Jaffna District
| Jaffna District யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாவட்டம் යාපනය දිස්ත්රික්කය |
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| — Administrative District — | |
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| Coordinates: 09°40′N 80°10′E / 9.667°N 80.167°ECoordinates: 09°40′N 80°10′E / 9.667°N 80.167°E | |
| Country |  Sri Lanka |
| Province | Northern |
| Created | |
| Capital | Jaffna |
| Divisional Secretariats | |
| Government | |
| • District Secretary | Emelda Sukumar |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,025 km2 (395.8 sq mi) |
| • Land | 929 km2 (358.7 sq mi) |
| • Water | 96 km2 (37.1 sq mi) 9.37% |
| Area rank | 24th (1.56% of total area) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 559,619 |
| • Density | 546/km2 (1,414.1/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity(2007)[1] | |
| • Sri Lankan Tamil | 559,142 (99.91%) |
| • Moor | 350 (0.06%) |
| • Sinhalese | 67 (0.01%) |
| • Indian Tamil | 46 (0.01%) |
| • Other | 14 (0.00%) |
| Religion | |
| • Hindu | |
| • Catholic | |
| • Muslim | |
| • Buddhist | |
| • Other | |
| Time zone | Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30) |
| 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 மாவட்டம் Yāl̮ppāṇam, Sinhala: යාපනය දිස්ත්රික්කය Yāpanaya) is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. 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 headquarters is located in Jaffna city. 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.
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[edit] History
The Jaffna district occupies the land that constituted the pre-colonial Jaffna kingdom.[2] Important Hindu temples such as Nainativu Nagapoosani Amman Temple, Naguleswaram, Nallur Kanthaswamy temple, Maviddapuram kanthaswamy temple, Selvachannithy, Vallipuram and Buddhist Nagadweepa Vihara are located in the Jaffna District. At the time that Sri Lanka gained independence, Jaffna was one of the three districts located in the Northern Province. Parts of the Jaffna District were redistricted with the creation of the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts.
[edit] 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).[3] It is divided into four areas geographically:
- Thenmarachchi or Thenmaradchi
- Vadamarachchi or Vadamaradchi
- Valikamam or Valikamam
- Jaffna Islands
[edit] Administrative units
Jaffna district is divided into 15 Divisional Secretary's (DS) Divisions, each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent).[4] The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 435 Grama Niladhari (GN) Divisions (villages).[4]
| DS Division | Main Town | GN Divisions[4] |
Area (km2)[5] |
Population (2007 Estimate)[1] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lankan Tamil |
Sri Lankan Moor |
Sinhalese | Indian Tamil |
Burgher | Other | Total | ||||
| Delft (Neduntivu) | 6 | 49.5 | 4,124 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4,124 | |
| Islands North | Kayts | 15 | 43.8 | 13,740 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13,740 |
| Islands South | Velanai | 30 | 98.4 | 12,243 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12,247 |
| Jaffna | Jaffna | 28 | 21.7 | 48,570 | 283 | 29 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 48,889 |
| Karainagar (Karativu) | Karainagar | 9 | 21.7 | 8,856 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8,860 |
| Nallur | Nallur | 40 | 27.4 | 60,021 | 22 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 60,066 |
| Thenmarachchi | Chavakachcheri | 60 | 229.4 | 55,469 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55,478 |
| Vadamarachchi East | Maruthankerney | 18 | 118.5 | 16,326 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16,326 |
| Vadamarachchi North | Point Pedro | 35 | 54.2 | 43,520 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43,525 |
| Vadamarachchi South‐West | Karaveddy | 35 | 65.9 | 46,322 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46,328 |
| Valikamam East | Kopay | 31 | 102.2 | 71,075 | 14 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 71,095 |
| Valikamam North | Tellippalai | 45 | 61.1 | 23,997 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 24,010 |
| Valikamam South | Uduvil | 30 | 32.3 | 50,991 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 51,009 |
| Valikamam South‐West | Sandilipay | 28 | 50.2 | 56,877 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 56,911 |
| Valikamam West | Chankanai | 25 | 49.30 | 47,011 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47,011 |
| Total | 435 | 1,025.6 | 559,142 | 350 | 67 | 46 | 8 | 6 | 559,619 | |
[edit] Demographics
[edit] Population
Jaffna district's population was 650,720 in 2009.[6] 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, has been heavily affected by the civil war. The war has killed an estimated 70,000 people.[7] Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as 400,000,[8] have emigrated to the West since the start of the war. There are a further 800,000 internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka, many of them living in refugee camps in the North and East and depending on aid provided by NGOs.[9] There are approximately 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees in India.[10] Many Sri Lankan Tamils have also moved to the relative safety of Colombo. The war has also caused almost all of the Sri Lankan Moors and Sinhalese who lived in the district to flee to other parts of Sri Lanka.
