Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province in Sri Lanka. It serves as the administrative headquarters for the Jaffna District, which is situated on a peninsula of the same name.
As of 2012, the city had a population of 88,138, making it the 12th most populous city in Sri Lanka. The area is located approximately ten kilometres from Kandarodai, a site that functioned as an emporium on the peninsula during classical antiquity.
The city includes the suburb of Nallur, which historically served as the capital of the medieval Tamil Jaffna Kingdom for four centuries.