The European Space Agency shared a picture taken by its Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite showing the Ram Setu, or Adams Bridge. This line of shallow areas connects India and Sri Lanka, spanning 48 km from Rameswaram Island in India to Mannar Island in Sri Lanka.It divides the Gulf of Mannar, which is part of the Indian Ocean in the south, from the Palk Strait, which is part of the Bay of Bengal in the north.Historical significance of Ram Setu There are many ideas about how this bridge formed. But, evidence from geology shows these limestone shoals are parts of land that used to connect India and Sri Lanka. Records from history show people could walk across this natural bridge until the 15th century. After that, storms gradually wore it down, according to the ESA.What ESA revealedThe European Space Agency (ESA) observed that some of the sandbanks in Ram Setu are dry, and the sea in this area is very shallow, ranging from only 1 to 10 meters deep, as seen from the light color of the water.Mannar Island, which spans about 130 square kilometers, is connected to mainland Sri Lanka by both a road bridge and a railway bridge located at the southern end of the island.📷 This weeks @ESA_EO #EarthFromSpace is a @CopernicusEU #Sentinel2 image of Adams Bridge, a chain of shoals linking India and Sri Lanka. pic.twitter.com/Zo584h9KhK— European Space Agency (@esa) June 21, 2024Biodiversity of Adams bridge On the Indian side of Adams Bridge, Rameswaram Island, also known as Pamban Island, is reachable from the Indian mainland via the 2-km-long Pamban Bridge.The island has two main towns Pamban on the West side and Rameshwaram about 10 km to the east of Pamban. Both are the parts of Adams bridge are within protected national parks in India and Sri Lanka. The sand dunes are important for bird nesting, like the brown noddy. Many types of fish and and seagrasses live in the sawallow waters. Dolphins, dugongs and turtles are some of the sea animals in the area.
