Jaffna District யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாவட்டம் යාපනය දිස්ත්රික්කය | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location within Sri Lanka | |
| Coordinates:09°40′N80°10′E / 9.667°N 80.167°E /9.667; 80.167 | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| Capital | Jaffna |
| DS Division | |
| Government | |
| • District Secretary | Kanapathipillai Mahesan[1] |
| • MPs | |
| • MPCs | |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,025 km2 (396 sq mi) |
| • Land | 929 km2 (359 sq mi) |
| • Water | 96 km2 (37 sq mi) 9.37% |
| • Rank | 24th (1.56% of total area) |
| Population (2012 census)[3] | |
• Total | 583,378 |
| • Rank | 16th (2.88% of total pop.) |
| • Density | 628/km2 (1,630/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity (2012 census)[3] | |
| • Sri Lankan Tamil | 577,246 (98.95%) |
| • Sinhalese | 3,366 (0.58%) |
| • Sri Lankan Moors | 2,139 (0.37%) |
| • Indian Tamil | 499 (0.09%) |
| • Other | 128 (0.02%) |
| Religion (2012 census)[4] | |
| • Hindu | 483,900 (82.95%) |
| • Christian | 94,146 (16.14%) |
| • Buddhist | 2,533 (0.43%) |
| • Muslim | 2,455 (0.42%) |
| • Other | 344 (0.06%) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka) |
| Post Codes | 40000-40999 |
| Telephone Codes | 021 |
| ISO 3166 code | LK-41 |
| Vehicle registration | NP |
| Official Languages | Tamil,Sinhala |
| Website | Jaffna District Secretariat |
Jaffna District (Tamil:யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாவட்டம்Yāḻppāṇam Māvaṭṭam;Sinhala:යාපනය දිස්ත්රික්කයyāpanaya distrikkaya) is one of the 25districts ofSri Lanka, the second leveladministrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by aDistrict Secretary (previously known as aGovernment Agent) appointed by thecentral government of Sri Lanka. Thecapital of the district is the city ofJaffna.
Between the 5th century BC and the 13th century AD present day Jaffna District was part of various Kingdoms such asPandya,Chola,Pallava,Kalinga, andRajarata. Jaffna District was thereafter part of the pre-colonialJaffna kingdom.[5] The district then came underPortuguese,Dutch andBritish control. In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island ofCeylon. They divided the island into three ethnic-based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. Jaffna District was part of the Tamil administration. In 1833, in accordance with the recommendations of theColebrooke-Cameron Commission, the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces.[6] Jaffna District, together withMannar District and Vanni District, formed the newNorthern Province.[7] At the time thatCeylon gained independence, Jaffna was one of the three districts located in the Northern Province. Parts of the district were transferred to newly createdMullaitivu District in September 1978.Kilinochchi District was carved out of the southern part of Jaffna District in February 1984.
Jaffna District is located in the far north of Sri Lanka in the Northern Province and occupies most of theJaffna Peninsula. It has an area of 1,025 square kilometres (396 sq mi).[2] It is divided into four areas geographically:
Jaffna District is divided into 15Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent).[8] The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 435Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).[8]
Most of the current divisions and their borders date back to Dutch colonial rule in the 18th century.[9][10]
| DS Division | Main Town | Divisional Secretary | GN Divisions [8] | Area (km2) [8][11] | Population (2012 Census)[12] | Population Density (/km2) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lankan Tamil | Sinhalese | Sri Lankan Moors | Indian Tamil | Other | Total | ||||||
| Delft | A. Siri | 6 | 45 | 3,780 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3,819 | 85 | |
| Islands North | Kayts | Anton Yoganayagam | 15 | 30 | 9,846 | 129 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 9,997 | 333 |
| Islands South | Velanai | Manchulathevi Satheesan | 30 | 78 | 16,379 | 6 | 125 | 15 | 0 | 16,525 | 212 |
| Jaffna | Jaffna | Sugunarathy Theivendram | 28 | 17 | 48,413 | 504 | 1,682 | 104 | 56 | 50,759 | 2,986 |
| Karainagar | Karainagar | Thevanthini Babu | 9 | 22 | 9,533 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 9,544 | 434 |
| Nallur | Nallur | Palasingam Senthilnanthanan | 40 | 38 | 67,777 | 199 | 45 | 21 | 6 | 68,048 | 1,791 |
| Thenmarachchi | Chavakachcheri | Anjalidevi Santhaseelan | 60 | 221 | 64,162 | 247 | 62 | 169 | 45 | 64,685 | 293 |
| Vadamarachchi East | Maruthankerney | Nadarajah Thirulinganathan | 18 | 179 | 12,718 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 12,738 | 71 |
| Vadamarachchi North | Point Pedro | R. T. Jeyaseelan | 35 | 29 | 47,183 | 167 | 12 | 26 | 1 | 47,389 | 1,634 |
| Vadamarachchi South West | Karaveddy | S. Sivasri | 35 | 88 | 45,495 | 73 | 18 | 38 | 4 | 45,628 | 519 |
| Valikamam East | Kopay | Maruthalingam Pradeepan | 31 | 102 | 72,908 | 252 | 101 | 35 | 2 | 73,298 | 719 |
| Valikamam North | Tellippalai | Kanagarajah Shrimohanan | 45 | 57 | 28,179 | 1,336 | 21 | 4 | 6 | 29,546 | 518 |
| Valikamam South | Uduvil | M. Nanthagopalan | 30 | 30 | 52,574 | 190 | 44 | 25 | 0 | 52,833 | 1,761 |
| Valikamam South West | Sandilipay | Subramaniyam Muralitharan | 28 | 45 | 52,039 | 159 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 52,226 | 1,161 |
| Valikamam West | Chankanai | Shanmugarajah Balaruban | 25 | 44 | 46,260 | 65 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 46,343 | 1,053 |
| Total | 435 | 1,025 | 577,246 | 3,366 | 2,139 | 499 | 128 | 583,378 | 569 | ||
Jaffna District's population was 583,378 in 2012.[3] It is one of the most densely populated districts of Sri Lanka. The population of the district is almost exclusively Sri Lankan Tamil.
