South Asia Physical Geography

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Jaffna

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

Jaffna , peninsula, northernmost part of Sri Lanka, separated from India by Palk Strait. The peninsula is densely inhabited, largely by Tamil-speaking people. Jaffna suffered under the Portuguese and Dutch occupations of the 17th-18th cent. Tobacco, rice, coconuts, palmyra palm, and vegetables are grown; fishing is an important occupation. The main industries are salt, cement, chemical, and tobacco production. The city of Jaffna (1995 est. pop. 135,000), on the southwestern portion of the peninsula, on Jaffna Lagoon, is a regional trade center with a small port. The Univ. of Jaffna is there. The city includes Nallur, capital of the independent Tamil kingdom conquered by the Portuguese in 1617.

The center of an independent kingdom from the 13th to the 15th cent., Jaffna was occupied by the Portuguese (1617-1658) and the Dutch (1658-1795) until the British conquest. Since the 1980s it has been the center of violent Tamil resistance against Sinhalese dominance in Sri Lanka. Guerrilla groups, particularly the Liberation Tigers, which controlled the area during 1986-1988 and 1990-1996. have tried to transform the peninsula and E Sri Lanka into an independent nation called Tamil Eelam. Indian troops occupied the peninsula from 1988 to 1990 in an attempt to help quell the rebellion. In 1996 government forces claimed to have taken the last rebel stronghold on the peninsula, but Tamil insurgents continued their fight from jungle bases, retaking much of the peninsula by early 2000. The Dec., 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami caused destruction and loss of life on peninsula.

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"Jaffna." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Jaffna." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Jaffna.html

"Jaffna." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Jaffna.html

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Jaffna

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

Jaffna, Sri Lanka Yalpannan A district, a city, and also a historic kingdom. The port‐city was the capital of a Tamil kingdom until the Portuguese occupied it in 1617. They gave it a name that was a Portuguese adaptation of the Tamil for ‘Port of the Lyre’, a reference to the shape of its harbour.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Jaffna." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Jaffna." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Jaffna.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Jaffna." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Jaffna.html

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Nāgadīpa

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

Nāgadīpa. Ancient name for the Jaffna Peninsula in Sri Lanka. Formerly an important centre of Buddhism with many pilgrimage sites, it was reputed to be the site of the Buddha's second visit to the island, according to the legends of the Mahāvaṃsa.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Nāgadīpa." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Nāgadīpa." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Ngadpa.html

DAMIEN KEOWN. "Nāgadīpa." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Ngadpa.html

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Jaffna

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

Jaffna •Alana, Anna, bandanna, banner, Branagh, canna, canner, Diana, fanner, Fermanagh, Guyana, Hannah, Havana, hosanna, Indiana, Joanna, lanner, Louisiana, manna, manner, manor, Montana, nana, planner, Pollyanna, Rosanna, savannah, scanner, spanner, Susanna, tanner •Abner • Jaffna • Patna • caravanner •Africana, Afrikaner, Americana, ana, banana, Botswana, bwana, cabana, caragana, Christiana, Dana, darner, Edwardiana, garner, Georgiana, Ghana, Gloriana, Guiana, gymkhana, Haryana, iguana, Lana, lantana, liana, Lipizzaner, Ljubljana, Mahayana, mana, mañana, marijuana, nirvana, Oriana, pacarana, piranha, prana, Purana, Rosh Hashana, Santayana, Setswana, sultana, Tatiana, Tijuana, Tirana, tramontana, Tswana, varna, Victoriana, zenana •Gardner • partner •antenna, Avicenna, duenna, henna, Jenna, Jenner, Morwenna, Ravenna, senna, Siena, sienna, tenner, tenor, Vienna •Edna • interregna • Etna • Pevsner

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Sri Lanka Fighting Traps Thousands in Jaffna Transcript from: Morning Edition; 2/27/2007
	Air travel to Jaffna costlier due to closure of A9 highway. News Wire article from: PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd.; 3/2/2008
	Sinhala students welcomed in Jaffna varsity. News Wire article from: PTI - The Press Trust of India Ltd.; 10/31/2010