Galle is a city and port in the southwest of Sri Lanka, the capital of the Southern Province. Population – 104.2 thousand people (2002). Connected by rail to Colombo and Matara.

History
Historian James Emerson Tennent believed that Galle corresponded to the Old Testament city of Tarshish, from which King Solomon exported Sri Lankan gems and ivory. The city was a major center of trade – Persian, Greek, Roman, Arab, Malay and Indian merchants conducted their business here.

By the time the Portuguese arrived (in 1505), the city was called Gimhatiffa. In 1640, the Dutch replaced the Portuguese. They built (by 1663) the granite fort of Galle (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the largest surviving fortress in Asia, created by European colonizers. In 1796 the city was captured by the British. Under British rule, Galle’s role as a port city declined significantly, as the new owners of the island preferred to develop the port of Colombo.

Currently, food (including fish), glass and textile industries are developed in Halle. Galle is one of the main centers of tourism in the country. Of the sights of the city, in addition to the Galle fort, one can note the Cathedral of St. Mary (built by the Jesuits) and numerous Hindu and Buddhist temples.

The city was badly damaged during the tsunami on December 26, 2004. Several thousand people died. However, by now the city has been almost completely restored, the decline in the tourism industry has been replaced by a new upsurge.