Jaffna (District)

Coordinates: 9 ° 39 ′  N , 80 ° 1 ′  E

Jaffna district யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாவட்டம் යාපනය දිස්ත්රික්කය
Province :	Northern Province
Administrative headquarters :	Jaffna
Area :	1,025 km²
of which land area:	929 km²
of which inland waters:	96 km²
Residents :	583071
Population density :	628 inhabitants / km²
Website :	ds.gov.lk/dist_jaffna

The Jaffna district ( Tamil யாழ்ப்பாணம் மாவட்டம் Yāḻppāṇam māvaṭṭam , Sinhala යාපනය දිස්ත්රික්කය yāpanaya distrikkaya ) is a district in Northern Province Sri Lanka . The main town is the eponymous city of Jaffna . Jaffna District covers an area of ​​1,025 square kilometers and has a population of 583,071 (2012 census). Almost all of the residents are Sri Lankan Tamils . The Jaffna district was one of the areas affected by the civil war in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009 .

geography

The Jaffna District is the northernmost district of Sri Lanka and belongs to the Northern Province . In the south it borders the Kilinochchi district , in the east lies the coast of the Bay of Bengal and in the west the Palk Bay between Sri Lanka and India .

A small island off the coast of Jaffna District

With an area of ​​1,025 square kilometers (of which 929 square kilometers land and 96 square kilometers inland water), the Jaffna district is the second smallest district in Sri Lanka after the Colombo district. The district area includes most of the Jaffna Peninsula and some offshore islands. The Jaffna Peninsula is a flat stretch of land that is only connected to the rest of the island by the Elephant Pass . The terrain on the Jaffna Peninsula is very flat - the highest point is only 12 meters above sea level - and is interspersed with numerous lagoons and salt pans . The coast of the Bay of Bengal runs straight to Point Pedro in a west-east direction and then bends to the south-east. In the southwest, between the Jaffna Peninsula and Palk Bay, lies the Jaffna lagoon, separated by several offshore islands . Southwest of the Jaffna Peninsula are the eight islands of Mandaitheevu , Velanai (Kayts), Karaitheevu , Punkudutheevu , Nainatheevu , Analaitheevu , Eluvaitheevu and Neduntheevu (Delft).

history

Between the 13th and 17th centuries, the area of ​​what is now Jaffna District was part of the Jaffna Kingdom . In 1619 Jaffna was conquered by the Portuguese , who were ousted by the Dutch in 1658 . In 1796 Jaffna and the rest of the Dutch possessions on Ceylon fell to the British . Jaffna District was established as an administrative district during the British colonial era. With the reorganization of the Ceylon provinces, he came to the Northern Province in 1833 . At the time of Ceylon independence in 1948, Jaffna was one of three districts in the Northern Province. In 1978 parts of the Jaffna district were added to the newly established Mullaitivu district, and in 1984 the Kilinochchi district was formed from its southern part .

Jaffna District is one of the areas claimed by Tamil separatists as part of an independent Tamil Eelam state and was severely affected by the civil war in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009 . In the early stages of the civil war, the district was controlled by the rebels of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). After the intervention of India, the troops of the Indian Peace Keeping Force captured the Jaffna Peninsula in October 1987. In 1990 the Indian peacekeeping forces withdrew from Sri Lanka and Jaffna came under the control of the LTTE again. An attempt by the LTTE to conquer the strategically important elephant pass , which controls access to the Jaffna Peninsula, failed in 1991. In 1995, government troops conquered the entire Jaffna Peninsula. The city of Jaffna remained in government hands until the end of the civil war, but was cut off from the rest of the island when the LTTE took the elephant pass in 2000. An LTTE offensive on the Jaffna Peninsula failed in 2006. The civil war ended in 2009 with the military victory of government troops over the LTTE.

