Central Province, Sri Lanka

The Central Province (Sinhala: මධ්‍යම පළාත Madhyama Palata, Tamil: மத்திய மாகாணம் Malaiyakam Maakaanam) of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya.

History

Though three successive European powers invaded Sri Lanka during the 16th to the 19th century, the Central Province maintained its independence until the early 19th century when the British finally managed to conqueror Kandy.

The historic Matale town, Temple of the Tooth, Dambulla cave temple,Aluwihare temple and the Sigiriya rock is also in the Central Province.

Geography

The province has an area of 5,674 km²,and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy (119 186), Matale (39 869), Dambulla (75 290) , Gampola (26 481) , Nuwara Eliya (27 449) Hatton (16 790).

Climate

The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 metres often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.

Demographics

The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors. Many tea plantation workers are Indian Tamils, brought over to Sri Lanka by the British in the 19th century.

Ethnicity

Administrative divisions

Central Province is divided into 3 districts and 36 divisional secretariats.

Districts

Divisional Secretariats

The districts of the Sri Lanka are divided into administrative sub-units known as divisional secretariats. These were originally based on the feudal counties, the korales and ratas. They were formerly known as 'D.R.O. Divisions' after the 'Divisional Revenue Officer'. Later the D.R.O.s became 'Assistant Government Agents' and the Divisions were known as 'A.G.A. Divisions'. Currently, the Divisions are administered by a 'Divisional Secretary', and are known as a 'D.S. Divisions'.

There are 36 divisional secretariats divided in Central Province, which are listed below, by district. There are 20 in Kandy District, 11 in Matale District and 5 in Nuwara Eliya District.

Cities

See also

• Provinces of Sri Lanka
• Districts of Sri Lanka

References

Maps

• Searchable Map of Sri Lanka

External links

• Central Provincial Council Sri Lanka
• Cities in Central province
• ceylon tea