The Vanni, also spelled Wanni, is the name given to the

mainland Mainland is defined as "relating to or forming the main part of a country or continent, not including the islands around it egardless of status under territorial jurisdiction by an entity" The term is often politically, economically and/or dem ...

area of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It covers the entirety of Mannar,

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 ...

and

Vavuniya District 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 ...

s, and most of Kilinochchi District, and has an area of approximately . The population and infrastructure of the Vanni were devastated by the Sri Lankan Civil War.

History

Tamil feudal chiefs called Vanniar chiefs who have their origin here cultivated the Vanni in the first millennium of the

Common Era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the o ...

governing what were called Vannimai, the Jaffna kingdom's land divisions located south of the Jaffna Peninsula in the present-day Northern, North Central and

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provinces of Sri Lanka.

Geography

Geographically, the Vanni is distinct from the Jaffna Peninsula, the other area of the Northern Province. 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, Kanakarayan Aru, Kodalikkallu Aru, Mandekal Aru, two called 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, Piramenthal Aru, Theravil Aru. There are also 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 around the Vanni, 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, Chundikkulam Lagoon, Kokkilai Lagoon, Nai Aru Lagoon and Chalai Lagoon. Much of the interior (approximately ) of the Vanni is covered by dense

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

Demographics

The Vanni had a population of nearly 700,000 in 2007, making it one of the most sparsely populated areas of Sri Lanka. However, the area's population figures have been highly volatile due to massive displacement caused by the Sri Lankan Civil War.

External links

A closer look at southern part of the Vanni
{{Sri Lankan Tamil people Geography of Kilinochchi District Geography of Mannar District Geography of Mullaitivu District Geography of Vavuniya District