Mannar, Sri Lanka

Mannar மன்னார் මන්නාරම
—  Town  —
Mannar
Coordinates: 8°58′N 79°53′E / 8.967°N 79.883°E / 8.967; 79.883
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Northern
District	Mannar
DS Division	Mannar
Government
- Type	Urban Council
- Chairman	Santhanpillai Gnanaprgasam (TNA)
Area
- Total	27.85 km2 (10.8 sq mi)
Population (2007)
- Total	22,581
- Density	811/km2 (2,091/sq mi)
Time zone	Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)

Mannar (Tamil: மன்னார், Sinhala: මන්නාරම), formerly spelled Manar, is the capital of Mannar District, Sri Lanka. It is located on Mannar Island.

Mannar is known for its baobab trees and for its fort, built by the Portuguese in 1560 and taken by the Dutch in 1658 and rebuilt; its ramparts and bastions are intact, though the interior is largely destroyed. Formerly the town was renowned as a center of pearl fishing, mentioned in the 2nd-century CE Periplus of the Erythraean Sea.^[1] Visually, the modern town is dominated by its mosques and churches.^[2]

References

1. ^ Noted in Edwin William Streeter, Pearls and Pearling Life 1886:24.
2. ^ Edward Aves, Sri Lanka (Footprint Travel Guides, 2003: ISBN 1903471788), p. 337.

External links

• Information on Mannar (Tamil)

Coordinates: 8°58′N 79°53′E / 8.967°N 79.883°E / 8.967; 79.883