District in Sri Lanka
The 9 provinces of Sri Lanka are divided into 25 districts ( Sinhalese දිස්ත්රික්ක , Tamil மாவட்டம் ). Each district is headed by a district secretary appointed by the central government. The country's districts are listed below.
The Sinhalese majority also uses the name Disa for the districts . The original meaning of the name was principality. The most important of these disas were Matale and Uva.
Each district is in turn divided into 'divisions'. These were originally feudal rule like the German counties. The divisions were traditionally known as korale and rata . During the British colonial period they were first referred to as 'DRO Divisions'. Its administrator was the Divisional Revenue Officer. Later these were called 'Assistant Government Agents' and the divisions were called 'AGA Divisions'. Today they are headed by a 'Divisional Secretary' and therefore called 'DS Divisions'. Rural DS divisions are now administered by an elected regional council (Sinhala 'Pradeshiya Sabha').
Area and population figures
District | map | province | District capital |
Land area in km² |
Inland water area in km² |
Total area in square kilometers |
Population (2012) |
Population density per km² |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ampara | Eastern Province | Ampara | 4222 km² | 193 km² | 4415 km² | 649.402 | 154 / km² | |
Anuradhapura | North Central Province | Anuradhapura | 6664 km² | 515 km² | 7179 km² | 860.575 | 129 / km² | |
Badulla | Uva | Badulla | 2827 km² | 34 km² | 2861 km² | 815.405 | 288 / km² | |
Batticaloa | Eastern Province | Batticaloa | 2610 km² | 244 km² | 2854 km² | 526,567 | 202 / km² | |
Colombo | Western province | Colombo | 676 km² | 23 km² | 699 km² | 2,324,349 | 3438 / km² | |
bile | Southern province | bile | 1617 km² | 35 km² | 1652 km² | 1,063,334 | 658 / km² | |
Gampaha | Western province | Gampaha | 1341 km² | 46 km² | 1387 km² | 2,304,833 | 1719 / km² | |
Hambantota | Southern province | Hambantota | 2496 km² | 113 km² | 2609 km² | 599.903 | 240 / km² | |
Jaffna | Northern Province | Jaffna | 929 km² | 96 km² | 1025 km² | 583,882 | 629 / km² | |
Kalutara | Western province | Kalutara | 1576 km² | 22 km² | 1598 km² | 1,221,948 | 775 / km² | |
Kandy | Central Province | Kandy | 1917 km² | 23 km² | 1940 km² | 1,375,382 | 716 / km² | |
Kegalle | Sabaragamuwa | Kegalle | 1685 km² | 8 km² | 1693 km² | 840,648 | 499 / km² | |
Kilinochchi | Northern Province | Kilinochchi | 1205 km² | 74 km² | 1279 km² | 113,510 | 94 / km² | |
Kurunegala | Northwest Province | Kurunegala | 4624 km² | 192 km² | 4816 km² | 1,618,465 | 350 / km² | |
Mannar | Northern Province | Mannar | 1880 km² | 116 km² | 1996 km² | 99,570 | 53 / km² | |
Matale | Central Province | Matale | 1952 km² | 41 km² | 1993 km² | 484,531 | 248 / km² | |
