Jaffna (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம், romanized: Yāḻppāṇam, IPA:[jaːɻpːaːɳɐm]; Sinhala: යාපනය, romanized: Yāpanaya, IPA:[jaːpənəjə]) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most populous city.[1] Jaffna is approximately six miles (9.7 kilometres) from Kandarodai which served as an emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical antiquity. Jaffna's suburb Nallur served as the capital of the four-century-long medieval Tamil Jaffna Kingdom.[2]
Prior to the Sri Lankan Civil War, it was Sri Lanka's second most populous city after Colombo. The 1980s insurgent uprising led to extensive damage, expulsion of part of the population, and military occupation. Since the end of civil war in 2009, refugees and internally displaced people began returning to homes, while government and private sector reconstruction started taking place.[3] Historically, Jaffna has been a contested city. It was made into a colonial port town during the Portuguese occupation of the Jaffna peninsula in 1619 who lost it to the Dutch, only to lose it to the British in 1796. During the civil war, the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) occupied Jaffna in 1986. The Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) briefly occupied the city in 1987. The LTTE again occupied the city from 1989 until 1995, when the Sri Lankan Army regained control.
The majority of the city's population are Sri Lankan Tamils with a significant number of Sri Lankan Moors, Indian Tamils and other ethnic groups present in the city prior to the civil war. Most Sri Lankan Tamils are Hindus followed by Christians, Muslims and a small Buddhist minority. The city is home to number of educational institutions established during the colonial and post-colonial period. It also has number of commercial institutions, minor industrial units, banks, hotels and other government institutions. It is home to many historical sites such as the popular Jaffna library that was burnt down and rebuilt and the Jaffna fort which was rebuilt during the Dutch colonial period.
^ ab"Sri Lanka: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". World Gazetteer. Retrieved 21 April 2012.[dead link]
^"Definition of Jaffna | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
^"Improving Urban Services and Livability Across Sri Lanka". Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th most populous city. Jaffna is...
The Jaffna kingdom (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாண அரசு, Sinhala: යාපනය රාජධානිය; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of...
Jaffna Kings, formerly known as Jaffna Stallions, are a franchise cricket team which plays in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). On December 16, 2020, the...
The burning of the Jaffna Public Library (Tamil: யாழ் பொது நூலகம் எரிப்பு, Yāḻ potu nūlakam erippu; Sinhala: යාපනය මහජන පුස්තකාලය ගිනිබත් කිරීම, Yāpanaya...
The University of Jaffna (Sinhala: යාපනය විශ්වවිද්යාලය, Yāpanaya Wiśwawidyālaya; Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணப் பல்கலைக்கழகம், romanized: Yāḻppāṇap Palkalaikkaḻakam;...
Eastern provinces. Modern Sri Lankan Tamils descend from residents of the Jaffna Kingdom, a former kingdom in the north of Sri Lanka and Vannimai chieftaincies...
Jaffna District (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாவட்டம் Yāḻppāṇam Māvaṭṭam; Sinhala: යාපනය දිස්ත්රික්කය yāpanaya distrikkaya) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka...
that have played in the league, Jaffna franchise has won three titles while Kandy franchise has won only one title. Jaffna Stallions won the inaugural season...
the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the Tamil...
or "cold-exposed agar"), Japanese isinglass, China grass, Ceylon moss or Jaffna moss. Gracilaria edulis or its synonym G. lichenoides is specifically referred...
appointed by the intelligence agency R&AW to head covert operations in Jaffna shortly after Indian peace-keeping force was forced to withdraw. Madras...
Jaffna Tamil may refer to: Jaffna Tamil dialect, native to the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka Jaffna Tamils, members of the Tamil ethnic group native to...
international venues. The league was organized by the Sri Lanka Cricket. Jaffna Kings were the defending champions. This was the first Lanka Premier League...
Jaffna Fort (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணக் கோட்டை, romanized: Yāḻppāṇak Kōṭṭai; Sinhala: යාපනය බලකොටුව Yapanaya Balakotuwa) is a fort built by the Portuguese at Jaffna...
The Jaffna hospital massacre occurred on October 21 and 22, 1987, during the Sri Lankan Civil War, when troops of the Indian Peace Keeping Force entered...
childhood that led him to militancy. In 1975, he assassinated the Mayor of Jaffna Alfred Duraiappah in revenge for the 1974 Tamil conference incident. The...
Battle of Jaffna may refer to battles of the Sri Lankan Civil War: Battle of Jaffna (1995) Battle of Jaffna (2006) This disambiguation page lists articles...
over the besieged city of Jaffna in Sri Lanka on 4 June 1987 to support the Tamil Tigers during the Sri Lankan Civil War. Jaffna was then under blockade...
Jaffna International Airport (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் சர்வதேச விமான நிலையம், romanized: Yāḻppāṇam Carvatēca Vimāṉa Nilaiyam; Sinhala: යාපනය ජාත්යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ...
1977, 1981 and 1983 anti-Tamil pogroms, as well as the 1981 burning of the Jaffna Public Library. These were carried out by the majority Sinhalese mobs often...
The Jaffna Peninsula (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணக் குடாநாடு, romanized: Yāḻppāṇa kuṭānāṭu, or Tamil: யாழ் குடாநாடு, romanized: Yāḻ kuṭānāṭu) is a region in the Northern...
again. According to a Jaffna Muslim source, there is a floating population of about 2000 Muslims in Jaffna. Around 1500 are Jaffna Muslims, while the rest...
Jaffna Diocese may refer to: Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India Roman Catholic Diocese of Jaffna This disambiguation page lists articles associated...
The Mayor of Jaffna is the head of the Jaffna Municipal Council, the local authority for the city of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. The seat is currently...
Operation (Operation Liberation) was launched against LTTE strongholds in Jaffna Peninsula. The operation involved nearly 10,000 troops, supported by helicopter...
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