Map of Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna is the administrative centre of Northern Province, Sri Lanka, with a population of about 169,102. It lies at 9.6684°N, 80.0074°E. Jaffna is about 304 km (189 mi) north of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Valvedditturai, 24 km to the northeast.

Jaffna at a glance

Where is Jaffna?

• The 4th largest city in Sri Lanka by recorded population.
• The largest city in Northern Province on this site.
• Located in the Northern and Eastern hemispheres.
• Daylight ranges from about 11 h 33 min on the shortest day to 12 h 41 min on the longest day (around 21 December and 21 June).

Cities near Jaffna

• Valvedditturai — 24 km northeast
• Point Pedro — 30 km northeast
• Vedaraniyam — 80 km north, India
• Rameswaram — 87 km southwest, India
• Pattukkottai — 113 km northwest, India
• Vavuniya — 115 km southeast
• Negapatam — 123 km north, India
• Mannargudi — 127 km northwest, India
• Thiruvarur — 129 km north, India
• Kāraikāl — 140 km north, India

Largest cities in Northern Province

• Point Pedro — 89,810
• Valvedditturai — 78,205
• Vavuniya — 60,176

Largest cities in Sri Lanka

• Colombo — 648,034
• Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia — 219,827
• Maharagama — 195,355
• Moratuwa — 168,280
• Negombo — 137,223
• Pita Kotte — 118,179
• Kandy — 111,701
• Trincomalee — 108,420
• Kalmunai — 100,171
• Galle — 93,118

Map of Sri Lanka and all its cities →

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.