The population of the district, like the rest of the north andeast of Sri Lanka, has been heavily affected by thecivil war. The war killed an estimated 100,000 people.[13] Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million,emigrated to theWest during the war.[14] Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capitalColombo. Most of the Sri Lankan Moors and Sinhalese who lived in the district fled to other parts of Sri Lanka or were forcibly expelled by the rebelLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
| Year | Tamil[b] | Sinhalese | Muslim[c] | Other | Total No. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | ||
| 1881 Census | 261,902 | 98.61% | 80 | 0.03% | 2,648 | 1.00% | 953 | 0.36% | 265,583 |
| 1891 Census | 275,227 | 98.55% | 131 | 0.05% | 3,049 | 1.09% | 877 | 0.31% | 279,284 |
| 1901 Census | 296,805 | 98.66% | 226 | 0.08% | 3,078 | 1.02% | 742 | 0.25% | 300,851 |
| 1911 Census | 321,908 | 98.53% | 403 | 0.12% | 3,485 | 1.07% | 916 | 0.28% | 326,712 |
| 1921 Census | 324,874 | 98.29% | 1,042 | 0.32% | 3,748 | 1.13% | 877 | 0.27% | 330,541 |
| 1946 Census | 413,264 | 97.29% | 4,546 | 1.07% | 5,620 | 1.32% | 1,358 | 0.32% | 424,788 |
| 1963 Census | 597,920 | 97.50% | 5,630 | 0.92% | 8,600 | 1.40% | 1,080 | 0.18% | 613,230 |
| 1971 Census | 673,043 | 95.56% | 20,402 | 2.90% | 10,312 | 1.46% | 593 | 0.08% | 704,350 |
| 1981 Census | 812,247 | 97.73% | 4,615 | 0.56% | 13,757 | 1.66% | 493 | 0.06% | 831,112 |
| 1997 Estimate | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 466,937 |
| 1998 Estimate | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 457,264 |
| 1999 Estimate | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 491,007 |
| 2000 Estimate | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 502,356 |
| 2001 Estimate[d] | 541,133 | 99.95% | 49 | 0.01% | 201 | 0.04% | 0 | 0.00% | 541,383 |
| 2002 Estimate | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 574,164 |
| 2003 Estimate | 590,299 | 99.74% | 40 | 0.01% | 1,241 | 0.21% | 248 | 0.04% | 591,828 |
| 2004 Estimate | 583,064 | 99.73% | 88 | 0.02% | 1,384 | 0.24% | 131 | 0.02% | 584,667 |
| 2005 Estimate | 595,651 | 99.69% | 75 | 0.01% | 1,705 | 0.29% | 69 | 0.01% | 597,500 |
| 2006 Estimate | 650,339 | 99.72% | 54 | 0.01% | 1,725 | 0.26% | 66 | 0.01% | 652,184 |
| 2007 Enumeration | 559,188 | 99.92% | 67 | 0.01% | 350 | 0.06% | 14 | 0.00% | 559,619 |
| 2008 Estimate | 559,665 | 99.91% | 29 | 0.01% | 452 | 0.08% | 50 | 0.01% | 560,196 |
| 2009 Estimate | 623,841 | 99.87% | 26 | 0.00% | 777 | 0.12% | 0 | 0.00% | 624,644 |
| 2011 Enumeration | 564,455 | 99.51% | 746 | 0.13% | 1,874 | 0.33% | 154 | 0.03% | 567,229 |
| 2012 Census | 577,745 | 99.03% | 3,366 | 0.58% | 2,139 | 0.37% | 128 | 0.02% | 583,378 |
| Year | Hindu | Christian[e] | Buddhist | Muslim | Others | Total No. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | ||
| 1971 Census | 585,418 | 83.11% | 85,031 | 12.08% | 18,210 | 2.59% | 15,520 | 2.20% | 171 | 0.02% | 704,350 |
| 1981 Census | 705,705 | 84.97% | 104,766 | 12.61% | 5,104 | 0.61% | 14,844 | 1.79% | 133 | 0.02% | 830,552 |
| 2008 Estimate | 484,308 | 86.45% | 75,357 | 13.45% | 29 | 0.01% | 452 | 0.08% | 50 | 0.01% | 560,196 |
| 2012 Census | 483,900 | 82.95% | 94,146 | 16.14% | 2,533 | 0.43% | 2,455 | 0.42% | 344 | 0.06% | 583,378 |
Jaffna District has 17local authorities of which one is a Municipal Council, three are Urban Councils and the remaining 13 are Divisional Councils (Pradesha Sabhai or Pradeshiya Sabha).[8]
On 18 October 2016, Jaffna District twinned with theRoyal Borough of Kingston upon Thames inLondon.[21] This has been a milestone to build “greater understanding and sharing knowledge” in the fields of governance, healthcare and education.[22]
| Central Province |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Province | ||
| North Central Province | ||
| Northern Province | ||
| North Western Province | ||
| Sabaragamuwa Province | ||
| Southern Province | ||
| Uva Province | ||
| Western Province | ||
Topics onNorthern Province, Sri Lanka | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History |  | ||||||||||
| Geography |
| ||||||||||
| Politics | |||||||||||
| Economy |
| ||||||||||
| Society |
| ||||||||||
| Symbols | |||||||||||
| Geographic | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
