The Marina Beach is a beach located along a 12 km shoreline in the city of Chennai, India along the Bay of Bengal, part of the Indian Ocean. Unlike the short, rocky formations that make up the Juhu Beach in Mumbai on the west coast of India, the Marina is mostly sandy. Although many locals claim the Marina to be the world's longest or second longest beach. The width of the beach at the most widest stretch is 437 meters long.

Extent

The beach begins near Fort St. George in the north to Besant Nagar in the south, a distance of about 12km. A famous quality of the beach is the set of stone statues that adorn the roadside area of the beach. Most statues are of Indian/local legends like Mahatma Gandhi, Kannagi, Thiruvalluvar, while others have symbolic consequence like the Statue of Labour. Also memorials for M. G. Ramachandran and C. N. Annadurai, former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu are present on the beach. Recently, a statue of actor Sivaji Ganesan was installed.

The Marina used to be famed for its pristine beauty, jolly feel, and rich ecosystems. However, since the middle of the 20th century, the beach and water has turn into polluted. An explosion of plastic bags, human waste and other pollutants have rendered many parts of the beach not viable. In recent years, many voluntary organizations have taken up the task of cleaning up the Marina and caring the ecosystem. Particular efforts include protection of Olive Ridley turtle nests along the Neelangarai section of the beach. Despite these problems however, a visit to the Marina is a sine qua non for any tourist coming to Chennai.