Ratnapura ( Sinhala: රත්නපුර දිස්ත්‍රික්කය,

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

: இரத்தினபுரம் மாவட்டம்) is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

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 ...

in the

Sabaragamuwa Province The Sabaragamuwa Province ( si, සබරගමුව පළාත ''Sabaragamuwa Paḷāta'', ta, சபரகமுவ மாகாணம் ''Sabaragamuwa Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrati ...

. The gem-mining centre of Sri Lanka is also a major crossroad between southern plains and the hill country to the east. A bustling market city servicing most of the surrounding towns. Many of the prominent gem dealers in Sri Lanka operate from this town. There is a route to

Sri Pada Adam's Peak is a tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the Sri Pada ( si, ශ්‍රී පාද), i.e., "sacred footprint", a rock formation near the summit, which in Buddhist tradition is held to be ...

from Ratnapura direction. Excursions include

Sinharaja Forest Reserve Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a forest reserve and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO. According to International Union for Conser ...

and

Udawalawe National Park Udawalawe National Park is a national park on the boundary of Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces in Sri Lanka. The park was created to provide a sanctuary for wild animals displaced by the construction of the Udawalawe Reservoir on the Walawe Rive ...

. The surrounding area is a popular trekking destination and a good place for bird watching.

Religion

The majority of the population are

Buddhists Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. Other religions include

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

.Department of Census and Statistic
The Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka-2011
/ref>

Major cities

Ratnapura Ratnapura (; ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is located ...

(Municipal Council)

Large towns

Balangoda Balangoda is a large town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an urban council located away from Colombo and from Ratnapura on Colombo - Batticaloa Highway(A4). It is one of the largest towns of the Sabaragamuw ...

(Urban Council) *

Embilipitiya Embilipitiya is a town, governed by an urban council, in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Overview In the 1970s it was a small town with two or three small boutiques. Under the Udawalawe development project, Embilipitiya g ...

(Urban Council)

Other towns

Eheliyagoda Eheliyagoda is a town in Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. It is located approximately east of Colombo. The town is the centre of traditional gemstone mining and rubber plantations. Ekanite, a rare radioactive gemstone ...

* Pelmadulla *

Kuruwita Kuruwita is a town in the Ratnapura District of Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka. It is 87 km from Colombo. It used to be served by the narrow gauge Sabaragamuwa Railway, a branch of the national railway system. And known for the nearb ...

Imbulpe Imbulpe Divisional Secretariat is a Divisional Secretariat of Ratnapura District, of Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ila� ...

* Godakawela *

Kahawatta Kahawatta ( si, කහවත්ත, ta, கஹவத்தா) is a town in the Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. It is located in the central mountains of Sri Lanka at an elevation of . The town and its surrounding area is ...

Rakwana Rakwana is a small town in the Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, Sabaragamuwa Province of Sri Lanka, a notable centre of Ceylon tea plantations and industry. Additionally, Rakwana is said to have gem resources. Rakwana is local ...

* Weligepola * Nivitigala * Ayagama *

Kalawana Kalawana ( si, කලවාන, ta, கலாவானா) is a town in the Ratnapura District of Sabaragamuwa Province in Sri Lanka. Kalawana is located approximately away from Ratnapura and {{convert, 100, km, abbr=on to the south-east of ...

* Kolonna *

Panamure Panamure is a village located in the Ratnapura District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. It is approximately from Colombo and from Ratnapura. The village is significant because it is the site of the last elephant kraal in Sri Lanka, Panamure ...

* Pohorabawa * Pallebedda *

Udawalawe Udawalawe (also known as Udawalawa) is a small town located in the southern part of the Ratnapura District in Sri Lanka. It is situated in close to the district's boundary with the Hambantota District and Monaragala District. The town is the m ...

Administration

For the administrative purpose district is divided into 18 Divisional Secretariat divisions #Eheliyagoda #Kuruwita #Kiriella #Rathnapura #Elapatha #Ayagama #Imbulpe #Opanayaka #Pelmadulla #Nivithigala #Kalawana #Balangoda #Weligepola #Godakawela #Kahawaththa #Embilipitiya #Kolonna #Kalthota

Plantation companies

The Ratnapura district includes areas managed by Five Plantation Companies. Namely, Agalawatte Plantations PLC managed by Mackwoods, Balangoda Plantations PLC managed by Stassens, Pussellawa Plantations PLC, managed by Freelanka, Hapugastenne Plantations PLC Managed by Finlays, and Kahawatte Plantations PLC managed by Forbes. The ownership of these companies lie with the State.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20090203152322/http://kcc.sch.lk/ * http://www.kulocgov.com/ Districts of Sri Lanka {{SabaragamuwaLK-geo-stub