Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Jaffna is a city in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It had been the second largest city in the country for several decades, till recent times. In the current unsettled situation in the northern part of Sri Lanka, many have moved out of the town, and it is presumed that the population of this town has been reduced considerably. The town also functions as the capital of Northern Province and the cultural capital of Sri Lankan Tamils. Many of the tamils from this region have moved out to either Colombo or other foreign countries.
The exodus of Tamils from Jaffna has occured primarily due to the Sri Lankan government's recent military control over the city. For some time now, 30,000 Sri Lankan troops have been stationed in the northern peninsula on which Jaffna is situated. There is one soldier for every 10 people in Jaffna, with military checkpoints every 50 meters, and dusk to dawn curfews. Also, 'disapearances' of Tamils occur on a regular basis, and Sri Lankan soldiers regularly and arbitrarily search Tamil homes.
In the 13th Century there was a Kingdom in Jaffna established by Arya Chakravartis , a chieftain from the Pandya kingdom.
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