Palk Strait : Ferry Service
India and Sri Lanka recently launched a ferry service across the Palk Strait under a new roadmap for greater connectivity.
- Palk Strait is a strait that lies between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the island nation of Sri Lanka.
- The strait is named after Robert Palk, who was a governor of Madras Presidency (1755-1763) during the British Raj period.
- It is bounded on the south by Pamban Island (India), Adam’s (Rama’s) Bridge (a chain of shoals), the Gulf of Mannar, and Mannar Island (Sri Lanka).
- It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with the Gulf of Mannar in the southwest.
- The southwestern portion of the strait is also called Palk Bay.
- The strait is 40 to 85 miles (64 to 137 km) wide, 85 miles long, and less than 330 feet (100 metres) deep.
- Several rivers flow into it, including the Vaigai River of Tamil Nadu.
- The port of Jaffna, the commercial centre for northern Sri Lanka, lies on the strait.
