15 Interesting Facts About Jaffna

Facts About Jaffna

Facts About Jaffna

  • Jaffna is known in Tamil as Yalpanam and earlier known as Yalpanapattinam. A 15th-century inscription of the Vijayanagara Empire mentions the place as Yalpaanayanpaddinam.
  • Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.
  • In December 2004 the city was hit by a large tsunami triggered by a strong earthquake in the Indian Ocean near Indonesia that caused widespread death and destruction.
  • Jaffna’s suburb Nallur served as the capital of the four-century-long medieval Jaffna Kingdom.
  • Megalithic excavations reveal settlements of an early period in this region.
  • The estimated population of Jaffna is 88,138.
  • Since 2017 an express ferry service connects Jaffna with Delft islands.
  • Jaffna is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name.
  • Jaffna is twinned with Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States & Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom.
  • The primary railway station in the city is the Jaffna Railway Station.
  • Prior to the Sri Lankan civil war, it was Sri Lanka’s second most populated city after the commercial capital Colombo.
  • Jaffna city was founded as a trading town by European merchants.
  • Jaffna is Sri Lanka’s 12th largest city.
  • The city is surrounded by Jaffna Lagoon to its west and south, Kokkuvil and Thirunelveli to the north, and Nallur to the east.
  • Jaffna has 160 km of coastline and is almost completely surrounded by ocean.
Facts About Jaffna
Facts About Jaffna