Vadamarachchi lagoon
The Vadamarachchi Lagoon ( Tamil : வடமராட்சி கடல் நீரேரி Vaṭamarāṭci kaṭal nīrēri ) or Thondamannar Lagoon (Tamil: தொண்டைமானாறு கடல் நீரேரி Toṇṭaimāṉāṟu kaṭal nīrēri ) is a lagoon on the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka .
The Vadamarachchi Lagoon is located in the interior of the Jaffna Peninsula. It is elongated in shape and runs parallel to the coast of the Bay of Bengal . The lagoon measures around 50 kilometers from northwest to southeast, and the area is around 78 square kilometers. The Vadamarachchi Lagoon separates the Vadamarachchi region from the Thenmarachchi region in the south and the Vallikamam region in the west. In the northwest there is a connection to the open sea, in the southwest the Vadamarachchi lagoon is connected to the Uppu-Aru lagoon . At the southeast end of the lagoon, the connection to the sea is interrupted by a dam. The Vadamarachchi lagoon is overgrown with seaweed and bordered by mangroves . There are extensive mudflats in the west and east . The water becomes increasingly brackish from west to east and reaches an average depth of two meters during the rainy season. During the dry season from April to September, the south-eastern part of the lagoon is largely dry.
The Vadamarachchi Lagoon is home to numerous water birds, including the greater flamingo . Other species of birds that can be seen in winter are the pintail , teal, and wigeon .
Web links
- SW Kotagama, Leonard Pinto & Jayampathi L. Samarakoon: Sri Lanka. Weltlands International. Pp. 14-15. (PDF; 398 kB)
Coordinates: 9 ° 42 ′ 0 ″ N , 80 ° 18 ′ 0 ″ E