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Mannar, in the Northern Province, is the
western-most tip of Sri Lanka and covers an
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area of 1,996 Sq. km. Thirty years of war
and the lack of developmental efforts into the
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region has taken this ‘island within an
island’ far away from its historical heyday.
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The
region is featured in
various accounts of
Sri Lankan history.
According to the
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Ramayana, Lord Rama crossed the
Adams Bridge, connecting Tamil Nadu to Mannar
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district, to rescue his wife from the Demon
King Ravana. Prince Vijaya landed on its
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shores of Thambapanni and thus
created the Sinhala race. It was one of the largest
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and most important ports in the Indian
Ocean with regular trade visitors from East Asia
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and the Mediterranean and during the
periods of colonization, Mannar was known for it
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beautiful and valuable pearls.
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Today, the region is multi-ethnic and
multi-religious and is known for its mouth-watering
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seafood, serene flat land, giant biobab
tress and beautiful silver beaches. The region
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awaits the renewal of the Colombo-Chennai
rail/ferry route, which is bound to put the
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district firmly on the road to development.
Mannar has enormous potential to develop
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and in order to do so welcomes responsible
investments.
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IN A
NUTSHELL
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Population: 103,688
(2007 est.)
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Climate: Dry zone
suitable for cultivation
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Land area: 1,880 km!
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Inland Water: 116 km!
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Existing Resources:
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Agriculture (Paddy,
Vegetables, Fruit)
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Livestock (Cattle,
Poultry)
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Fisheries (Sea, Inland),
Salterns
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Potential Industries:
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Agriculture (Organic,
Seed production)
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Fisheries (Deep sea,
Cultured fish)
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Value addition Units
(Milling, Processing)
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Tourism (Eco, Wild-life,
Wind and sea
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sports, Fishing, India
connection)
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Gateway to India (Port,
Ferry, Rail Link)
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Service Industry
(Transport, Hotels,
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Administrative
Facilities, Translation,
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Construction, Labour)
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Fishing in Mannar/ Tourism
Mannar has
a large and traditional fishing population and resources for inland, deep sea
and day fishing. Resources have been lost during the war and very little is done
with regard to the conservation of the remaining resources.
There are issues
of seasonal unemployment in the fisheries sector and
The development
of multi-day fishing, processing and value addition units can help towards reducing
such unemployment and also increasing the
competitiveness
of Mannar fisheries with the rest of the island and internationally.
Fishing,
especially deep-sea fishing can be promoted as a sea sport and the
fishing
villages of Mannar can be an interesting and different tourist attraction
.jpg)
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further
information
on
Investing
In
Mannar,
please
contact
or
visit
Web : http://mannarinformation.blogspot.com/
Email :
mannarinformation@gmail.com
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