Palk Strait

Palk Strait, bay separating the state of Tamil Nādu, southern India, on the northwest, from Sri Lanka on the southeast, at a width of between 24 and 140 km (15 and 85 mi). The strait is incompletely separated from the Gulf of Mannār to the south by a group of islands, known as Adams Bridge, stretching between the two land masses. The strait’s inlet into Northern Province, Sri Lanka, is sometimes known as Palk Bay. The Palk Strait joins the Bay of Bengal to the northeast, and is shallow in comparison.