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Central Province, Sri Lanka

 
Wikipedia: Central Province, Sri Lanka
Central Province
මධ්‍යම පළාත
மத்திய மாகாணம்
[[image:|125px|border|Flag of Central Province]] Coat of arms of Central Province
Flag Coat of arms
Map of Sri Lanka with Central Province highlighted
Statistics
Capital Kandy
Largest city Kandy
Largest metro Kandy
Official languages Sinhala, Tamil
Government
Provincial Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa
Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake
Created
Confederation

Abolished
1833
14 November 1987
(=1st with 8 others)
Area
 - Total
 - Percentage
Ranked 4th
5,674 km²
8.63 %
Population
 - Total (2001)
 - Percentage
 - Change (10 years)
 - Density
Ranked 2nd
2,423,966
12.97 %
 %
427.2/km²
Time zone Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone
Flower
Tree
Bird
Website www.cpcouncil.net

The Central Province (Sinhala: මධ්‍යම පළාත Madhyama Palata, Tamil: மத்திய மாகாணம் Malaiyakam Maakaanam) of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya.

Contents

History

Though three successive European powers invaded Sri Lanka during the 16th to the 19th century, the Central Province maintained its independence until the early 19th century when the British finally managed to conqueror Kandy.

The historic Matale town, and the Sigiriya rock is also in the Central Province.

Geography

The province has an area of 5,674 km²,and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy, Gampola (24,730), Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela.

Climate

The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 metres often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.

Demographics

The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors. Many tea plantation workers are Indian Tamils, brought over to Sri Lanka by the British in the 19th century.

Administrative Units

Central province is divided into 3 districts:

Districts of Central province

See also

Maps

External links

Coordinates: 7°20′N 80°45′E / 7.333°N 80.75°E / 7.333; 80.75



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Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Central Province, Sri Lanka" Read more