Northern Province, Sri Lanka

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Northern Province
வட மாகாணம்
උතුරු පළාත
Province
Sunset over a lagoon
Sunset over a lagoon
Flag of Northern Province
Flag		 Official logo of Northern Province
Emblem
Location within Sri Lanka
Location within Sri Lanka
Districts of the Northern Province
Districts of the Northern Province
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Country Sri Lanka
Created 1 October 1833
Provincial council 14 November 1987
Capital Jaffna
Largest City Vavuniya
Districts
List
Government
 • Type Provincial council
 • Body Northern Provincial Council
 • Governor H. M. G. S. Palihakkara
 • Chief Minister C. V. Vigneswaran
 • MPs
List
Area[1]
 • Total 8,884 km2 (3,430 sq mi)
 • Land 8,290 km2 (3,200 sq mi)
Area rank 3rd (13.54% of total area)
Population (2012 census)[2]
 • Total 1,058,762
 • Rank 9th (5.22% of total pop.)
 • Density 120/km2 (310/sq mi)
Ethnicity(2012 census)[2]
 • Sri Lankan Tamil 987,692 (93.29%)
 • Sri Lankan Moors 32,364 (3.06%)
 • Sinhalese 32,331 (3.05%)
 • Indian Tamil 6,049 (0.57%)
 • Other 326 (0.03%)
Religion(2012 census)[3]
 • Hindu 789,362 (74.56%)
 • Christian 204,005 (19.27%)
 • Muslim 34,040 (3.22%)
 • Buddhist 30,387 (2.87%)
 • Other 968 (0.09%)
Time zone Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30)
Post Codes 40000-45999
Telephone Codes 021, 023, 024
ISO 3166 code LK-4
Vehicle registration NP
Official Languages Tamil, Sinhala
Flower Kaanthal
Tree Maruthu
Bird Seven sisters
Animal Male deer
Website www.np.gov.lk

The Northern Province (Tamil: வட மாகாணம் Vaṭakku Mākāṇam; Sinhalese: උතුරු පළාත Uturu Paḷāta) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country and the third largest by land mass among the provinces of Sri Lanka


Geography

A bridge over a lagoon

The Province is located to the north of Sri Lanka and is 22 miles (35 km) away from neighbouring India. It is mythologically connected to the India via the Adam's Bridge (also known as Sethu Paalam or Rama's undeground bridge ). It has an area of 8,884 square kilometres (3,430 sq mi).[1]

The province is enclosed by the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay to the south west, Palk Strait to the north west, the Bay of Bengal to the north & east. Eastern, North Central and North Western provinces to the south.

The province is divided into two major distinct geographic areas: Jaffna peninsula and the Vanni.

The province has a number of lagoons, the largest being Jaffna Lagoon, Nanthi Kadal, Chundikkulam Lagoon, Vadamarachchi Lagoon, Uppu Aru Lagoon, Kokkilai lagoon, Nai Aru Lagoon and Chalai Lagoon.

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 from the highlands of India and Sri Lanka since the breakup of Gondwanaland.

Islands off Jaffna Province

Most of the islands around Sri Lanka are to be found to the west of the Northern Province. The largest islands are: Mannar Island, Velanaitivu (Kayts), Neduntivu (Delft), Karaitivu, Pungudutivu and Mandativu. Some are often referred as ghost islands as few people live there.

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.[4]

Irrigation

Jaffna peninsula is irrigated by underground aquifers fed by wells whereas the Vanni has irrigation tanks fed by perennial rivers. Major rivers include: Akkarayan Aru, Aruvi Aru, Kanakarayan Aru, Kodalikkallu Aru, Mandekal Aru, Nay Aru, Netheli Aru, Pali Aru, Pallavarayankaddu Aru, Parangi Aru, Per Aru, Piramenthal Aru, Theravil Aru.

Town, City and Village structures

Administrative units

The Northern Province is divided into five administrative districts, 33 Divisional Secretary's Divisions (DS Divisions) and 912 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).

