The Northern Province ( ta, வட மாகாணம் ''Vaṭa Mākāṇam''; si, උතුරු පළාත ''Uturu Paḷāta'') is one of the nine
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Sri Lanka, the first level
administrative division
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
of the country. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any
legal status
Legal status is the status or position held by an entity as determined by the law. It includes or entails a set of privileges, obligations, powers or restrictions that a person or thing has as encompassed in or declared by legislation
Legisla ...
until 1987 when the
13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established
provincial councils.
Between 1988 and 2006 the province was temporarily
merged with the
Eastern Province to form the
North Eastern Province. The
capital of the province is
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...
. The majority of the
Sri Lankan Civil War occurred in this province.
History
Parts of present-day Northern Province were part of the pre-colonial
Jaffna kingdom. Other parts were ruled by
Vanniar Chieftains who paid
tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of land which the state conqu ...
to the Jaffna kingdom. The province then came under
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
and
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
control. In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island of
Ceylon. They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. The Northern Province was part of the Tamil administration. In 1833, in accordance with the recommendations of the
Colebrooke-Cameron Commission, the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces. The districts of
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...
,
Mannar, Nuvarakalaviya (present day
Anuradhapura District
Anuradhapura ( si, අනුරාධපුර දිස්ත්රික්කය ''anūrādhapūra distrikkaya''; ta, அனுராதபுரம் மாவட்டம் ''Aṉurātapuram māvaṭṭam'') is a district in North Cent ...
) and Vanni formed the new Northern Province. Nuvarakalaviya was transferred to the newly created
North Central Province in 1873.
The
Indo-Lanka Accord signed on 29 July 1987 required the
Sri Lankan government
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා රජය, Śrī Lankā Rajaya; ta, இலங்கை அரசாங்கம்) is a parliamentary system determined by the Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the isl ...
to
devolve
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories h ...
powers to the provinces and, in the interim, to
merge
Merge, merging, or merger may refer to:
Concepts
* Merge (traffic), the reduction of the number of lanes on a road
* Merge (linguistics), a basic syntactic operation in generative syntax in the Minimalist Program
* Merger (politics), the comb ...
the Northern and Eastern provinces into one
administrative unit
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
. The accord required a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
to be held by 31 December 1988 in the Eastern Province to decide whether the merger should be permanent. Crucially, the accord allowed the
Sri Lankan president
The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...
to postpone the referendum at his discretion.
On 14 November 1987 the
Sri Lankan Parliament passed the 13th
Amendment An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. The ...
to the
1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act No 42 of 1987, establishing provincial councils.
[ On September 2 and 8 1988 President Jayewardene issued ]proclamations
A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...
enabling the Northern and Eastern provinces to be one administrative unit administered by one elected Council. The North-East Province was born.
The proclamations were only meant to be a temporary measure until a referendum was held in the Eastern Province on a permanent merger between the two provinces. However, the referendum was never held and successive Sri Lankan presidents issued proclamations annually extending the life of the "temporary" entity.
The merger was bitterly opposed by Sri Lankans. The combined North-East Province occupied one fourth of Sri Lanka. The thought of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
controlling this province, directly or indirectly, alarmed them greatly. On 14 July 2006, after a long campaign against the merger, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP; ) is a Marxist–Leninist communist party and a former militant organization in Sri Lanka. The movement was involved in two armed uprisings against the government of Sri Lanka: once in 1971 (SLFP), and anothe ...
political party filed three separate petitions with the Supreme Court requesting a separate provincial council for the East.[ On 16 October 2006 the Supreme Court ruled that the proclamations issued by President Jayewardene were null and void and had no legal effect.][ The North-East Province was formally de-merged into the Northern and Eastern provinces on 1 January 2007.
Much of the Northern Province was under the control of rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for many years during the ]civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. The entire province was recaptured by the Sri Lankan military in 2009.
