Which region of India receives rainfall from both the South-West and…

India's rainfall is governed by two seasonal monsoon systems. The South-West monsoon (June to September) is the primary summer monsoon and drives most of the country's annual rainfall. The North-East monsoon (October to December), also called the retreating or winter monsoon, sets in once the South-West monsoon withdraws: winds reverse direction, blow from the northeast towards the southwest, and pick up moisture while crossing the Bay of Bengal.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal close to where the South-West monsoon first develops over the Indian region each year (around mid-May), so they receive its rain from May-June onward. Once the South-West monsoon withdraws, the same islands lie directly in the path of the retreating North-East monsoon as it gathers moisture crossing the Bay of Bengal between October and December, bringing a second wet spell. This double exposure keeps the islands wet for almost the entire year.

Contrast with the other regions:

• Jammu and Kashmir: its winter precipitation comes from Western Disturbances, temperate low-pressure systems moving in from the Mediterranean region, not from the retreating monsoon; it lies far outside the North-East monsoon's reach.

• Lakshadweep: an Arabian Sea island group watered almost entirely by the South-West monsoon (June to September); the retreating North-East monsoon is centred on the Bay of Bengal side of the peninsula and does not give it a comparable second rainy season.

• Gujarat: rainfall comes mainly from the Arabian Sea branch of the South-West monsoon; the state lies well outside the belt reached by the North-East monsoon in winter.

Hence, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is the region that receives rainfall from both the South-West and the North-East monsoons.