Karaitivu ( ta, காரைதீவு, translit=Kāraitīvu; si, කාර දිවයින ''Kãra Divaina'') is an
island off the coast of
Jaffna peninsula in northern
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, located approximately north-west of the city of
Jaffna.
Etymology
Present Karaitivu has been identified with ancient Kãra Divaina (the Island of Kãra). This island is referred to in the 12th-century Rameswaram
Sinhala inscription of
King Nissankamalla (1187-1196 A.D.) as "Kãra Divaina". The Nampota, an ancient Sinhala text written after the 14th century also mentions this island as Kãra Divaina.
Karaitivu means "the island of karai shrubs" in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nati ...
and is derived from the Tamil words ''karai'' (Webera tetrandra, a thorny shrub from the family
Rubiaceae) and ''tivu'' (island). The island was known as Amsterdam during
Dutch colonial rule.
The island
Extended in an area of , the island is divided into nine
village officer divisions whose combined population was 9,576 at the 2012 census.
Karaitivu is connected to Jaffna peninsula by a
causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
and there is a
ferry
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
service from
Kayts on the neighbouring island of
Velanaitivu.
Karainagar
Karainagar ( ta, காரை நகர்) (pronounced Kaarai-Nagar) is located 20 km from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, on the Karaitivu (Island). In Tamil, it means the many karai trees but also means the coast, as derived from the Tamil word 'kad ...
is the main settlement on the island. The popular
Casuarina Beach
Casuarina Beach is in Karainagar, Jaffna District, Sri Lanka, about from Jaffna. The Casuarina Beach in Karainagar is also called and written as Casoorina, Cashoorina and few other variants. This is considered to be the best beach in the Jaf ...
is located on the island.
References
External links
*
Islands of Jaffna District
Karainagar DS Division
{{NorthernLK-geo-stub