[edit] Ethnicity
| Year | Sri Lankan Tamil | Sri Lankan Moors | Sinhalese | Others | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1881 Census | 261,902 | 98.61% | 2,648 | 1.00% | 80 | 0.03% | 953 | 0.36% | 265,583 | 100.00% |
| 1891 Census | 275,227 | 98.55% | 3,049 | 1.09% | 131 | 0.05% | 877 | 0.31% | 279,284 | 100.00% |
| 1901 Census | 296,805 | 98.66% | 3,078 | 1.02% | 226 | 0.08% | 742 | 0.25% | 300,851 | 100.00% |
| 1911 Census | 321,908 | 98.53% | 3,485 | 1.07% | 403 | 0.12% | 916 | 0.28% | 326,712 | 100.00% |
| 1921 Census | 324,874 | 98.29% | 3,748 | 1.13% | 1,042 | 0.32% | 877 | 0.27% | 330,541 | 100.00% |
| 1946 Census | 413,264 | 97.29% | 5,620 | 1.32% | 4,546 | 1.07% | 1,358 | 0.32% | 424,788 | 100.00% |
| 1963 Census | 597,920 | 97.50% | 8,600 | 1.40% | 5,630 | 0.92% | 1,080 | 0.18% | 613,230 | 100.00% |
| 1971 Census | 673,043 | 95.56% | 10,312 | 1.46% | 20,402 | 2.90% | 593 | 0.08% | 704,350 | 100.00% |
| 1981 Census | 812,247 | 97.73% | 13,757 | 1.66% | 4,615 | 0.56% | 493 | 0.06% | 831,112 | 100.00% |
| 2001 Estimate1, 2 | 541,133 | 99.95% | 201 | 0.04% | 49 | 0.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 541,383 | 100.00% |
| 2007 Estimate | 559,142 | 99.91% | 350 | 0.06% | 67 | 0.01% | 60 | 0.01% | 559,619 | 100.00% |
| Sources:[1][11] | ||||||||||
1 2001 Census was not carried out in Jaffna district. 2 Kilinochchi district was carved out of the southern part of Jaffna district in February 1984.
[edit] Politics and government
[edit] Local government
Jaffna district has 17 local authorities of which one is a Municipality, three are Urban Councils and the remaining 13 are Pradeshya Sabhas.[12]
| Local Authority | Elected Members |
Area (km2) |
Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chavakachcheri Pradeshya Sabha | 0 | 239.90 | 72,325 |
| Chavakachcheri Urban Council | 0 | 19.40 | 21,693 |
| Delft Pradeshya Sabha | 9 | 47.16 | 5,679 |
| Jaffna Municipal Council | 23 | 20.20 | 83,563 |
| Karinagar Pradeshya Sabha | 0 | 21.30 | 10,873 |
| Kayts Pradeshya Sabha | 5 | 45.11 | 14,709 |
| Nallur Pradeshya Sabha | 12 | 20.59 | 42,451 |
| Point Pedro Pradeshya Sabha | 0 | 220.00 | 47,766 |
| Point Pedro Urban Council | 0 | 11.65 | 20,543 |
| Vadamarachchi South‐West Pradeshya Sabha | 18 | 68.95 | 53,541 |
| Valikamam East Pradeshya Sabha | 21 | 102.20 | 75,935 |
| Valikamam North Pradeshya Sabha | 21 | 58.50 | 26,566 |
| Valikamam South Pradeshya Sabha | 16 | 33.26 | 57,619 |
| Valikamam South‐West Pradeshya Sabha | 16 | 55.24 | 62,201 |
| Valikamam West Pradeshya Sabha | 14 | 47.30 | 47,620 |
| Valvettithurai Urban Council | 9 | 4.85 | 18,000 |
| Velanai Pradeshya Sabha | 11 | 180.00 | 19,725 |
| Source:[12] | |||
[edit] References
- ^ a b c 2007 Estimate - Department of Census & Statistics Special Enumeration 2007
- ^ # Mayilvakanap Pulavar, Matakal (1884-First Edition). The Yalpana Vaipava Malai, or The History of the Kingdom of Jaffna. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. p. 146. ISBN 978-8120613621.
- ^ Department of Census & Statistics Statistical Abstract 2007 (Area & Climate)
- ^ a b c Jaffna District Secretariat Administration Structure (GN Divisions)
- ^ Northern Provincial Council Statistical Handbook 2008 (Geographical)
- ^ http://www.ds.gov.lk/dist_jaffna/english/statistical_info_of_dis_sec.html
- ^ BBC News Quick guide: Sri Lanka
- ^ Sri Lankan Tamil Migration
- ^ UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009 - Sri Lanka
- ^ Acharya, Arunkumar (2007). "Ethnic conflict and refugees in Sri Lanka". Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon
- ^ Northern Provincial Council Statistical Handbook 2008 (Population)
- ^ a b Northern Provincial Council Statistical Handbook 2008 (Administration and Local Government)
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jaffna District |
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