Matara | Southern province | Matara | 1270 km² | 13 km² | 1283 km² | 814.048 | 641 / km² | |
Monaragala | Uva | Monaragala | 5508 km² | 131 km² | 5639 km² | 451.058 | 82 / km² | |
Mullaitivu | Northern Province | Mullaitivu | 2415 km² | 202 km² | 2617 km² | 92,238 | 38 / km² | |
Nuwara Eliya | Central Province | Nuwara Eliya | 1706 km² | 35 km² | 1741 km² | 711,644 | 417 / km² | |
Polonnaruwa | North Central Province | Polonnaruwa | 3077 km² | 216 km² | 3293 km² | 406.088 | 132 / km² | |
Puttalam | Northwest Province | Puttalam | 2882 km² | 190 km² | 3072 km² | 762.396 | 265 / km² | |
Ratnapura | Sabaragamuwa | Ratnapura | 3236 km² | 39 km² | 3275 km² | 1,088,007 | 336 / km² | |
Trincomalee | Eastern Province | Trincomalee | 2529 km² | 198 km² | 2727 km² | 379,541 | 150 / km² | |
Vavuniya | Northern Province | Vavuniya | 1861 km² | 106 km² | 1967 km² | 172.115 | 92 / km² | |
total | 62705 km² | 2905 km² | 65610 km² | 20,359,439 | 325 / km² |
Ethnic composition of the population
District | Residents |
Singha- read |
Sri Lankan Tamils |
Indian Tamils |
Moors | Burgher | Malay | Chetty | Baratha | Other | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | % | number | % | number | % | number | % | number | % | number | % | number | % | number | % | number | % | ||
Colombo | 2,309,809 | 1,771,319 | 76.7 | 231,318 | 10.0 | 27,336 | 1.2 | 242,728 | 10.5 | 13,304 | 0.6 | 12,463 | 0.5 | 1.314 | 0.1 | 721 | 0.0 | 9,306 | 0.4 |
Gampaha | 2,294,641 | 2,079,115 | 90.6 | 80,071 | 3.5 | 10,879 | 0.5 | 95.501 | 4.2 | 9,898 | 0.4 | 11,658 | 0.5 | 4,093 | 0.2 | 552 | 0.0 | 2,874 | 0.1 |
Kalutara | 1,217,260 | 1,054,991 | 86.7 | 24,362 | 2.0 | 23,611 | 1.9 | 112.276 | 9.2 | 968 | 0.1 | 597 | 0.0 | 20th | 0.0 | 44 | 0.0 | 391 | 0.0 |
Kandy | 1,369,899 | 1,018,323 | 74.3 | 71,640 | 5.2 | 83.234 | 6.1 | 191.159 | 14.0 | 2,201 | 0.2 | 2,062 | 0.2 | 115 | 0.0 | 23 | 0.0 | 1,142 | 0.1 |
Matale | 482.229 | 389.092 | 80.7 | 24,756 | 5.1 | 23,400 | 4.9 | 44.113 | 9.1 | 376 | 0.1 | 335 | 0.1 | 29 | 0.0 | 7th | 0.0 | 121 | 0.0 |
Nuwara Eliya | 706.588 | 279.784 | 39.6 | 31,867 | 4.5 | 375.795 | 53.2 | 17,422 | 2.5 | 770 | 0.1 | 492 | 0.1 | 49 | 0.0 | 10 | 0.0 | 399 | 0.1 |
bile | 1,058,771 | 998.540 | 94.3 | 15,228 | 1.4 | 5,641 | 0.5 | 38,591 | 3.6 | 242 | 0.0 | 79 | 0.0 | 8th | 0.0 | 10 | 0.0 | 432 | 0.0 |
Matara | 809.344 | 763.121 | 94.3 | 8,562 | 1.1 | 11,984 | 1.5 | 25,300 | 3.1 | 177 | 0.0 | 54 | 0.0 | 3 | 0.0 | 3 | 0.0 | 140 | 0 |
Hambantota | 596.617 | 579.032 | 97.1 | 2.111 | 0.4 | 136 | 0.0 | 6,556 | 1.1 | 138 | 0.0 | 8,210 | 1.4 | 7th | 0.0 | 2 | 0.0 | 425 | 0.1 |
Jaffna | 583,378 | 3,366 | 0.6 | 577.246 | 98.9 | 499 | 0.1 | 2.139 | 0.4 | 93 | 0.0 | 5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 29 | 0.0 |
