Lakshadweep is a union territory of India. It is an archipelago of 36 islands[b] divided into three island subgroups: the Amindivi Islands in the north separated from the Laccadive Islands roughly by the 11th parallel north and the atoll of Minicoy to the south of the Nine Degree Channel along the 9th parallel north. The islands are located between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Laccadive Sea to the east, about 220–440 km (140–270 mi) off the Malabar Coast of mainland India.