The Jaffna District was badly affected by the 2004 tsunami . The tidal wave hit the district's coast with full force and caused severe damage: 2,640 people were killed in Jaffna district, 1,240 were reported missing and 41,000 lost their homes.

population

Fishermen on Karainagar Island

According to the 2012 census, the Jaffna district has a population of 583,882. More than half of the population of the Northern Province live in Jaffna District. With 929 inhabitants per square kilometer it is heavily populated and the population density is well above the Sri Lankan average (325 inhabitants per square kilometer). Of the residents, 274,173 (46.96%) were male and 309,709 (53.04%) were female. The population is very young. This is illustrated by a look at the age distribution.

Age	0–9 years	10–19 years	20-29 years	30–39 years	40-49 years	50–59 years	60–79 years	80 years and more
number	90,858	106,924	97,488	77,563	62,982	63,633	76,374	8,060
proportion of	15.56%	18.31%	16.70%	13.28%	10.79%	10.90%	13.08%	1.38%

District population by ethnic group

Almost the entire population of Jaffna District is Sri Lankan Tamils. All other ethnic groups are very small.

Sri Lankan Tamils The Sri Lankan Tamils are clearly the largest ethnic group. Their share ranges between 95.62% in Jaffna and 99.57% in Vadamaradchi South-West.

Sinhalese The proportion of Sinhalese is very small. The 1881 census showed a number of 80 Sinhalese (0.03% of the population). Until independence in 1948, this proportion rose only slightly. After 1963 there was an increase in the settlement of members of this ethnic group, but their proportion in today's area has always remained low. Many Sinhalese new settlers turned their backs on the fighting area during the civil war. The Sinhalese population ranges from 0.10% in Karainagar to 1.51% in Valikamam North.

Moors The third strongest ethnic group are the Moors or Tamil-speaking Muslims. Due to displacement during the civil war, their numbers fell massively. Their share ranges from 0.00% (not a single person) in Delft to 3.35% in Jaffna. The majority of the members of their ethnic group live in the divisions of Jaffna (78% of all moors) and Island South (7% of all moors).

Indian Tamils The Tamils ​​of Indian descent are descendants of immigrants from India during British colonial rule. At the 1946 census, their share of the population in what was then Jaffna District was only 0.99% (or around 4,200 people). This value rose to 2.6% (or 18,033 people) by 1971. Their number rose steadily until the beginning of the civil war, but their share of the population declined from 1971 onwards. Today, their ethnic group has almost completely disappeared. Members of their community are spread across all fifteen divisions. Today, however, their number is below 1% of the respective population.

Other ethnic groups The Burgher, Malays, Sri Lanka Chetties, Bharatas and Indian Moors were and are small minorities.

year	Sinhalese 1		Sri Lankan Tamils 2		Tamils 2		Moors 3		Burgher		Malays		Others 4		Total
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
1981	6,659	0.80%	790.385	95.16%	19,980	2.40%	12,958	1.56%	383	0.05%	72	0.01%	115	0.01%	830.552	100.00%
2012	2,284	0.39%	577,338	98.88%	1,807	0.31%	2.162	0.37%	126	0.02%	23	0.00%	142	0.02%	583,882	100.00%
Source: Sri Lankan censuses in 1981 and 2012

¹ Lowland and Kandy Sinhalese together ² Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils separately ³ only Sri Lankan moors ⁴ thereof 2012 23 Sri Lanka Chetty and 22 Bharathas

Population of the district by confession

The distribution of creeds is only partly a reflection of ethnic relationships. On closer inspection, there are significant differences from the rest of the country. The Hinduism , the Sri Lankan and the vast majority of Indian Tamils belongs is in Jaffna district the strongest faith. However, there are major differences within the fifteen divisions. In the Delft (38% Hindus and 62% Christian among the Tamils) and Jaffna (39% Hindus and 61% Christian among the Tamils) divisions, a majority of the Tamils ​​are Christian. The situation is completely different in the Karainagar division (96% Hindus and 4% Christians among the Tamils). In third place is Islam , to which the Moors and Malays belong. The Buddhism is the fourth-largest religious group. However, around 95,000 Tamils ​​(around 16% of their ethnic group) belong to Christianity . That is why Christians are the second largest religious community. From 1981 to 2012 there were huge shifts within Christianity. At the 1981 census, more than 91% of Christians were members of the Roman Catholic Church. In 2012 fewer than 79% of Christians were Catholics. Protestant free churches (Adventists, Pentecostals, etc.) are gaining more and more followers. In addition to the flight of Tamils ​​into exile, this is the reason for the decline in the number of Catholics (1981–2012: -21%) - while the number of Protestants rose by 124% over the same period.

