Neduntheevu

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Neduntheevu (Tamil: நெடுந்தீவு Neṭuntīvu [ neɖɯn̪d̪i ː ʋɯ ] " long island ", also Neduntivu ) or Delft is an island in Sri Lanka. It is available as westernmost of larger islands in the Jaffna Peninsula are upstream, in the area between Sri Lanka and India Palk Strait. Neduntheevu only 50 kilometers from the Indian Rameswaram is located on the other side of the Palk Strait.

The Jaffna peninsula was conquered in 1658 for Portugal by the Dutch Rijklof van Goens. The eight largest islands off the coast were Dutch name, as the name Neduntheevu Delft (after the Dutch town of the same name ), which is the only one still in use internationally.

The flat, 45 square kilometers large oval-shaped island is eight kilometers long and up to six kilometers wide. Upstream are sandbars and coral reefs. Livelihoods of the few predominantly living on the north coast residents is out fishing, inter alia, the cultivation of papayas and bananas. In the semi-arid environment palms are used repeatedly. According to a 2012 census, the island has 3,819 inhabitants, almost all Sri Lankan Tamils. Slightly more than half of the population Catholic, the rest are mostly Hindus.

In the civil war in Sri Lanka (1983-2009) Neduntheevu was repeatedly fought between government forces and the LTTE rebels. Also Indian fishermen who use the fishing grounds around Neduntheevu were repeatedly involved in the conflict.