Galle

Galle ගාල්ල காலி
City
City of Galle
Clockwise from top left: Galle Temple, Aerial view of Galle Fort, Interior of the Galle Fort, St. Aloysius College, Galle View of the Galle International Stadium from the Fort, Dutch Reformed Church of Galle, Galle Municipal Council
Galle
Coordinates: 6°3′13″N 80°12′42″E / 6.05361°N 80.21167°E / 6.05361; 80.21167Coordinates: 6°3′13″N 80°12′42″E / 6.05361°N 80.21167°E / 6.05361; 80.21167
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Southern Province
Government
• Type	Galle Municipal Council
• Mayor	Methsiri De Silva
• Headquarters	Galle Town Hall
Area
• Total	16.52 km2 (6.38 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	99,478
• Density	5,712/km2 (14,790/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Galleans
Time zone	Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)
Area code(s)	091
Website	galle.mc.gov.lk

Galle (Sinhalese: ගාල්ල; Tamil: காலி) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Province, Sri Lanka and is the district capital of Galle District.

Galle was known as Gimhathiththa(although Ibn Batuta in the 14th century refers to it as Qali) before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, when it was the main port on the island. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, during the Dutch colonial period. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by the Portuguese in South and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between Portuguese architectural styles and native traditions. The city was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the 17th century from 1649 onwards. The Galle fort is a world heritage site and is the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers.

Other prominent landmarks in Galle include the city's natural harbor, the National Maritime Museum, St. Mary's Cathedral founded by Jesuit priests, one of the main Shiva temples on the island, and Amangalla the historic luxury hotel. On 26 December 2004 the city was devastated by the massive Tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that occurred a thousand miles away, off the coast of Indonesia. Thousands were killed in the city alone. Galle is home to a cricket ground, the Galle International Stadium which is considered to be one of the most picturesque cricket grounds in the world. The ground which was severely damaged by the tsunami, was rebuilt and test matches resumed there on December 18, 2007.