The Central Province ( ''Madhyama Paḷāta'', ''Maddiya Mākāṇam'') is one of the nine
provinces
A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...
of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. The province has an area of 5,674 km
2 and a population of 2,421,148, making it the 2nd most populated province. The city of
Kandy
Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...
has been its capital since 1469.
The Central Province is located primarily in the central mountainous terrain of Sri Lanka. It is bordered by the
North Central Province to the north, the
Uva Province to the east, the
North Western Province to the west and the
Sabaragamuwa Province to the south and west.
The province is famous for its production of
Ceylon tea, the cultivation of which was initiated by the
British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all coffee plantations in the province. The province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as
Gampola,
Hatton and
Nuwara Eliya. The province is home to four
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Sites.
History
Though three successive
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an powers invaded and established colonies on the island of Sri Lanka between the 16th and 19th centuries, the central province managed to maintain its independence until 1815, when the
British conquered the
Kingdom of Kandy. The British then established a colonial headman ranking system in 1824, which came into effect in 1832.
The provinces of Sri Lanka were established by the British in 1833. In independent Sri Lanka, provinces did not have any legal status or power until 1987, when the
13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established
provincial councils.
;Colonial head
mudaliyars
* Sir Christofel de-Silva (1824–1842)
* Don William Gunawardene De-Saram III (1842–1856)
* Sir Hendrick Ekanayake (1856–1860)
* Sir Alexander-James Divakara Mohotti (1860–1888)
* Don Agaris Divakara Mohotti (1888–1924)
The Mudaliyar Office was abolished in 1924 and the last of the colonial headmen retired from their positions and gave up the rule to the British officers in 1926. All headman positions were then passed down to the newly elected governor-general of the Central Province. This was established in 1929 as a way for the British to directly rule the provinces.
The central province is home to many sites historical and cultural importance, such as the historic town of
Matale, the
Temple of the Tooth, the
Dambulla cave temple, the Aluwihare temple and the
Sigiriya rock fortress.
Geography
The province has an area of 5,674 km
2 and a population of 2,421,148. Major towns include
Kandy
Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...
,
Matale,
Dambulla,
Gampola,
Nuwara Eliya and
Hatton.
Mountain ranges
The terrain of the Central Province is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The
Knuckles Mountain Range,
Adam's Peak and
Horton Plains are UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in the
Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. The mountain of
Pidurutalagala, an
ultra-prominent peak and the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka at , is also located in the Central Province.
Climate
The Central Province has a relatively cooler climate, and many areas above 1,500 metres often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places have almost 7,000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone and receives rain only from the North-Eastern monsoon. Temperatures range from 24 °C in Kandy to 16 °C in Nuwara Eliya, which is 1,889 m above sea level.
Demographics
The Central Province is an ethnically diverse province, with a mixture of
Sinhalese,
Tamil and
Moor communities. Many tea plantation workers are
Indian Tamils, brought over to Sri Lanka by the British in the 19th century.
Ethnicity
Religion
As per the 2012 Sri Lankan census, there were 1,672,625
Buddhists, 540,339
Hindus
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 263,874
Muslims
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 94,402
Christians
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
and 317 people following other faiths in the Central Province.
Administrative divisions
The Central Province is divided into three
districts and 36
divisional secretariats.
Districts
Divisional secretariats
The
districts of the
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
are divided into administrative sub-units known as
divisional secretariats. These were originally based on the feudal
counties, the and ''. They were formerly known as 'DRO Divisions' after the 'Divisional Revenue Officer'. Later the DROs became 'Assistant Government Agents' and the Divisions were known as 'AGA Divisions'. Currently, the divisions are administered by a 'Divisional Secretary' and are known as a 'DS Divisions'.''
There are 36 divisional secretariats in Central Province. There are 20 in the
Kandy District, 11 in the
Matale District and 5 in the
Nuwara Eliya District.
Major population centres
See also
*
List of settlements in Central Province (Sri Lanka)
*
Provinces of Sri Lanka
Provinces (; ) are the first level administrative division, administrative divisions of Sri Lanka. Currently, Sri Lanka is divided into 9 provinces. Each province is further divided into Districts of Sri Lanka, districts, which are further divi ...
*
Districts of Sri Lanka
Districts (, ) are the second level administrative divisions of Sri Lanka, preceded by Provinces of Sri Lanka, provinces. Sri Lanka has 25 districts organized into 9 provinces. Districts are further divided into a number of Divisional Secretar ...
*
Tea production in Sri Lanka
References
Maps
Searchable Map of Sri Lanka
External links
Central Provincial Council Sri Lanka Office of the Council Secretary – Central Provincial Council Sri Lanka Chief Secretary's Office – Central Provincial Council Sri Lanka Central Provincial Postal Codes Sri Lanka Cities in Central province
{{Authority control
Provinces of Sri Lanka
Geography of the Kingdom of Kandy