While the Northern province has seen an era of peace after the end of the war the scars left by the war still remain. Despite the large amount of infrastructure projects undertaken by the Rajapaksa government at the cost of over $3 Billion the projects have been unable to create new jobs and as a result the province is suffering from extreme levels on unemployment.
In late 2014, former President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa imposed a travel ban to prevent foreigners from traveling to the former war zone in the province. This ban was lifted three months later by the newly elected president Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி ...
.
Due to its large 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, nativ ...
population, the Northern Province is sometimes referred to as Sri Lanka's Tamil country.
Geography
Northern Province is located in the north of Sri Lanka and is just from India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is connected with Indian mainland by Adam's Bridge
Adam's Bridge, '; ta, ஆதாம் பாலம் ' also known as Rama's Bridge or ''Rama Setu'', '; ta, ராமர் பாலம் '; sa, रामसेतु ' is a chain of natural limestone shoals, between Pamban Island, ...
(also known as Sethu Paalam or Rama's Bridge). It has an area of .
The province is surrounded by the Gulf of Mannar
The Gulf of Mannar ( ) is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean with an average depth of . and Palk Bay
Palk Bay is a semi-enclosed shallow water body between the southeast coast of India and Sri Lanka, with a water depth maximum of 13 m. Palk Bay is located between 8° 50′ and 10° North latitudes and 78° 50′ and 80° 30′ East longitud ...
to the west, Palk Strait
The Palk Strait ( ta, பாக்கு நீரிணை ''Pākku Nīriṇai'', si, පෝක් සමුද්ර සන්ධිය ''Pok Samudra Sandhiya'') is a strait between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Jaffna Distri ...
to the north west, the Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line betwee ...
to the north and east and the Eastern, North Central and North Western provinces to the south.
The province is divided into two distinct geographic areas: Jaffna peninsula and the Vanni. Jaffna peninsula is irrigated by underground aquifers
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...
fed by wells whereas the Vanni has irrigation tank
In Sri Lanka and India an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. They are part of a historic tradition of harvesting and preserving rainwater in the region. Often an embankment such as a mud bank was constructed across a sl ...
s fed by perennial river
A perennial stream is a stream that has continuous flow of surface water throughout the year in at least parts of its catchment during seasons of normal rainfall, Water Supply Paper 494. as opposed to one whose flow is intermittent. In the abse ...
s. Major rivers include: Akkarayan Aru
Akkarayan Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in north-west Mullaitivu District, before flowing north through Mullaitivu District and Kilinochchi District. The river empties into Jaffna Lagoon.
See also
* List of r ...
, Aruvi Aru
The Malwathu Oya ( si, මල්වතු ඔය Malwathu Oya, ta, அருவி ஆறு Aruvi Aru), at long, is the second longest river in Sri Lanka. The river originates in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka and enters the sea on ...
, Kanakarayan Aru, Kodalikkallu Aru, Mandekal Aru, Nay Aru, Netheli Aru, Pali Aru, Pallavarayankaddu Aru
Pallavarayankaddu Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in western Mullaitivu District, before flowing north-west through Mullaitivu District and Kilinochchi District. The river empties into Palk Bay.
See also
* List ...
, Parangi Aru, Per Aru
Per Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in northern Vavuniya District, before flowing north/north-east through Vavuniya District and Mullaitivu District. The river empties into Nanthi Kadal lagoon.
See also
* List ...
, Piramenthal Aru, Theravil Aru
Theravil Aru (or Toravil Aru) is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in central Mullaitivu District, before flowing north through Mullaitivu District and Kilinochchi District. The river empties into Chundikkulam Lagoon.
Se ...
.
The province has a number of lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...
s, the largest being Jaffna Lagoon
Jaffna Lagoon is a large lagoon off Jaffna District and Kilinochchi District, northern Sri Lanka. The lagoon is surrounded by the densely populated Jaffna Peninsula containing palmyra palms, coconut plantations, and rice paddies. There are num ...
, Nanthi Kadal
Nanthi Kadal ( ta, நந்திக்கடல் Nantikkaṭal) is a lagoon in Mullaitivu District, north-east Sri Lanka. The English translation of Nanthi Kadal is "the sea of conches".