year	Buddhists		Hindus		Muslims		Catholics		other Christs		Other		Total
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
1981	5,104	0.61%	705.705	84.97%	14,844	1.79%	95,613	11.51%	9,153	1.10%	133	0.00%	830.552	100.00%
2012	2.168	0.37%	483.255	82.77%	2,363	0.40%	75,474	12.93%	20,511	3.51%	111	0.02%	583,882	100.00%
Source: Sri Lankan censuses in 1981 and 2012

Population development

War damage in Jaffna district (2010)

The population of Jaffna District grew rapidly for decades. The civil war in Sri Lanka has had a significant impact on the demographics of the district. In 1981, the year of the last census before the outbreak of the civil war, the Jaffna district still had 738,788 inhabitants within its current boundaries. The population of the district declined by around 21 percent between 1981 and 2012, while the total population of Sri Lanka rose by 37 percent in the same period.

According to government statistics, there were 89,891 refugees and returnees living in Jaffna District in 2012. These included 8,743 refugees from other areas of Sri Lanka and 81,148 people were resettled after being previously displaced.

Note: with Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu until 1971, with Kilinochchi until 1981

current area for 1981, 2007 and 2012

Significant places

The district is rural. The only major city in the Jaffna district is the district capital Jaffna. Other urban settlements are Chavakacheri , Point Pedro , Valvettiturai and Pandatheruppu .

Local administration

The head of the district holds the title of District Secretary . The district is divided into fifteen divisions ( DS Divisions ), each reporting to a Divisional Secretary . The divisions are further divided into a total of 435 GN divisions , each headed by a Grama Niladhari (village captain). The district has 1,400 villages.

The DS Divisions in Jaffna District

Surname	main place	Residents 2012	Area in km²	density	GN	Villages
Delft	Delft	3,824	45	85	6th	25th
Islands North	Kayts	9,876	30th	329	15th	54
Islands South	Velanai	16,742	78	215	30th	73
Jaffna	Jaffna	50,491	17th	2,970	28	53
Karainagar	Karainagar	9,576	22nd	435	9	87
Nallur	Nallur	68.142	38	1,793	40	58
Thenmarachchi	Chavakachcheri	64,704	221	293	60	142
Vadamarachchi East	Maruthankerny	12,766	179	71	18th	44
Vadamarachchi North	Point Pedro	47,565	29	1,640	35	107
Vadamarachchi South-West	Karaveddy	45,730	88	520	35	170
Valikamam East	Kopay	73.225	102	718	31	102
Valikamam North	Tellippalai	29,518	57	518	45	160
Valikamam South	Uduvil	53,016	30th	1,767	30th	147
Valikamam South-West	Sandilipay	52,269	45	1,185	28	74
Valikamam West	Chankanai	46,438	44	1,055	25th	76
Jaffna District	Jaffna	583,882	929	629	435	1,400

Web links

Commons : Jaffna District  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Website of the district (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Statistical Abstract 2010. Chapter I - Area and Climate. 1.1. Area of ​​Sri Lanka by Province and District. ( Memento of the original from November 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 43 kB) Department of Census and Statistics  
2. ↑ Final result of the 2012 census
3. ^ Map of the ethnic distribution after the 2012 census
4. ↑ Jaffna District data based on the 2012 census
5. ^ Map of religious distribution after the 2012 census
6. ↑ Jaffna District data based on the 2012 census
7. ↑ Migrants by reason of migration and district.
8. ^ Enumeration of Vital Events 2011, Northern Province, p. 22
9. ^ Department of Census and Statistics: Number of GN by DS. ( MS Excel ; 25 kB)
10. ↑ Information from the Jaffna District Secretariat
11. ↑ Population according to the 2012 census
12. ↑ Department of Census and Statistics: Land area by province, district and divisional secretariat division, Table 1.2 ( Memento of the original from February 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 175 kB)