Mannar | 99.051 | 1.961 | 2.0 | 80,568 | 81.3 | 394 | 0.4 | 16,087 | 16.2 | 19th | 0.0 | 10 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 12 | 0.0 |
Vavuniya | 171,511 | 17.191 | 10.0 | 141,269 | 82.4 | 1,292 | 0.8 | 11,700 | 6.8 | 15th | 0.0 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 39 | 0.0 |
Mullaitivu | 91,947 | 8,851 | 9.6 | 79,081 | 86.0 | 2,182 | 2.4 | 1,760 | 1.9 | 21st | 0.0 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 40 | 0.0 |
Kilinochchi | 112,875 | 962 | 0.9 | 109,528 | 97.0 | 1,682 | 1.5 | 678 | 0.6 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 24 | 0.0 |
Batticaloa | 525.142 | 6.127 | 1.2 | 381.285 | 72.6 | 1,015 | 0.2 | 133,844 | 25.5 | 2,794 | 0.5 | 16 | 0.0 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 58 | 0.0 |
Ampara | 648.057 | 251.018 | 38.7 | 112,750 | 17.4 | 165 | 0.0 | 282,484 | 43.6 | 849 | 0.1 | 176 | 0.0 | 4th | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 610 | 0.1 |
Trincomalee | 378.182 | 101.991 | 27.0 | 115,549 | 30.6 | 6,531 | 1.7 | 152.854 | 40.4 | 815 | 0.2 | 364 | 0.1 | 14th | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 64 | 0.0 |
Kurunegala | 1,610,299 | 1,471,339 | 91.4 | 18,763 | 1.2 | 3,582 | 0.2 | 113,560 | 7.1 | 711 | 0.0 | 1,083 | 0.1 | 92 | 0.0 | 28 | 0.0 | 1,141 | 0.1 |
Puttalam | 759.776 | 559.031 | 73.6 | 47,523 | 6.3 | 2,503 | 0.3 | 146.820 | 19.3 | 1,481 | 0.2 | 592 | 0.1 | 187 | 0.0 | 206 | 0.0 | 1,433 | 0.2 |
Anuradhapura | 856.232 | 778.131 | 90.9 | 5,065 | 0.6 | 957 | 0.1 | 70,248 | 8.2 | 187 | 0.0 | 158 | 0.0 | 17th | 0.0 | 44 | 0.0 | 1,425 | 0.2 |
Polonnaruwa | 403,335 | 365.476 | 90.6 | 7,356 | 1.8 | 1,190 | 0.3 | 29,060 | 7.2 | 86 | 0.0 | 46 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 119 | 0.0 |
Badulla | 811.758 | 593.120 | 73.1 | 20,335 | 2.5 | 149,662 | 18.4 | 45,886 | 5.7 | 904 | 0.1 | 1,288 | 0.2 | 43 | 0.0 | 9 | 0.0 | 511 | 0.1 |
Moneragala | 448.142 | 423.972 | 94.6 | 9,783 | 2.2 | 4,590 | 1.0 | 9,552 | 2.1 | 109 | 0.0 | 46 | 0.0 | 10 | 0.0 | 1 | 0.0 | 79 | 0.0 |
Ratnapura | 1,082,277 | 942.244 | 87.1 | 54,658 | 5.1 | 62,595 | 5.8 | 21,550 | 2.0 | 325 | 0.0 | 270 | 0.0 | 28 | 0.0 | 22nd | 0.0 | 585 | 0.1 |
Kegalle | 836.603 | 715.723 | 85.6 | 20,250 | 2.4 | 41,468 | 5.0 | 57,952 | 6.9 | 577 | 0.1 | 168 | 0.0 | 37 | 0.0 | 4th | 0.0 | 424 | 0.1 |
Web links
- District Statistical HandBook , Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Table 1.1: Area of Sri Lanka by province and (district) . In: Statistical Abstract 2014 . Department of Census and Statistics. Sri Lanka.
- ^ Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka. 2012 - Table A1: Population by district. sex and sector . Department of Census & Statistics. Sri Lanka.
- ↑ based on the pure land area
- ↑ Population by ethnic group according to districts, 2012. Deprtment of Census and Statistics, accessed on March 10, 2018 (English).