By Katia Hetter and Marnie Hunter, CNN <\/p>\n
updated 2:35 PM EDT, Fri March 14, 2014 <\/p>\n
An Indian military search operation for the missing airliner is being launched from Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. <\/p>\n
STORY HIGHLIGHTS <\/p>\n
(CNN) -- The Andaman Islands are at the center of one of the newest theories in the increasingly tangled search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. <\/p>\n
Analysis of radar data revealed Friday by Reuters suggests the plane was flying toward the Indian Ocean archipelago. Reuters cited unidentified sources familiar with the investigation. <\/p>\n
Aviation experts and locals are debating whether it would even be possible for a giant 777 to land -- or even approach -- the islands undetected. An Indian military search operation is being launched from Port Blair, the administrative center for the islands. <\/p>\n
Here are five things to know about the islands now enveloped in the missing plane mystery: <\/p>\n
They're remote and mostly uninhabited <\/p>\n
The Andaman Islands are part of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands territory. There are 572 islands in the territory, only three dozen of which are inhabited. The territory has a population of nearly 380,000, according to India's 2011 census. <\/p>\n
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Andaman Islands<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Katia Hetter and Marnie Hunter, CNN updated 2:35 PM EDT, Fri March 14, 2014 An Indian military search operation for the missing airliner is being launched from Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. Continue reading