Satellite map of Galle and surrounding area

Research Site Manager: Martin Mulligan

The city of Galle, on the south-east tip of Sri Lanka, is the nation's third biggest city and capital of the Southern Province (also known by the ancient name of Ruhuna). Known to travellers as the site of the 17th century Dutch fort that remains as a walled town within the city, Galle came to world prominence when it was badly hit by the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. Video footage of crowded buses in the busy central bus station being swamped by the surging waves flashed around the world and people wondered at the force of nature that could deposit a large Norwegian ship on the main arterial road of the city. Prior to the devastating impact of the tsunami the Southern Province had been benefiting from a revival in international tourism as a result of a prolonged ceasefire in the 20-year war between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) fighting for a separate Tamil state in the country's north and east. The province is blessed with abundant seas (for fishing), fertile soils and reliable rainfall. A garment-making industry based at Koggala on the outskirts of Galle has consolidated after a period of decline. It will, however, take years to rebuild housing, infrastructure and shattered lives in the wake of the tsunami and this will necessitate an ongoing international aid effort.

Background

The name Galle comes from a Sinhala word meaning 'place where bullock carts are parked' and the area is mentioned in the very ancient Hindu epic the Ramayana. The contemporary city is built around the nation's second best natural harbour (after Trincomalee in the east) and it was already a trading port for ships coming from the Arab world as early as the 4th century AD.

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