Galle (city)
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| State : |
 Sri Lanka
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| Province : | Southern province | ||
| Surface: | 1652 km² | ||
| Height: | 0 m | ||
| Residents: | 90,934 (2001) | ||
Galle ( Sinhala ගාල්ල, pronounced [ˈgaːlːə] , in English [gɔːl] ; also Gimhatitta ) is a city in southwest Sri Lanka , 116 kilometers from the largest city of Colombo . It is connected to her and to Matara by a railway line along the coast.
The Galle Fortress, built by the Dutch in 1663, is a World Heritage Site like the old town . It is the largest preserved European fortress in South Asia and shows a combination of European architectural elements and Asian traditions. A rampart with a total of 14 bastions surrounds the fortress over a length of almost 3 km. Granite stones and corals were mainly used for the construction.
Another landmark of the city is St. Mary's Cathedral, founded by Jesuits .
Even before the colonization by the Portuguese in 1588, Galle was an important seaport . Persians , Arabs , Greeks , Romans , Malays and Indians traded here briskly. In 1640 the Portuguese capitulated to the Dutch, who made Galle the seat of the governor of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and thus the capital of the Dutch Ceylon . The British , who took over the land from the Dutch in 1796, used the fortress as a local administrative center. In Colombo they established a larger seaport, whereby the port of Galle lost its outstanding importance.
Galle is the seat of the Diocese of Galle .
On December 26, 2004, the city was hit by a devastating tsunami , which killed around 3,900 and caused severe damage (see South Asia earthquake in 2004 ).
climate
Galle has a tropical rainy climate with high temperatures and sufficient rainfall all year round. It is hottest in March and April with around 31 ° C to 32 ° C during the day and 25 ° C to 27 ° C at night. It is coldest in December and January with 30 ° C during the day and 24 ° C at night. It rains all year round, mostly in April and November.
| Galle (1960–1990) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Monthly Average Temperatures and Rainfall for Bile (1960–1990)
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Bile is also affected by climate change, which has caused an enormous increase in temperatures here in particular.
| Galle (2010-2013) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for bile (2010-2013)
Source: www.ogimet.com
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In the fort: view of the lighthouse
Street scene in Galle
Galle Fort with clock tower
Web links
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
- www.tourslanka.com (English)
- CPAmedia Historic Galle (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications. Retrieved on August 24, 2017 .
Heritage: Holy City of Anuradhapura (1982) | Polonnaruwa Old City (1982) | Old City of Sigiriya (1982) | Holy City of Kandy (1988) | Old town of Galle and its fortifications (1988) | Golden Temple of Dambulla (1991)
Natural heritage: Sinharaja Forest Nature Reserve (1988) | Central Highlands of Sri Lanka (2010)