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 demogr ...

area of the Northern Province of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. It covers the entirety of

Mannar Mannar may refer to the following places: India * Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Chengannur Taluk, Kerala Sri Lanka * Mannar District, one of 25 districts in Sri Lanka ** Mannar Island, an island within the district ** Mannar Bridge, a bridge conne ...

Mullaitivu Mullaitivu (; ) is the main town of Mullaitivu District, situated on the north-eastern coast of Northern Province, Sri Lanka. A largely fishing settlement, the town in the early twentieth century grew as an anchoring harbour of the small sailing ...

and

Vavuniya District Vavuniya District ( ''Vavuṉiyā Māvaṭṭam''; ) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previousl ...

s, and most of

Kilinochchi District Kilinochchi District ( ''Kiḷinocci Māvaṭṭam''; ) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previo ...

. It 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 File:1st millennium montage.png, From top left, clockwise: Depiction of Jesus, the central figure in Christianity; The Colosseum, a landmark of the once-mighty Roman Empire; Kaaba, the Great Mosque of Mecca, the holiest site of Islam; Chess, a ne ...

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 ...

governing what were called

Vannimai The Vanni chieftaincies or Vanni tribes was a region between Anuradhapura and Jaffna, but also extending to along the eastern coast to Panama and Yala, during the Transitional and Kandyan periods of Sri Lanka. The heavily forested land was a c ...

, the

Jaffna Kingdom The Jaffna kingdom (, ; 1215–1619 CE), also known as Kingdom of Aryachakravarti, was a historical kingdom of what today is northern Sri Lanka. It came into existence around the town of Jaffna on the Jaffna peninsula and was traditionally t ...

's land divisions located south of the

Jaffna Peninsula The Jaffna Peninsula (, or ) is a region in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna, and comprises much of the former land mass of the medieval Jaffna Kingdom. The peninsula was historically ...

in the present-day

Northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...

, North Central and

Eastern Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

provinces of Sri Lanka.

Geography

Geographically, the Vanni is distinct from the

, the other area of the Northern Province. Jaffna peninsula is irrigated by underground

aquifers An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...

fed by wells whereas the Vanni has

irrigation tank An irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. In countries like Sri Lanka and India they are part of historic methods of Rainwater harvesting, harvesting and preserving rainwater, critical in regions without Perennial water, ...

s fed by

perennial river A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

s. Major rivers include:

Akkarayan Aru The Akkarayan Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in north-west Mullaitivu District. It flows north through Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts before emptying into Jaffna Lagoon. See also * List of rivers in Sri L ...

Aruvi Aru The Malwathu Oya ( Malwathu Oya, Aruvi Aru) is the second longest river in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies i ...

Kanakarayan Aru The Kanakarayan Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in eastern Vavuniya District, near Omanthai, and flows north through Vavuniya District, Mullaitivu District and Kilinochchi District. It empties into the Chundikkulam ...

Kodalikkallu Aru The Kodalikkallu Aru is a small river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in south-east Mullaitivu District, and flows in north/north-east through Mullaitivu district. The river empties into Nanthi Kadal lagoon. See also * List of ...

Mandekal Aru The Mandekal Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in the western Mullaitivu District, before flowing north through Mullaitivu District and Kilinochchi District. It empties into Palk Bay. See also * List of rivers in ...

, two called Nay Aru,

Netheli Aru The Netheli Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in central Mullaitivu District, and flow north through Mullaitivu District and Kilinochchi District. The river empties into Chundikkulam Lagoon after a 24 km (15mi) journe ...

Pali Aru The Pali Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in northern Vavuniya District, near Puliyankulam, flowing north/northwest through Vavuniya District, Mullaitivu District and Mannar District. The river empties into Palk Bay. ...

Pallavarayankaddu Aru The Pallavarayankaddu Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in western Mullaitivu District. It flows north-west through Mullaitivu District and Kilinochchi District, before emptying into Palk Bay. See also * List of r ...

Parangi Aru The Parangi Aru is a river in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The river rises in central Vavuniya District, before flowing north/north-west through Vavuniya District, Mannar District and Mullaitivu District. The river empties into Palk Bay. Vari ...

Per Aru The 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 * Li ...

, 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'') an ...

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 Borassus flabellifer, palmyra palms, coconut plantations, and Paddy fi ...

Nanthi Kadal Nanthi Kadal () is a lagoon in Mullaitivu District, north-east Sri Lanka. The English translation of Nanthi Kadal is "the sea of conches". Fed by a number of small rivers including Per Aru, the town of Mullaitivu is located on land sandwiched betw ...

Chundikkulam Lagoon Chundikkulam Lagoon (, ) is a lagoon in Jaffna District and Kilinochchi District, north-east Sri Lanka. The town of Chundikkulam is located on a narrow piece of land between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean. The lagoon is sometimes referred to as El ...

Kokkilai Lagoon Kokkilai lagoon (; ) is an estuarine lagoon in Mullaitivu District and Trincomalee District, north-east Sri Lanka. The town of Kokkilai is located on a sand bar between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean. The lagoon is fed by a number of small riv ...

, Nai Aru Lagoon and Chalai Lagoon. Much of the interior (approximately ) of the Vanni is covered by dense

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

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