District Capital District Secretary DS
Divisions		 GN
Divisions		 Total
Area
(km2)[1]		 Land
Area
(km2)[1]		 Population (2012 Census)[2] Population
Density
(/km2)
Sri Lankan Tamil Sri Lankan Moors Sinhalese Indian Tamil Other Total
Jaffna Jaffna N. Vethanayagam 15 435 1,025 929 577,246 2,139 3,366 499 128 583,378 569
Kilinochchi Kilinochchi S. Arumainayaham 4 95 1,279 1,205 109,528 678 962 1,682 25 112,875 88
Mannar Mannar M. Y. S. Deshapriya 5 153 1,996 1,880 80,568 16,087 1,961 394 41 99,051 50
Mullaitivu Mullaitivu R. Ketheeswaran 6 136 2,617 2,415 79,081 1,760 8,851 2,182 73 91,947 35
Vavuniya Vavuniya M. K. Bandula Harischandra 4 102 1,967 1,861 141,269 11,700 17,191 1,292 59 171,511 87
Total 34 921 8,884 8,290 987,692 32,364 32,331 6,049 326 1,058,762 119

Major cities and towns

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See also: List of towns in Northern Province, Sri Lanka
City/town District Population
(2012
est)[5]
Vavuniya Vavuniya 99,653
Jaffna Jaffna 88,138
Chavakacheri Jaffna 41,407
Mannar Mannar 35,817
Point Pedro Jaffna 31,351
Valvettithurai Jaffna 27,210

Demographics

Population

The Northern province's population was 1,058,762 in 2012.[2] The majority of the population are Sri Lankan Tamil, with a minority Sri Lankan Moor and Sinhalese population.

The population of the province, like that of the Eastern Province, was heavily affected by the civil war. The war killed an estimated 100,000 people.[6] Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated to the West during the war.[7] Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capital Colombo. 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, though most of them have returned to the province since the end of the civil war.

Ethnicity

Population of Northern Province by ethnic group 1881 to 2012[2][8][9]
Year Tamil[lower-alpha 1] Muslim[lower-alpha 2] Sinhalese Other Total
No.
No. % No. % No. % No. %
1881 Census 289,481 95.70% 10,416 3.44% 1,379 0.46% 1,224 0.41% 302,500
1891 Census 304,355 95.32% 11,831 3.71% 1,922 0.60% 1,188 0.37% 319,296
1901 Census 326,379 95.73% 11,862 3.48% 1,555 0.46% 1,140 0.33% 340,936
1911 Census 352,698 95.41% 12,818 3.47% 2,890 0.78% 1,245 0.34% 369,651
1921 Census 356,801 95.19% 13,095 3.49% 3,795 1.01% 1,138 0.30% 374,829
1946 Census 449,958 93.82% 18,183 3.79% 9,602 2.00% 1,829 0.38% 479,572
1963 Census 689,470 92.93% 30,760 4.15% 20,270 2.73% 1,410 0.19% 741,910
1971 Census 799,406 91.07% 37,855 4.31% 39,511 4.50% 996 0.11% 877,768
1981 Census 1,021,006 92.03% 50,991 4.60% 35,128 3.17% 2,279 0.21% 1,109,404
2000 Estimate n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,085,478
2001 Estimate[lower-alpha 3] n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,111,741
2002 Estimate n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,109,182
2003 Estimate n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,118,753
2004 Estimate n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,131,854
2005 Estimate n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,206,326
2006 Estimate n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,350,961
2007 Estimate 1,277,567 97.39% 20,583 1.57% 13,626 1.04% 0 0.00% 1,311,776
2008 Estimate[lower-alpha 4] 1,022,431 96.90% 19,184 1.82% 13,492 1.28% 50 0.00% 1,055,157
2009 Estimate[lower-alpha 5] 943,312 95.68% 26,304 2.67% 16,240 1.65% 0 0.00% 985,856
2011 Enumeration 942,824 94.49% 32,659 3.27% 21,860 2.19% 411 0.04% 997,754
2012 Census 993,741 93.86% 32,364 3.06% 32,331 3.05% 326 0.03% 1,058,762

Religion

Population of Northern Province by religion 1981 to 2012[3][8][10]
Year Hindu Christian[lower-alpha 6] Muslim Buddhist Other Total
No.
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
1981 Census 860,281 77.54% 169,004 14.19% 54,534 4.92% 25,281 2.28% 304 0.03% 1,109,404
2011 Enumeration 755,066 75.68% 187,663 18.81% 33,185 3.33% 20,451 2.05% 1,389 0.14% 997,754
2012 Census 789,362 74.56% 204,005 19.27% 34,040 3.22% 30,387 2.87% 968 0.09% 1,058,762

Electorate and politics

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Main article: Government of the Northern Province

The current Chief Minister is C. V. Vigneswaran who leads the Northern society and its goals.

