The Trincomalee Harbour is a large natural harbour in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

. Located in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

Trincomalee

Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...

 in the heart of the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

, its strategic importance has shaped its recent history. There had been many sea battles to conquer the harbour. The Portuguese, Dutch, French, and the English, each held it in turn.

The harbour, the fifth largest natural harbour in the world, is overlooked by terraced highlands, and its entrance is guarded by two headlands.

See also

• List of ports in Sri Lanka
• Port of Colombo
• Sri Lanka Ports Authority
  Sri Lanka Ports Authority
  Sri Lanka Ports Authority is a government agency responsible for the development and maintenance of all commercial ports in Sri Lanka. It is also responsible for the maintenance and operations of lighthouses in Sri Lanka...