Batticaloa (District)
Coordinates: 7 ° 44 ' N , 81 ° 42' E
Batticaloa District මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம் |
|
---|---|
Province : | Eastern Province |
Administrative headquarters : | Batticaloa |
Area : | 2,854 km² |
of which land area: | 2,610 km² |
of which inland waters: | 244 km² |
Residents : | 526567 |
Population density : | 202 inhabitants / km² |
Batticaloa ( Sinhala මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය maḍakalapūva distrikkaya ; Tamil மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம் Maṭṭakkaḷappu māvaṭṭam ) is a district in the Eastern Province in Sri Lanka . The main town is Batticaloa .
geography
The Batticaloa district is located on the east coast of Sri Lanka on the Bay of Bengal and is part of the Eastern Province . Neighboring districts are Ampara in the south and west, Polonnaruwa in the west, Trincomalee in the north and the Indian Ocean in the east.
Batticaloa District covers an area of 2,854 square kilometers (including 2,610 square kilometers of land and 244 square kilometers of inland water). This makes it the ninth largest district in Sri Lanka in terms of area.
population
According to the 2012 census, Batticaloa district has 526,567 inhabitants. With 202 inhabitants per square kilometer, the population density is well below the Sri Lankan average (325 inhabitants per square kilometer). Of the residents, 250,676 (47.61%) were male and 275,891 (52.39%) were female. The population is very young. This is illustrated by a look at the age distribution.
Age | 0–9 years | 10–19 years | 20-29 years | 30–39 years | 40-49 years | 50–59 years | 60–79 years | 80 years and more |
number | 106,475 | 110,075 | 85,988 | 75,226 | 60,914 | 47,750 | 37,165 | 2,974 |
proportion of | 20.22% | 20.90% | 16.33% | 14.29% | 11.57% | 9.07% | 7.06% | 0.56% |
Historical population development
Until the end of the British colonial era, Hindu Tamils made up the clear majority of the population in today's district. The Moors, who also speak Tamil, made up a significant minority. Smaller minorities were the Sinhalese and Burgher.
The mixed district of Ampara also belonged to the Batticaloa district until 1958. Since the proportion of moors and Sinhalese was significantly higher there, the picture up to the 1963 census was altogether different than in today's (remaining area) of the Batticaloa district.
Batticaloa District population by ethnic group, 1881 to 1971
year | Tamils 1 | Muslims 2 | Sinhalese 3 | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
1881 | 61.014 | 57.80% | 37,255 | 35.29% | 5.012 | 4.75% | 2,277 | 2.16% | 105,558 | 100.00% |
1891 | 69,584 | 56.71% | 44,780 | 36.50% | 6,403 | 5.22% | 1.932 | 1.57% | 122,699 | 100.00% |
1901 | 79,857 | 55.01% | 54,190 | 37.33% | 7,575 | 5.22% | 3,539 | 2.44% | 145.161 | 100.00% |
1911 | 83,948 | 54.53% | 60,695 | 39.43% | 5,771 | 3.75% | 3,529 | 2.29% | 153.943 | 100.00% |
1921 | 84,665 | 53.35% | 63,146 | 39.79% | 7,243 | 4.56% | 3,655 | 2.30% | 158,709 | 100.00% |
1946 | 102.264 | 50.33% | 85,805 | 42.23% | 11,850 | 5.83% | 3,267 | 1.61% | 203.186 | 100.00% |
1953 | 130.381 | 48.20% | 106,706 | 39.45% | 31,174 | 11.52% | 2,232 | 0.83% | 270.493 | 100.00% |
1963 | 141.110 | 71.93% | 46,038 | 23.47% | 6,715 | 3.42% | 2,326 | 1.19% | 196.189 | 100.00% |
1971 | 181,527 | 70.71% | 60,889 | 23.72% | 11,548 | 4.50% | 2,757 | 1.07% | 256.721 | 100.00% |
1 Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils together 2 Sri Lankan and Indian moors and Malays 3 Lowland and Kandy Sinhalese together
Up until the 1963 census, the Ampara district, spun off in 1958, is included.
District population by ethnic group since 1981
The two Tamil-speaking ethnic groups, the Sri Lankan Tamils and the Moors, together make up almost the entire population (97.76%).
Sri Lankan Tamils
The Sri Lankan Tamils make up the majority of the population. However, not in all administrative areas (divisions). They are the majority population in ten of the fourteen divisions. Exceptions are Koralai Pattu West (Oddamavadi), Kattankudy, Koralai Pattu Central and Eravur Town, where they are surpassed by the moors. Their share ranges between 0.05% in Kattankudy and 99.08% in Manmunai West.
Moors
There is also a minority of Moors or Tamil-speaking Muslims. They form the majority of the population in the divisions Koralai Pattu West (Oddamavadi) (99.49%), Kattankudy (99.42%), Koralai Pattu Central (97.19%) and Eravur Town (85.40%). They make up significant minorities in the Manmunai Pattu (Araipattai) (24.59%) and Eravur Pattu (16.83%) divisions. In six of the fourteen divisions, however, only a few members of their ethnic group live. Their share ranges between 0.02% in Manmunai South and Eruvil Pattu and 99.49% in Koralai Pattu West (Oddamavadi).
Sinhalese
Only a small minority of the residents of Batticaloa District are Sinhalese . Their share ranges between 0.08% in Koralai Pattu West (Oddamavadi) and 4.45% in Manmunai South-West.