The lagoon is fed by a number of small rivers, including ...
, Chundikkulam Lagoon
Chundikkulam Lagoon ( ta, சுண்டிக்குளம் கடல் நீரேரி, si, කුම්බවැව Kumbavæwa) is a lagoon in Jaffna District and Kilinochchi District, north-east Sri Lanka. The town of Chundikkulam i ...
, Vadamarachchi Lagoon
Vadamarachchi lagoon ( ta, வடமராட்சி கடல்நீரேரி) is a lagoon in Jaffna District, northern Sri Lanka. The lagoon is sometimes referred to as Thondamannar lagoon. The lagoon separates the Vadamarachchi region ...
, Uppu Aru Lagoon
Uppu Aru lagoon is a lagoon in Jaffna District, northern Sri Lanka. The lagoon separates the Valikamam region from the Thenmarachchi region.
The lagoon is linked to Jaffna Lagoon by a short channel to the south. The lagoon's water is brackis ...
, Kokkilai lagoon, Nai Aru Lagoon and Chalai Lagoon.
Most of the islands
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
around Sri Lanka are to be found to the west of the Northern Province. The largest islands are: Velanaitivu
Velanai Island ( ta, வேலணை), also known as ''Leiden'' in Dutch, is a small island off the coast of Jaffna Peninsula in the North of Sri Lanka.
There are number of villages within the island such as Allaipiddy, Mankumpan, Velanai, Sa ...
(Kayts), Neduntivu (Delft), Karaitivu, Pungudutivu
Pungudutivu or Pungai Idu Tivu ( ta, புங்குடுதீவு si, පුවඟු දිවයින) is a small island composed of number villages that is just west of the Jaffna Peninsula in Sri Lankan Tamil dominated Northern Pr ...
and Mandativu
Mandaitivu ( ta, மண்டைதீவு, translit=Maṇṭaitīvu; si, මන්ඩතිව් ''Manḍativ'') is an island off the coast of the Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, located approximately south of the city of Jaffna. Th ...
.
Northern Province is covered in tropical forests, with numerous rivers flowing through them. The north-west coast is part of the deep Cauvery (Kaveri) River Basin of south-east India, which has been collecting sediments
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundame ...
from the highlands of India and Sri Lanka since the breakup of Gondwanaland
Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...
.
Climate and weather
Sri Lanka enjoys a typical tropical monsoonal climate. The Northern Province tends to be hot and dry in the dry season (February to September), and moderately cool and wet in the wet season (October to January). The province's climate is of the tropical kind and therefore during monsoons there is always the chance of a deluge. In the lowlands the climate is typically tropical with the average temperature is around 28° to 30° for the year. However, on the whole, January is the coolest month and May is the hottest month. Relative Humidity varies from 70% during the day to 90% at night. The Dry Zone of the Sri Lanka is the north and east of the island, this region is affected by the north east monsoon (December to March) and southwest monsoon (June to October). It is thought to be dry because most of the rains fall during the north-east monsoon.
Annual rainfall is less than 1250 mm in the north west and south east of the Inland. It has two rainy seasons South ''West Monsoon- May to August, North East Monsoon- November to February.''
Administrative units, cities and towns
Administrative units
The Northern Province is divided into five administrative districts
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
, 33 Divisional Secretary's Division
The districts of Sri Lanka are divided into administrative sub-units known as ''divisional secretariats''. These were originally based on the feudal counties, the ''korale''s and ''rata''s. They were formerly known as 'D.R.O. Divisions' after the ...
s (DS Divisions) and 912 Grama Niladhari
''Grama Niladhari'' (''village officers'') ( si, ග්රාම නිලධාරී) is a Sri Lankan public official appointed by the central government to carry out administrative duties in a ''grama niladhari'' division, which is a sub-un ...
Divisions (GN Divisions).
