Angammedilla National Park ( si, අංගම්මැඩිල්ල ජාතික වනෝද්‍යානය, translit=Aṁgammæḍilla Jātika Vanōdyānaya; ta, அங்கம்மெடில்லை தேசிய வனம், translit=Aṅkam'meṭillai Tēciya Vaṉam) is one of the new

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

s in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The region was designated national park on 6 June 2006. Originally Angammedilla was a forest reserve within the Minneriya-Girithale Sanctuary declared on 12 February 1988. The park is declared mainly to protect the drainage basin of Parakrama Samudra. Angammedilla also secures the drainage basins of Minneriya and Girithale irrigation tanks, water sources in Sudu Kanda (Sinhala for "White hill") and habitats and wildlife of the adjacent forests. It is located away from Colombo in Polonnaruwa District.

Physical features

Amban river which is sourced by Sudu Kanda forms the southern border of the park. A mountain range stretches across the park from Girithale to Minneriya. In the drought period the park is very dry. In the rainy season, mountainous area receives more rainfall than the plains. Since a mix wet and dry climate persists in the park the vegetation is a mix of wet zone and dry zone plants. In the ancient times water has irrigated from Amban river to Parakrama Samudra in a canal done in stone. The rocky wall of the canal called royal wall by the villagers.

Flora and fauna

The vegetation of the park is predominantly dry evergreen forests. ''

Diospyros ebenum ''Diospyros ebenum'', or Ceylon ebony ( si, කළුවර ''Kaluwara''), is a species of tree in the genus Diospyros and the family Ebenaceae. The tree produces valuable black wood. Description This middle-high evergreen tree grows very sl ...

'' is one of the dominant plant species in the forest. Manilkara hexandra (Palu), Cholorocylon swetenia (Burutha), Vitex pinnata (Milla), and Adina cordifolia (Kolon) are common in natural vegetation. '' Mesua ferrea'' trees are grown in

communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...

Sri Lankan elephant The Sri Lankan elephant (''Elephas maximus maximus'') is native to Sri Lanka and one of three recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant. It is the type subspecies of the Asian elephant and was first described by Carl Linnaeus under the bi ...

, Sri Lankan sambar deer, Indian muntjac,

Sri Lankan axis deer The Sri Lankan axis deer (''Axis axis ceylonensis'') or Ceylon spotted deer is a subspecies of axis deer (''Axis axis'') that inhabits only Sri Lanka. The name chital is not used in Sri Lanka. Its validity is disputed, and some maintain that th ...

, water buffalo, wild boar, and peafowl are common within the park. However

Sri Lanka leopard The Sri Lankan leopard (''Panthera pardus kotiya'') is a leopard subspecies native to Sri Lanka. It was first described in 1956 by Sri Lankan zoologist Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala. Since 2020, the Sri Lankan leopard has been listed as ...

sloth bear The sloth bear (''Melursus ursinus'') is a myrmecophagous bear species native to the Indian subcontinent. It feeds on fruits, ants and termites. It is listed as Vulnerable species, vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, mainly because of habitat loss ...

, grizzled giant squirrel and Sri Lanka junglefowl are sometimes seen. The primate species red slender loris, tufted gray langur, and purple-faced langur are seen also.

References

{{authority control Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests National parks of Sri Lanka Protected areas established in 2006 Protected areas in North Central Province, Sri Lanka

Physical features

Flora and fauna

See also

References