Mannar Island ( ; ; ), formerly spelt Manar Island, which lies off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka, is part of Mannar District, Sri Lanka. It is linked to the main island of Sri Lanka by a causeway and the Mannar Bridge, which carries the A14 highway, and a railway bridge. It has an area of about , mainly covered with vegetation and sand. Etymology In the Tamil language Mannar means the raised place [of sand] which is though to have come from the geology of the island which was formed by the accumulation of sand. History Scholars identify the old Sinhalese name "Mahapatan-ju which is mentioned in Sigiri graffiti as the island of Mannar" 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. Geography The island lies at the eastern end of Adam's Bridge (), a chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island (also known as Rameswaram Island), off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, India, and Mannar Island. Geological evidence suggests that this may have been a land connection between India and Sri Lanka. Fishing is an important part of the economy. Energy Largest wind harness in Sri Lanka at present comes from Mannar island by 100 MW Wind Power Plant done by Ceylon Electricity Board. This plant connects to National Grid by 220 kV Inter-connector Grid Substation at Nadukuda. GSS is having provision to connect another 200 MW and the island has more capacity if required in distinct future. Substation construction and installation is done by Minel Lanka under the main contract by Siemens, India. Settlements and transport The main settlements on the island are Mannar and Erukkulampiddi on its eastern coast, and Pesalai on its northern coast, all connected by the A14 road which leads across the bridge to mainland Sri Lanka. Talaimannar, on the north-western coast of the island, is the terminus for the Mannar railway line. 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. The Palk Strait bridge was proposed in June 2015, to link mainland India to Mannar. Environment The island is home to baobab trees, brought from Africa by Arab merchants centuries ago. The island is within the