Major cities and towns
Demographics
Population
The Northern province's population was 1,058,762 in 2012.[ The majority of the population are Sri Lankan Tamil, with a minority ]Sri Lankan Moor
Sri Lankan Moors ( ta, இலங்கைச் சோனகர், translit=Ilaṅkaic Cōṉakar; si, ලංකා යෝනක, translit=Lanka Yonaka; formerly Ceylon Moors; colloquially referred to as Sri Lankan Muslims) are an ethnic minorit ...
and Sinhalese
Sinhala may refer to:
* Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka
* Sinhalese people
* Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka
* Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language
** Sinha ...
population.
The population of the province, like that of the Eastern Province, was heavily affected by the civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. The war killed an estimated 100,000 people. Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to the West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...
during the war. Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capital Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
. Most of the Sri Lankan Moors and Sinhalese who lived in the province fled to other parts of Sri Lanka or were forcibly expelled by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...
, though most of them have returned to the province since the end of the civil war.
Ethnicity
Religion
File:Nallur temple.jpg, Nallur Kandaswamy temple
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil ( ta, நல்லூர் கந்தசுவாமி கோவில் si, නල්ලුරුව ස්කන්ධ කුමාර කෝවිල) is a significant Hindu temple, located in Nallur, Northe ...
File:Madhu Church (Madu Church)10.jpg, Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu
The Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is a Roman Catholic Marian shrine in Mannar district
Mannar District ( ta, மன்னார் மாவட்டம் ''Maṉṉār Māvaṭṭam''; si, මන්නාරම දිස්ත්රික් ...
File:Nainathivunakaviharai 2.jpg, The Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya
Nagadeepa Purana Vihara ( si, නාගදීප පුරාණ විහාරය, ta, நயினாதீவு நாக விகாரை ) is an ancient Buddhist temple situated in Jaffna district of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is a ...
, one of the 16 Solosmasthana 'Solosmasthana' are 16 sacred places in Sri Lanka, believed by Buddhists to have been hallowed by visits of Gautama Buddha. These places of worship are among the most important religious locations in Sri Lanka, and are located throughout the country ...
Governance and politics
Sri Lankan Parliament
First elected representation at provincial level to a legislative came about after the Second Manning Reforms of the Legislative Council of Ceylon
The Legislative Council of Ceylon was the legislative body of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) established in 1833, along with the Executive Council of Ceylon, on the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission. It was the first form of repr ...
which assigned a seat to the Northern Province.[The Manning Constitutional Reforms (1920).](_blank)
With universal adult suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
been enabled through the Donoughmore Constitution, representatives from the province were elected to parliament. Currently Two Electoral Districts, namely Jaffna Electoral District
Jaffna Electoral District is one of the 22 multi-member electoral districts of Sri Lanka created by the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. The district covers the administrative districts of Jaffna and Kilinochchi in the Northern province. The d ...
and Vanni Electoral District
Vanni Electoral District ( ta, வன்னி தேர்தல் மாவட்டம்) is one of the 22 multi-member electoral districts of Sri Lanka created by the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. The district covers the administrative ...
which elects 15 of the 225 members of the Sri Lankan Parliament.
Provincial council
Until 1978, the administration of the provinces in Sri Lanka where mainly carried out by the Government Agents of the districts. Through the 13th Amendment An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. The ...
to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act, No. 42 of 1987, Provincial council were established in the Provinces.[Hand book on Provincial councils](_blank)
/ref>
The 13th Amendment An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. The ...
to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. The first elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...
for provincial councils took place on 28 April 1988 in North Central, North Western, Sabaragamuwa
The Sabaragamuwa Province ( si, සබරගමුව පළාත ''Sabaragamuwa Paḷāta'', ta, சபரகமுவ மாகாணம் ''Sabaragamuwa Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrati ...
, and Uva provinces.
Elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...
in the newly merged North-East Province were scheduled for 19 November 1988. However, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), which at that time occupied the North-East Province, rigged the elections in the north so that the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front
The Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) is a series of Sri Lankan political parties and a former militant separatist group.
