Country Sri Lanka Time zone Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30) Area 1,025 km² Province Northern Province | Capital Jaffna Post Codes 40000-40999 Area code 021 ISO 3166 code Sri Lanka | |
 | ||
DS Division List
Delft
Islands North
Islands South
Jaffna
Karativu
Nallur
Thenmarachchi
Vadamarachchi East
Vadamarachchi North
Vadamarachchi SW
Valikamam East
Valikamam North
Valikamam South
Valikamam SW
Valikamam West Area rank 24th (1.56% of total area) Colleges and Universities University of Jaffna, Jaffna Hindu College, Union College - Tellippalai Points of interest Nallur Kandaswamy temple, Archaeological Museum - Jaffna, Jaffna Public Library, Jaffna Fort, Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman T | ||
Jaffna District (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாவட்டம் Yāḻppāṇam Māvaṭṭam; Sinhalese: යාපනය දිස්ත්රික්කය yāpanaya distrikkaya) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the city of Jaffna.
Contents
- Map of Jaffna Sri Lanka
- History
- Geography
- Administrative units
- Population
- Local government
- International Partnership
- References
Map of Jaffna, Sri Lanka
History
Between the 5th century BC and the 13th century AD present day Jaffna District was part of Rajarata. Jaffna District was thereafter part of the pre-colonial Jaffna kingdom. The district then came under Portuguese, Dutch and British control. In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island of Ceylon. 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 the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission, the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces. Jaffna District, together with Mannar District and Vanni District, formed the new Northern Province. At the time that Ceylon gained independence, Jaffna was one of the three districts located in the Northern Province. Parts of the district were transferred to newly created Mullaitivu District in September 1978. Kilinochchi District was carved out of the southern part of Jaffna District in February 1984.
Geography
Jaffna District is located in the far north of Sri Lanka in the Northern Province and occupies most of the Jaffna Peninsula. It has an area of 1,025 square kilometres (396 sq mi). It is divided into four areas geographically:
Administrative units
Jaffna District is divided into 15 Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent). The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 435 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).
Population
Jaffna District's population was 583,378 in 2012. 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 and east of Sri Lanka, has been heavily affected by the civil war. The war killed an estimated 100,000 people. Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated to the West during the war. Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capital Colombo. 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 rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Local government
Jaffna District has 17 local authorities of which one is a Municipal Council, three are Urban Councils and the remaining 13 are Divisional Councils (Pradesha Sabhai or Pradeshiya Sabha).
International Partnership
As of 18 October 2016, Jaffna District has twinned with The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. This has been a milestone to build “greater understanding and sharing knowledge” in the fields of governance, healthcare and education.