Burgher
There are few members of this ethnic group in almost all divisions. Their share fluctuates between 0% in two divisions and 0.36% in Koralai Pattu (Valachchenai). The Manmunai North Division is an exception, where they provide 2,455 of the 86,227 residents and make up 2.85% of the total population.
Indian Tamils
The Tamils of Indian descent are a small minority. Only in the Manmunai North division do they make up a significant proportion of the population with 916 people (1.06%).
year | Sinhalese 1 | Sri Lankan Tamils 2 | Indian Tamils 2 | Moors 3 | Burgher | Malays | Other | Total | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
1981 | 11,255 | 3.41% | 233.713 | 70.75% | 4,074 | 1.23% | 78,829 | 23.86% | 2,292 | 0.69% | 46 | 0.01% | 124 | 0.04% | 330,333 | 100.00% |
2007 | 2,397 | 0.46% | 381.841 | 74.02% | 143 | 0.03% | 128,964 | 25.00% | 2,412 | 0.47% | 81 | 0.02% | 19th | 0.00% | 515.857 | 100.00% |
2012 | 6,797 | 1.29% | 380,930 | 72.34% | 2,078 | 0.39% | 133,854 | 25.42% | 2,814 | 0.53% | 28 | 0.01% | 66 | 0.01% | 526,567 | 100.00% |
Source: Sri Lanka censuses in 1981 and 2012 and special census 2007 |
1 lowland and Kandy Sinhalese together 2 Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils separately 3 only Sri Lankan moors
Since large parts of the district were under the control of the LTTE in 2001, no district-wide census took place at the time. This was made up for in 2007.
Population of the district by confession
The distribution of creeds is a reflection of ethnic relationships. The Hinduism , the Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, the majority of belonging, is the majority religion. The second strongest religious group is Islam , to which the Moors and Malays belong. The only exception is Christianity , to which numerous Tamils belong in addition to the Burghern. In the divisions Manmunai North (28.18%), Koralai Pattu (Valachchenai) (18.13%) and Koralai Pattu North (Vaharai) (15.03%) they each make up more than 15% of the total population. And almost all of the Sinhalese residents of Batticaloa are Buddhist .
year | Buddhists | Hindus | Muslims | Catholics | other Christs | Other | Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
1981 | 9,127 | 2.76% | 218.812 | 66.24% | 78,810 | 23.86% | 19,704 | 5.96% | 3,795 | 1.15% | 85 | 0.03% | 330,333 | 100.00% |
2012 | 6,281 | 1.19% | 338,882 | 64.36% | 134.065 | 25.46% | 24,454 | 4.64% | 22,833 | 4.34% | 52 | 0.01% | 526,567 | 100.00% |
Source: Sri Lankan censuses in 1981 and 2012; no data for 2001 and 2007 |
Population development
Significant places
Larger towns in the district are Batticaloa , Kattankudy and Eravur .
history
Today's Ampara district was spun off from the district in 1958 . Because of its location on the east coast, the 2004 earthquake-triggered tsunami hit the coast with full force. According to official reports, 3,177 people died in Batticaloa district at that time. Another 255,000 were left homeless and some were injured.
Local administration
The head of the district holds the title of District Secretary. The district is further divided into fourteen divisions (under a Division Secretary). The cities and larger towns have their own administration (municipal parliament or council). There are 347 village administrations (Grama Niladharis) for the 878 villages in the entire district.
Surname | main place | Residents 2012 |
Area in km² |
density | GN | Villages |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eravur Pattu | Chenkalady | 75,478 | 695 | 109 | 39 | 162 |
Eravur Town | Erawur | 24,643 | 3 | 8.214 | 17th | 35 |
Kattankudy | Kattankudy | 40,356 | 6th | 6,726 | 18th | 0 |
Koralai Pattu | Valachenai | 23,376 | 35 | 668 | 12 | 23 |
Koralai Pattu Central | Pasikudah | 25,687 | 80 | 321 | 8th | 15th |
Koralai Pattu North | Vakarai | 21,537 | 589 | 37 | 16 | 50 |
Koralai Pattu South | Kiran | 26,143 | 582 | 449 | 18th | 138 |
Koralai Pattu West | Oddomawadi | 22,182 | 17th | 1,305 | 8th | 12 |
Manmunai North | Batticaloa | 86,227 | 68 | 127 | 48 | 0 |
Manmunai Pattu | Araipattai | 30,694 | 37 | 830 | 27 | 89 |
Manmunai South & Eruvil Pattu | Kaluvanchikudy | 60,807 | 63 | 965 | 45 | 60 |
Manmunai South-West | Kokkadichcholai | 24,726 | 145 | 171 | 24 | 39 |
Manmunai West | Vellaveli | 28,489 | 352 | 81 | 24 | 135 |
Porativu Pattu | Vellavely | 36,222 | 182 | 199 | 43 | 120 |
Batticaloa District | Batticaloa | 526,567 | 2,610 | 202 | 347 | 878 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Final result of the 2012 census
- ^ Map of the ethnic distribution after the 2012 census
- ^ Batticaloa district data based on the 2012 census
- ^ Department of Census and Statistics Statistical Office of Sri Lanka
- ^ Map of religious distribution after the 2012 census
- ^ Batticaloa district data based on the 2012 census
- ↑ Information on the effects of the 2004 tsunami ( Memento from May 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Batticaloa District Handbook 2011, Table 1.1
- ↑ Batticaloa District Handbook 2011, Table 1.5
Web links
- Website of the district (English)