Pigeon Island is a marine national park of Srilanka. They are two islands lying 1 kilometer off the coast of Nilaveli. Essentially the islands lie on a coral reef and the area covers about 472 acres. The name comes from the rock pigeon bird species, which has colonized the island. The island, in the colonial times served as a shooting range. Pigeon Island national park is made up of two islands, large pigeon island and small pigeon island. The large pigeon island lies on a coral reef, and is about 200 m long and 100 m wide. Its highest point is 44.8 m above mean sea level. Rocky islets surround the small pigeon island and serve as a key scuba diving location in the island.