Abdul Kalam Island, erstwhile known as Wheeler Island, is an island off the coast of Odisha, India, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) from the state capital Bhubaneshwar.
The island was renamed to honour the late President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam and also to encourage the youth to pursue a scientific temperament.
It is the only place in India that has an integrated Test Range maintaining a missile testing facility, which is located on this island.
All indigenous missiles like Akash missile, Agni missile, Prithvi Missile etc. are tested from here.
The island is 2 km long having an area of 390 acres and is basically a soil formation without rocks in the Bay of Bengal. Lately, concerns about shifting sand patterns have emerged that are causing soil erosion.
India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has sought assistance from Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology to control the erosion and has planted over 2 lacs tree saplings to check the erosion.
