Matara (district)

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Coordinates: 5 ° 57 '  N , 80 ° 32'  E

Matara
District මාතර දිස්ත්‍රික්කය
மாத்தறை மாவட்டம்
District map
Province : Southern province
Administrative headquarters : Matara
Area : 1,283 km²
of which land area: 1,270 km²
of which inland waters: 13 km²
Residents : 814048
Population density : 240 inhabitants / km²
Website : District website

The Matara district ( Sinhala මාතර දිස්ත්රික්කය matara distrikkaya ; Tamil மாத்தறை மாவட்டம் Māttaṛai māvaṭṭam ) is a district in the Southern Province in Sri Lanka . The main town is Matara .

geography

The district of Matara is located in the south of the island on the coast and belongs to the southern province . Neighboring districts are Ratnapura in the north, Hambantota in the east, the Indian Ocean in the south and Galle in the west.

The Matara District has an area of ​​1,283 square kilometers (of which 1,270 square kilometers are land and 13 square kilometers are inland water). This makes it the fourth smallest district in Sri Lanka in terms of area.

population

According to the 2012 census, the Matara district has 814,048 inhabitants. With 641 inhabitants per square kilometer, the population density is well above the Sri Lankan average (325 inhabitants per square kilometer). Of the residents, 389,903 (47.90%) were male and 424,145 (52.10%) 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 137.980 130.223 117.041 111,984 101,881 94,845 102.183 17,911
proportion of 16.95% 16.00% 14.38% 13.76% 12.52% 11.65% 12.55% 2.20%

District population by ethnic group

Almost 95% of the population are Sinhalese. Only in the Kotapola and Welipitiya divisions do more than ten percent of the residents belong to an ethnic minority. Almost only Sinhalese live in eleven of the sixteen divisions.

year Sinhalese 1 Sri Lankan Tamils 2 Tamils 2 Moors 3 Burgher Malays Others 4 Total
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
1981 608,516 94.52% 4,683 0.73% 13,875 2.16% 16,122 2.50% 205 0.03% 79 0.01% 306 0.05% 643.786 100.00%
2001 716.974 94.17% 5,161 0.68% 16,672 2.19% 22,133 2.91% 179 0.02% 87 0.01% 164 0.02% 761.370 100.00%
2012 767,580 94.29% 8,772 1.08% 12,127 1.49% 25,254 3.10% 131 0.02% 58 0.01% 126 0.02% 814.048 100.00%
Source: Sri Lanka censuses in 1981, 2001 and 2012

1 lowland and Kandy Sinhalese together 2 Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils separately 3 only Sri Lankan moors 4 thereof 2001 59 Sri Lanka Chetties and 4 Bharathas; 2012 6 Sri Lanka Chetties and 11 Bharathas

Population of the district by confession

Almost all Sinhala residents of Matara are Buddhist , while the Moors and Malays are all Islamic . Third strongest religion is Hinduism , to which the vast majority of Indian and Sri Lankan Tamils ​​belong. The Christian , the Burgher and a minority of the Tamil belong (about 21%, or 4,500 people), is only a small minority religion. It is worth mentioning the strong growth of the Protestants (mostly Free Churches; 1981–2012: + 292%) with, at the same time, low growth among Catholics (1981–2012: + 20%).

year Buddhists Hindus Muslims Catholics other Christs Other Total
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
1981 608.714 94.55% 15,356 2.39% 16,670 2.59% 2,026 0.31% 818 0.13% 202 0.03% 643.786 100.00%
2001 716.710 94.13% 17,339 2.28% 22,481 2.95% 2,703 0.36% 2,001 0.26% 136 0.02% 761.370 100.00%
2012 766.323 94.14% 16,421 2.02% 25,614 3.15% 2,432 0.30% 3,208 0.39% 50 0.01% 814.048 100.00%
Source: Sri Lanka censuses in 1981, 2001 and 2012

Population development

The population of the Matara district has been growing steadily for decades. In the period from 2001 to 2012 (the last two census years) the increase was 52,678 people. This is a growth of 6.92%. Since 1946 the population has more than doubled (+ 131%).

The district was not a combat zone in the civil war. Therefore, only a small part of the migrants belong to the group affected by the civil war. In 2012, according to government statistics, only 1,439 refugees and returnees lived in the Matara district. These included 1,211 refugees from other areas of Sri Lanka and 228 people were resettled after being displaced.

Significant places

The only large towns in the district are the district capital Matara (2012: 74,193 inhabitants) and Weligama (2012: 22,377 inhabitants).

history

Despite its location on the south coast, the 2004 earthquake-triggered tsunami hit the coast with full force. At that time, according to official information, 1,221 people died in the Matara district. Almost 20,000 families were affected by the aftermath of the tsunami.

Local administration

The head of the district holds the title of District Secretary. The district is further divided into sixteen divisions (under a Division Secretary). The cities and larger towns have their own administration (municipal parliament or council). There are 895 village administrations (Grama Niladharis) for the 2,446 villages in the entire district.

The DS Divisions in the Matara District
Surname main place Residents
2012		 Area
in km²		 density GN Villages
Akuressa Akuressa 52,912 148.8 356 46 103
Athuraliya Athuraliya 32,304 63.0 513 28 61
Dewinuwara Dewinuwara 48,253 39.9 1,209 41 80
Dickwella Dickwella 54,672 51.9 1,053 48 107
Hakmana Hakmana 31,648 47.7 663 34 89
Kamburupitiya Kamburupitiya 40,969 60.9 673 39 113
Kirinda Puhulwella Kirinda Puhulwella 20,291 37.5 541 25th 56
Kotapola Kotapola 63,255 175.5 360 37 110
Malimbada Malimbada 34,856 44.7 780 29 72
Matara Four Gravets Matara 115,805 53.9 2.149 66 108
Mulatiyana Mulatiyana 50,261 115.3 436 48 100
Pasgoda Pasgoda 59,160 148.3 399 43 180
Pitabeddara Pitabeddara 51.186 141.6 361 40 56
Thihagoda Thihagoda 33,535 45.2 742 40 152
Weligama Weligama 72,843 44.0 1,656 48 101
Welipitiya Welipitiya 52,098 64.3 810 38 170
Matara district Matara 814.048 1,270 641 650 1,658

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Final result of the 2012 census
  2. ^ Map of the ethnic distribution after the 2012 census
  3. ↑ Data from the Matara district after the 2012 census
  4. ^ Map of religious distribution after the 2012 census
  5. ↑ Data from the Matara district after the 2012 census
  6. ↑ Migrants by reason of migration and district.
  7. ↑ Information on the effects of the 2004 tsunami ( Memento from May 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
  8. ↑ Handbook of the District of Matara 2011, Table 1.1
  9. ^ Map of the inhabitants by division
  10. ^ Matara District Handbook 2011, Table 1.5

Web links