Batticaloa (District)

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Coordinates: 7 ° 44 '  N , 81 ° 42'  E

Batticaloa District
මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්‍රික්කය
மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம்
District map
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 .

Eravur Kattankudy Batticaloa

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.

The DS Divisions in Batticaloa 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

  1. ↑ Final result of the 2012 census
  2. ^ Map of the ethnic distribution after the 2012 census
  3. ^ Batticaloa district data based on the 2012 census
  4. ^ Department of Census and Statistics Statistical Office of Sri Lanka
  5. ^ Map of religious distribution after the 2012 census
  6. ^ Batticaloa district data based on the 2012 census
  7. ↑ Information on the effects of the 2004 tsunami ( Memento from May 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ Batticaloa District Handbook 2011, Table 1.1
  9. ↑ Batticaloa District Handbook 2011, Table 1.5

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