Southern Province, Sri Lanka
Encyclopedia
The Southern Province of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

 is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....

, Matara
Matara, Sri Lanka
Matara is a city on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, 160 km from Colombo. It is one of the largest cities in Sri Lanka. It was deeply affected by the Asian tsunami in December 2004.-History:...

 and Hambantota
Hambantota
Hambantota is a coastal city in the south of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the Hambantota District...

. The region is economically backward compared to the Western province
Western Province, Sri Lanka
The Western Province is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenapura as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center.-Districts:Basnahira is divided into 3 districts:...

, where the capital Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte is situated. Subsistence farming and fishing is the main source of income for the vast majority of the people of this region.Government School Education Handle By Southern Provincial Education Department.

Districts

Southern province is divided into 3 districts:
  • Galle District
    Galle District
    Galle is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka.- Geological background :Its area is , in which is water and is land. Galle District bounded on the North by Benthara river, South and West by the Indian Ocean and East by Matara and Ratnapura Districts. Topography of Galle District is very...

     1673 km² (645.9 sq mi)
  • Hambantota District
    Hambantota District
    Hambantota District is located on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka, in the Southern Province. It has an area of 2,593 km² and a very dry climate. The district capital is Hambantota town; the administrative headquarters are located there as well as the center of salt production...

     2593 km² (1,001.2 sq mi)
  • Matara District
    Matara District
    Matara is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 1,246 km². It is represented in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2010 by former Sri Lankan national Cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya who stood for the United People's Freedom Alliance....

     1246 km² (481.1 sq mi)


The more educated people of the province have been slowly migrating to Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

, which has hindered industrial development of the region.

Landmarks

Important landmarks of the Southern Province include the wildlife sanctuaries of the Yala
Yala National Park
Yala National Park is the most visited and second largest national park in Sri Lanka. Actually it consists of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public; and also adjoining parks. The blocks have individual names also, like Ruhuna National Park for the block 1 and Kumana National Park or...

 and Udawalawe
Udawalawe National Park
Udawalawe National Park lies on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces, in Sri Lanka. The national park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe reservoir on the Walawe River, as well as to protect the catchment of the reservoir....

 National Parks. Ussangoda in Ambalantota
Ambalantota
Ambalantota is a coastal town in southern Sri Lanka. It's located inSouthern Province in Hambantota District between Matara and Hambantota.The Walave River meets sea at near place to Ambalantota....

 is a panoramic view of the beach and the sea, and the holy city of Kataragama
Kataragama
Kataragama is a pilgrimage town popular with Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and indigenous Vedda communities of Sri Lanka and South India. The town has Ruhunu Maha Kataragama devalaya, a shrine dedicated to Skanda-Murukan also known as Kataragamadevio...

, and the ancient cities of Tissamaharama
Tissamaharama
Tissamaharama is a town in south-eastern Sri Lanka. It used to be the capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom of Ruhuna as early as the 3rd century B.C. Only few buildings from that period can still be seen today. The large artificial Tissa Wewa lake, which was a part of a sophisticated irrigation...

, Kirinda
Kirinda
Kirinda is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Central Province.-External links:*...

 and Galle
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....

. (Although Galle is an ancient city, almost nothing survives from before the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 invasion.) During the Portuguese period there were two famous Sinhalese poets called Andare who was from Dickwella
Dickwella
Dickwella, also known as Dikwella, is a small town in the Matara district in Southern province of Sri Lanka. It is located east of the city of Matara.Dickwella is the location of Sri Lanka's largest seated Buddha statue, which is tall....

 and Gajaman Nona who was from Denipitiya in Matara District, composing poems on common man.

The Southern Province was seriouly affected by the Tsunami in 2004. The province is going through a rebuilding process.

External links

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