Puttalam Lagoon

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Puttalam Lagoon is a large, shallow body of water in western Sri Lanka, in the Puttalam District. It covers about 327 square kilometers (126 square miles).

The lagoon is fed by two rivers, Kala Oya and Mi Oya, and it connects to Mundal Lagoon about 15 kilometers to the south through a channel. The water is brackish to salty.

Around the lagoon, the land is used for coconut farming, open forests, grasslands, and shrublands. People fish for prawns, produce salt, and grow rice in the area.

The lagoon has extensive mangroves, seagrass beds, and salt marshes, supporting a variety of water birds and other wildlife.

There are many islands scattered across the lagoon, including Ippantivu, Neduntivu, Mattutivu, Salliyampiddi, Periya Arichchal and several others.

Coordinates are about 8.1°N, 79.767°E. The lagoon is roughly 28 km long and up to 12 km wide, with an average depth of 1–2 meters (max about 5 meters). It lies at sea level in western Sri Lanka.