Pigeon Island

Sri Lanka is home to two Marine National Parks, one of which is the Pigeon Island Marine sanctuary. The Pigeon Island Marine park expands up to 471.4 hectares in addition to of which 9 ha cover the landmass and the rest include the coral beds which is the border line of the Marine National park. The name Pigeon Island has come about after the hundreds of endemic Blue Rock Pigeons that inhabit the island. It is situated in the Eastern Province, north of Trincomalee, one kilometer off the Nilaveli coast; a stretch of beach known as the most beautiful in the island.