Militant separatists
The EPRLF was formed in 1980 by K. Pathmanabha (Padmanaba), Douglas Devananda, S ...
(EPRLF) and Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front
The Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF) is a former Indian backed Tamil militant group in Sri Lanka. It was formed in 1987 as an amalgamation of splinter groups from other militant groups (Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Fr ...
(ENDLF), two India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n backed paramilitary groups, won all of the 36 seats in the north uncontested.[Sri Lanka" The Untold Story by K T Rajasingham (via Asia Times)](_blank)
/ref> However, elections did take place for the 35 seats in the east. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress ( ta, சிறீலங்கா முஸ்லீம் காங்கிரஸ், translit=Srīlaṅkā Muslīm Kāṅkiras; si, ශ්රී ලංකා මුස්ලිම් කොංග්රස ...
won 17 seats, EPRLF 12 seats, ENDLF 5 seats and the United National Party
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...
1 seat. On 10 December 1988 Annamalai Varatharajah Perumal of the EPRLF became the first Chief Minister of the North-East Provincial Council.
On 1 March 1990, just as the IPKF were preparing to withdraw from Sri Lanka, Permual moved a motion in the North-East Provincial Council declaring an independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
Eelam
Eelam ( ta, ஈழம், ''īḻam'', , also spelled Eezham, Ilam or Izham in English) is the native Tamil name for the South Asian island now known as Sri Lanka.
The exact etymology and the original meaning of the word are not clearly know ...
.
Since the early 1990s parts of the north-east provinces were controlled by the LTTE, which according to the Sri Lankan government owned ''Sunday Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' newspaper, prevented elections. The north-east was governed directly from Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
until May 2008 when elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...
were held in the demerged the Eastern Province which was followed by elections in the Northern Province in September 2013.
Following the end of the civil war, G.A. Chandrasiri was sworn in as the Governor of Northern Province with effect 12 July 2009 and C. V. Vigneswaran
Canagasabapathy Visuvalingam Vigneswaran, PC ( ta, கனகசபாபதி விசுவலிங்கம் விக்னேஸ்வரன், translit=Kaṉakacapāpati Vicuvaliṅkam Vikṉēsvaraṉ; si, කනකසභාපත ...
was appointed Chief Minister of the Northern Province following the provincial council elections 2013.
Major political parties in the province are Tamil National Alliance
The Tamil National Alliance ( ta, தமிழ்த் தேசியக் கூட்டமைப்பு ISO 15919: ''tamiḻt tēciyakkūṭṭamaippu''; TNA) is a political alliance in Sri Lanka that represents the country's Sri Lan ...
led by Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi, DTNA, United National Party
The United National Party, often abbreviated as UNP ( si, එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂය, translit=Eksath Jāthika Pakshaya, ta, ஐக்கிய தேசியக் கட்சி, translit=Aikkiya Tēciyak Kaṭci), ...
, Sri Lanka Freedom Party and EPDP
The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) is a political party and a pro-government paramilitary organization in Sri Lanka. It is led by its founder Douglas Devananda.
Background
Douglas Devananda was one of the founding members of the Eelam ...
.
Economy
The majority of the people earn their livelihood as farmers, fishers
Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral.
Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to:
Places
Australia
*Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland
*Elect ...
, and professionals in the civil and business sectors. Before the civil war cement and chemical industries along with fishing made a major contribution to the economy. However now they have been abandoned and the factories are rusting. Close to a third of the population is unemployed far more than Sri Lanka and work is mostly informal and thus unstable. The population that managed to flee to foreign nations provide a steady flow of foreign remittances to their relatives in the province.
However, with the election victory of President Maithripala Sirisena and the removal of restrictions that prevented foreigners from visiting the north contributed to the sense of economic renewal alongside the development of Kankesanthurai Harbor the Palali Airport. Hospitals and schools as well as a cultural center and vocational training facility is being built in Jaffna. Investments have also started to flow into an industries such chemical and cement factories, hotels, apparel factories, power plants and aquaculture farms. As of 2018 the apparel industry of the province employ 7,917 staff and represent an investment of US$65 million with factories in Vavuniya
Vavuniya (, romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', , romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of Vavuniya District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municipality is administered by Va ...
