Ratnapura ( Sinhala : රත්නපුර "City of Jewels") is the capital of the Sabaragamuwa Province in Sri Lanka . It lies between the southern plains and the mountains to the east on the bank of the Kalu River . From here one of the pilgrimage routes leads to Sri Pada . In the vicinity is the Sinharaja Forest , the last remaining rainforest on the island. Ratnapura is the main gemstone center in Sri Lanka. Mainly rubies , sapphires and cat's eyes (a variant of chrysoberyl ) are mined. Rice , fruits and tea are grown in the Ratnapura area .
In 1901 a population of 4,084, 1981 of 37,497 and 2001 of 46,309 inhabitants was given.
climate
In Ratnapura there is a tropical rainforest climate with high temperatures and high humidity. There is abundant precipitation all year round (always over 100 mm, that is as much as in the rainiest month in Germany), the maximum precipitation is in May and October. The temperature is around 31 ° C-35 ° C during the day and 22 ° C-25 ° C at night all year round. Due to the high humidity (almost always over 80%), the perceived temperature is much higher.
