City (pop., 2001 prelim.: 100,186), capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory, India, in the Bay of Bengal .
It was occupied by the British in 1789 but soon abandoned. The town was made a penal colony in 1858. It was occupied by the Japanese in 1942–45. The penal colony was abolished in 1945. Port Blair is a market town with several local museums and an airport.