, Killinochchi
Kilinochchi ( ta, கிளிநொச்சி, translit=Kiḷinocci; si, කිලිනොච්චි, translit=Girānika) is the main town of Kilinochchi District, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Kilinochchi is situated at the A9 road so ...
, Mannar and Mullaitivu
Mullaitivu ( ta, முல்லைத்தீவு, translit=Mullaittīvu; si, මූලදූව, translit=Mūladūva) is the main town of Mullaitivu District, situated on the north-eastern coast of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. A largely ...
.
The Northern Province's contribution the gross domestic product is the lowest among the nine provinces representing only 3.5% of the overall GDP in 2015 however the provincial gross domestic product nominal growth rate was 12.1% in 2015 and is the fastest growing province alongside the North Central Province.
Northern Province being an agricultural dominant province, where agricultural sector is 25.9% and trade sector comes next to it is 19.3%. Most of the people engaged in service sector covering 31.2% of the total.
Gross State Domestic Product in Rs. Crores and Current Prices[http://www.np.gov.lk/pdf/development.pdf ]
Transport
Transport infrastructure in the province is poorly developed and limits economic activity. Most people still use bullock carts for transportation.
Road
Major roads in Province are divided into two categories:
* A Class roads or National Highways - Maintained and controlled by Central Government.
* B Class roads or Provincial Highways - Maintained and controlled by Provincial Government.
There are number of underdeveloped C and D Class roads in the province.
Rail
Sri Lanka Railways operates the country's railway network, including the Northern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, tw ...
and the Mannar Line, in the Northern Province.
Most of the railways were developed during the British colonial period.
The railway lines between Vavuniya
Vavuniya (, romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', , romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of Vavuniya District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municipality is administered by Va ...
, Jaffna
Jaffna (, ) is the capital city of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a peninsula of the same name. With a population of 88,138 in 2012, Jaffna is Sri Lanka's 12th mo ...
, and Kankesanthurai
Kankesanthurai (, , lit. ''Port Kankesan''), colloquially known as KKS, is a port suburb, fishing division and resort hub of the Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Formerly an electoral district, Kankesanthurai is home to the Kankesan ...
and between Medawachchiya
Medawachchiya is a town in the Anuradhapura District, North Central Province of Sri Lanka. Situated 27 km from Anuradhapura, on the '' A9'' Jaffna - Kandy main road, it is 229 km from Colombo. Medawachchiya is also the point from which ...
and Talaimannar
Talaimannar ( ta, தலைமன்னார்; si, තලෙයිමන්නාරම) is a settlement in Sri Lanka located on the northwestern coast of Mannar Island.
Transport
Sri Lanka's northern railway line was destroyed, disrupted ...
were destroyed during the civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. For a time during reconstruction the Northern Line operated south of Pallai
Pallai ( ta, பளை, si, පල්ලෙයි), also spelt Palai, is a small town in the Kilinochchi District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka.
It is located near the coast on the northern peninsula, approximately south-east of Jaffna.
...
, while the Mannar Line operates between Medawachchiya and Madhu Road, but by 2015 it was reconstructed past Jaffna to its terminus at Kankesanthirai. Both lines are under reconstruction to restore the original network and upgrade the operating technology used.