Political parties

Major Political parties in the province vie for political support and rapprochement.

National parliament of Sri Lankan

Currently two electoral districts, namely Jaffna electoral district and Vanni electoral district elect 15 members to the national parliament

Provincial council

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Main article: Northern Provincial Council

Until 1978, the administration of the provinces in Sri Lanka where mainly carried out by the Government Agents of the districts.[11] Through the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka and the Provincial Councils Act, No. 42 of 1987, Provincial council were established in the Provinces.[12]

The 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. The first elections for provincial councils took place on 28 April 1988 in North Central, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, and Uva provinces.[13]

Elections 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 (EPRLF) and Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF), two Indian backed paramilitary groups, won all of the 36 seats in the north uncontested.[14] However, elections did take place for the 35 seats in the east. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress won 17 seats, EPRLF 12 seats, ENDLF 5 seats and the United National Party 1 seat. On 10 December 1988 Annamalai Varatharajah Perumal of the EPRLF became the first Chief Minister of the North-East Provincial Council.[14]

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 declaraing an independent Eelam.[15]

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 newspaper, prevented elections [16][17] The north-east was governed directly from Colombo until May 2008 when elections were held in the demerged the Eastern Province which was followed by elections in the Northern Province in September 2013.[18]

Following the end of the civil war, G.A. Chandrasiri was sworn in as the Governor of Northern Province with effect 12 July 2009[19] and C. V. Vigneswaran was appointed Chief Minister of the Northern Province following the provincial council elections 2013.[20]

Economy

Farm land in Kandarodai

Majority of the people earn their livelihood as farmers, fishers and professionals in the civil and business sectors. Small scale industry such as chemical, light manufacturing and textiles were present before the civil war.

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.[21]

Gross State Domestic Product in Rs. Crores and Current Prices[21]

Year GSDP Change Share of Sri Lanka
2001 29,490 Increase % Increase 2.37%
2002 37,400 Increase % Increase 2.67%
2003 43,123 Increase % Increase 2.76%
2004 52,988 Increase % Increase 2.94%
2005 64,004 Increase % Increase 3.05%
2006 72,722 Increase % Decrease 2.93%

Trasportation to & in the North.

Causeway linking Mannar Island with the mainland

From Colombo airport one can reach Jaffna via road, rail & air routes. Various public and private transportation are available for a fee.

Daily fights between Jaffna Palali airport and Colombo are available. For prices check with local agents in Colombo.

Academics

Founded in 1817 Jaffna Central College is one of the oldest schools in the Northern Province

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See also: List of schools in Northern Province, Sri Lanka

The primary tertiary level education is provided by the University of Jaffna. It has an total student body population of 7000.

Total Schools of Northern Province (1981) and (2006)
Districts No. of Schools (1981) No. of Schools (2006)
Jaffna 488 410
Kilinochchi 85 96
Mannar 105 95
Vavuniya 183 188
Mullaitivu 100 103

Media

The first newspaper in Jaffna, Uthayatharakai (Morning Star) was published in 1841 by C.W. Thamotharampillai[22] 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.[23] Now most of the Tamil, English, Sinhala magazines come from Colombo and Chennai, India.


See also

Notes

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References

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External links

  India
Palk Strait		 Bay of Bengal Bay of Bengal
Gulf of Mannar Bay of Bengal
  Northern Province  
North Western Province North Central Province Eastern Province
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ [1][dead link]
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ How Did The Provincial Councils Become White Elephants?
  12. ↑ Hand book on Provincial councils
  13. ↑ Ethnic Conflict of Sri Lanka: Time Line - From Independence to 1999, ICES
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sri Lanka" The Untold Story by K T Rajasingham (via Asia Times)
  15. ↑ I'm no traitor, says Perumal, Sunday Island 10 September 2000
  16. ↑ [2]
  17. ↑ Opposition’s conspiracy with LTTE rump comes to light
  18. ↑ Commissioner of Elections Anounces Nomination Dates For North, Central and North Western Provincial Councils
  19. ↑ G A Chandrasiri re-appointed as NP Governor
  20. ↑ Wigneswaran receives CM appointment letter
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 http://www.np.gov.lk/pdf/development.pdf
  22. ↑ The Hindu : The first Madras graduate
  23. ↑ Wholesale attack on Tamil newspapers, Journalist kidnapped


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