Tamil Eelam (தமிழ் ஈழம், tamiḻ īḻam) is the name given by the LTTE and some Tamil population of Sri Lanka to the independent state which they demand in the Northern and Eastern portions of the island. Ilaṅkai (இலங்கை) and Īḻam (ஈழம்) are both Tamil names for the entire island. Īḻam, however, is a politically heavily loaded term, and thus (in non-political Tamil literature) the politically more neutral Ilaṅkai is the preferred designation for Sri Lanka as a whole.

However, Tamil Eelam is not recognized as an independent state by any de jure independent nation or by the United Nations. The government controls most parts of these regions. The LTTE has control over Vanni, Kilinochchi, Mullaiththeevu, most of Mannar and portions of the Eastern districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai.

The portion of Northern and Eastern under the control of the LTTE is run as a de facto quasi-independent state, with its own supreme court, police force, army, Navy, Air Force, Intelligence Agency, and even a central bank, although these institutions are not formally recognized by the Sri Lankan government. It is dependent on electricity and commodity supplies from the government held area through the A9 highway which was opened after the ceasefire. It does not have its own currency and uses the Sri Lankan rupee. The LTTE has often accused the government of imposing embargos on essential goods, causing distress to the civilians. It does not have its own airport and foreign travellers must go through the Colombo airport.

The concept of Eelam or homeland was proposed by the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) in 1976. TULF was a coalition of Tamil parties who campaigned in the 1977 elections for an independent state for Tamils in Sri Lanka. In the 1977 elections the TULF was elected to parliament from the northern and eastern provinces. In order to counter separatist tendencies, the government added a new clause to the constitution in 1978 requiring all MPs to pledge allegiance to the unity of the state, which resulted in the boycott of the parliament by the TULF. A number of militant groups then emerged fighting for an independent state.

Both as used by the TULF and the militant groups, Tamil Eelam has only refered to the northeasterly portions of Sri Lanka (principally, the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Amparai claimed by Tamils as being their traditional homeland. Some of the early militant groups such as the EPRLF, however, adhered to a wider concept of Eelam, by which they meant all parts of the island of Sri Lanka with a Tamil majority, including the upcountry districts with a Plantation Tamil majority, traditionally part of the Sinhalese heartland.

For all practical purposes today, though, the demand for an independent state is limited to Tamil Eelam, and particularly the northern and eastern provinces.

For more history, see Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

From 1948 to 2002 there have been approximately 38 militant groups who have at one time or another fought for the Tamil Eelam's independence. This number includes the better known groups such as the LTTE – Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also known as the Tamil Tigers,'TELO – Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization, EPRLF – Eelam Peoples' Revolutionary Liberation Front, PLOTE – People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam, EROS – Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students, and also lesser know groups such as TEA – Tamil Eelam Army, FTA – Ilankai Freedom Tamil Army, SRSL – Socialist Revolutionary Social Liberation.

National Flower of Tamil Eelam

The Gloriosa Lily (or Karthigaipoo) was designated as the national flower of the Eelam Tamils in November 2003. It has the spectrum of colours contained in the Tamil Eelam national flag and blooms in November, the month of the Heroes Day (or Maaveerar Day) celebrations when the death of soldiers fighting for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are remembered.

A Tamil poet, Arivumathi, has noted that the flower of ancient Tamil's War God, Murugan, was Karthigai flower.

• Flag of Tamil Eelam

• Sangam.org
• TamilNet Website