RAS question
The Gulf of Mannar is located between:
Correct answer: (C) India (Tamil Nadu) and Sri Lanka.
The Gulf of Mannar lies between the south-eastern tip of India, along Tamil Nadu, and the west coast of Sri Lanka.
Explanation
The Gulf of Mannar is not an island channel within India or a western-coast water body; it is a shallow bay in the Indian Ocean between Tamil Nadu's south-eastern coast and Sri Lanka's west coast. The cited Tamil Nadu Forest Department page states that the Gulf lies between the south-eastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka, and that Adam's Bridge, also called Ramsethu, separates it from Palk Bay to the north. This matches the question's option C. Its exam importance is reinforced by the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and Biosphere Reserve, whose marine components include coral reefs, sea grasses, mangroves and related near-shore ecosystems.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Andaman and Nicobar Islands are not on either side of the Gulf of Mannar; this option shifts the question to a different island-region context rather than the Tamil Nadu-Sri Lanka coast.
- (B) India and Maldives do not bound the Gulf of Mannar, which the official source places between south-eastern India and Sri Lanka's west coast.
- (D) Gujarat and Pakistan are on India's north-western coast, whereas the Gulf of Mannar is tied to the south-eastern tip of India and Sri Lanka.
Concept
This tests Indian coastal geography, especially the location of gulfs, straits and marine protected areas around peninsular India. RAS repeats such map-based facts because they connect physical geography with environment topics such as coral reefs and marine conservation.