Mannar Island (/məˈnɑːr/ mə-NAR; Tamil: மன்னார் தீவு, romanized: Maṉṉār tīvu; Sinhala: මන්නාරම් දූපත, romanized: Mannāram dūpata), formerly spelt Manar Island, which lies off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka, is part of Mannar District, Sri Lanka.

"[2] During the Sri Lankan civil war (1983–2009), Muslim inhabitants of the island were forced to leave by the Tamil Tigers, but some have returned since.

[citation needed] Talaimannar, on the north-western coast of the island, is the terminus for the Mannar railway line.

[6] Between 1914 and 1964, there was a train and ferry link from mainland India via Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar to Colombo, but this was not resumed after the disastrous damage caused by a cyclone in 1964.

[citation needed] The island is home to baobab trees, brought from Africa by Arab merchants centuries ago.