Air
Airways and airports are underdeveloped in this province. Jaffna International Airport
Jaffna International Airport ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணம் சர்வதேச விமான நிலையம், translit=Yāḻppāṇam Carvatēca Vimāṉa Nilaiyam; si, යාපනය ජාත්යන්තර ගුව ...
is the primary airport in the province, once an international airport that had regular passenger flight service to Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
and Tiruchirappalli
Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bei ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It had been under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy
ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை
, image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy
, dates =
, c ...
and now has been turned into an international airport again with the help of India. Daily flights between Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
and Chennai, India and Jaffna are available. There are a few small airports and airstrips in Vavuniya
Vavuniya (, romanized: ''Vavuṉiyā'', , romanized: ''Vavuniyāva''). Vavuniya City is the capital of Vavuniya District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and the largest city in the Northern Province. The municipality is administered by Va ...
and Iranamadu
Iranamadu or Iranaimadu ( ta, இரணைமடு, translit=Iraṇaimaṭu, lit=Double-bund; si, ඉරණමඩුව, translit=Iraṇamaḍuva) is a military city in Kilinochchi District, Sri Lanka. It includes a lake that provides water to ...
.
Education
The Northern Province has one university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
, the University of Jaffna
The University of Jaffna ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணப் பல்கலைக்கழகம், translit=Yāḻppāṇap Palkalaikkaḻakam; si, යාපනය විශ්වවිද්යාලය, ''Yāpanaya Viśvavidyālaya''; ...
which became independent in 1979, previously having been a campus of the University of Sri Lanka
The University of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා විශ්වවිද්යාලය, ta, இலங்கைப் பல்கலைக்கழகம்) was the public university system of Sri Lanka from 1972 to 1978.
Est ...
since 1974. The university has approximately 7,000 students. The province is known for its institutions of education, many of which were established by Christian missionaries.
Media
The first newspaper in Jaffna, Uthayatharakai (Morning Star) was published in 1841 by C.W. Thamotharampillai By the 1940s, daily newspapers had already been started ''Eelakesari'' and ''Virakesari'' in 1930 and Thinakaran in 1932 and journals committed to the growth of modernistic, socially purposive literature ''Bharati'' and ''Marumalarchi'' in 1946 had also started coming out.
Few newspapers are published in the province now in the principal language of Tamil. None in English and Sinhala. Before the Civil war commenced dozens of newspapers and magazines were published. Press freedom is limited and mostly censored by Government and Pro-government paramilitaries.Wholesale attack on Tamil newspapers, Journalist kidnapped
/ref> Now most of the Tamil, English, Sinhala magazines come from Colombo and Chennai, India.
See also
* List of settlements in Northern Province (Sri Lanka)
Northern Province is a province of Sri Lanka, containing the Jaffna District, Kilinochchi District, Mannar District, Mullaitivu District, and Vavuniya District. The following is a list of settlements in the province.
__NOTOC__
A
Aayili, Ada ...
* Provinces of Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, provinces ( si, පළාත, translit=Paḷāta; ta, மாகாணம், translit=Mākāṇam) are the first level administrative division. They were first established by the British rulers of Ceylon in 1833. Over the next ...
* Districts of Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, districts ( si, දිස්ත්රික්ක, ''Distrikka'', ta, மாவட்டம், ''Māvaṭṭam'') are the second-level administrative divisions, and are included in a province. There are 25 districts o ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
* ''Peninsular Jaffna from ancient to medieval times, Its significant historical and settlement aspects'', Fernando, A. D. N., Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1987
* ''Ancient Jaffna, Being a research into the History of Jaffna from Very Early Times to the Portuguese Period'', Rasanayagam, Mudaliyar C., Asian Educational Services (AES), New Delhi, 1984
* ''The laws and customs of the Tamils of Jaffna'', Tambiah, H. W., Women's Education and Research Centre, Colombo, 2004
* ''the Essential guide for Jaffna and its region'', Fabry, Philippe; Lisa Fabry-Bewley, Alexandra Fabry & Emmanuel Fabry, Viator Publications (Pvt) Ltd, Negombo, 2003
* ''Notes on Jaffna, Chronological, historical, biographical'', Martyn, John H., Asian Educational Services (AES), New Delhi, 2003
* ''Jaffna and Colombo, A century of relationships in three plays'', Ludowyk, E. F. C. & Ernest MaCintyre, Vijitha Yapa Publications, Colombo, 2006
External links
Northern Provincial Council
{{Authority control
1833 establishments in Ceylon
Provinces of Sri Lanka