Eelam is the original Tamil word for the whole island, now referred to as Ilangei. Nowadays of course Eelam (or Tamil Eelam) normally refers to the separate state in the North and East of Sri Lanka claimed by the Tamil Tigers according to the wishes of Tamil
people and other separatist groups. It is also a proposed
independent state that many Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora aspire to create in the north and east of Sri Lanka
even after the military defeat of Tamil Tigers.