| Kinniya | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | Sri Lanka |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Sri Lanka |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Eastern |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Trincomalee |
| Subdivision Type4: | DS Division |
| Subdivision Name4: | Kinniya Divisional Secretariat |
| Government Type: | Kinniya Urban Council |
| Leader Title: | Special Commissioner |
| Leader Name: | Secretary |
| Leader Party: | UPFA |
| Coordinates: | 8.4833°N 81.1833°W |
| Population Urban: | 35,645 |
| Population Total: | 61,558 |
| Population As Of: | 2007 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
Kinniya (ta|கிண்ணியா|translit=Kiṇṇiyā; si|කින්නියා|translit=Kinniyā) is a town on the east coast of Sri Lanka, in the Trincomalee District of the Eastern Province. It is about 20km (10miles) from the city of Trincomalee and 240km (150miles) from Colombo. Located in Sri Lanka's dry zone, the Kinniya region often experiences hot and dry weather with very little precipitation. Kinniya Bridge is Sri Lanka's longest bridge,[2] which attracts many tourists in the town. Being adjacent to the Trincomalee Harbour, Kinniya was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Kinniya has over 500 years of history. A 400-year-old Grand masjid in Kinniya was demolished and a new one built in its place in 2002 by the Saudi Arabian government.[3] [4] Its name "Kinniya" defines the kinni tree which was the identity of the people of Kinniya once upon a time.
Kinniya is a Moorish majority town. There are small minorities of other ethnic groups such as Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese.
| Ethnicity | Population | % Of Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lankan Moors | 61,869 | 96.01 | |
| Sri Lankan Tamils | 2,390 | 4.06 | |
| Sinhalese | 245 | 0.40 | |
| Other (including Burgher, Malay) | 32 | 0.03 | |
| Total | 75,674 | 100 |
| Islam | 61,880 | 95.77% | |
| Hindu | 2,439 | 3.77% | |
| Buddhist | 253 | 0.39% | |
| Catholic | 39 | 0.06% | |
| Other | 2 | 0.003% | |
| Total | 64,613 | 100.0% |
The fisheries sector plays a key role in social and economic life of Kinniya.
Kinniya has well educated structures from all streams such as, Medicine, Law, Engineering, Government Jobs and Academic staffs. Many government and private schools and colleges has been established in the town, Higher education centers also situated for the education purposes, few years back due to the Sri Lankan Civil War it had been suffer education as unable to go to any places for higher studies.