between 50 and 150 individuals, and wider estimates indicating up to 500.