Kegalle District

Kegalle District
කෑගල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කය
கேகாலை மாவட்டம்
Administrative District

Map of Sri Lanka with Kegalle District highlighted
Coordinates: 7°18′N 80°24′E / 7.300°N 80.400°E / 7.300; 80.400Coordinates: 7°18′N 80°24′E / 7.300°N 80.400°E / 7.300; 80.400
Country Sri Lanka
Province Sabaragamuwa Province
Largest Town Kegalle
Divisions
List
Government
 • District Secretary Thusitha P. Wanigasinghe
 • Local
Area[1]
 • Total 1,693 km2 (654 sq mi)
 • Land 1,685 km2 (651 sq mi)
 • Water 8 km2 (3 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Total 837,179
 • Density 490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30)
ISO 3166 code LK-92

Kegalle is a district in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. It was a former Dissavani of Sri Lanka.

It covers an area of 1,693 km². The district has a population of 837,179 according to 2012 Census, which is approximately 4.0% of the total population of Sri Lanka.

Physical information

The District of Kegalle is situated in between the central highlands and western southern plains and has an enchanting environment. The height of the western region is 50 m (160 ft) above sea level while the eastern region exceeds 1,800 m (5,900 ft). Rubber cultivation has stretched over most of the area of the District and minor export crops from the district include coffee, cocoa, pepper, clove and nutmeg. Sri Lanka’s best graphite mine is situated at Bogala in Kegalle District. The extent of the District is 1,692.8 km2 (653.6 sq mi).

Major cities

Other towns

Demographics

Population (2005)
Administration TypeNumber
Female 521,683
Male 504,541
Total Population 1026,224
No. of Families 296,348

Ethnic distribution (2001 census)

Most of the population are Sinhalese. Indian Tamils brought by British to work in tea states makes a significant minority.

Ethnic group Population %
Sinhala 674,665 85.89%
Sri Lankan Tamil 14,908 1.90%
Indian Tamil 44,202 5.63%
Sri Lankan Moors 50,419 6.42%
Burger 191 0.02%
other 1,139 0.14%
Total 785,524 100.00%

Religious groups (2001 census)

Religions in Kegalle District (2011)[3]

  Buddhism (84.6%)
  Islam (7.2%)
  Hinduism (6.5%)
  Christianity (1.7%)
Religious group Population %
Buddhist 667,618 84.00%
Islam 59,662 7.58%
Hindu 51,675 6.58%
Roman Catholic 9,365 1.19%
protestant 4,977 0.63%
other 227 0.02%
Total 794,524 100.00%

Land usage

CropsQuantity( Hec.)
Rice 23,516
Tea 18,673
Coconut 27,192
Rubber 89,311

Notable places

Situated between coastal lowlands and central highlands district has a contrasting landscape.

Elephant Orphanage of Pinnawala

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage of Pinnawala attracts thousands of tourists daily.

Maps

References

  1. ↑ "Area of Sri Lanka by province and district" (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  2. ↑ "POPULATION OF SRI LANKA BY DISTRICT" (PDF). Census of Population and Housing 2011. Department of Census and Statistics. 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  3. ↑ Department of Census and Statistics,The Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka-2011
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