| Province පළාත மாகாணம் | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Category | First leveladministrative division |
| Location | Sri Lanka |
| Created |
|
| Number | 9 |
| Populations | 1,061,315–5,851,130 |
| Areas | 3,684–10,472 km2 |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions | |
| Administrative divisions of Sri Lanka |
|---|
| First level |
| Provinces |
| Second level |
| Districts |
| Third level |
| Divisional Secretary's Divisions |
| Fourth level |
| Grama Niladhari Divisions |
Provinces (Sinhala:පළාත,romanized: Paḷāta;Tamil:மாகாணம்,romanized: Mākāṇam) are the first leveladministrative divisions ofSri Lanka. Currently, Sri Lanka is divided into 9 provinces. Each province is further divided intodistricts, which are further divided intodivisional secretariats.
The provinces were first established by theBritish rulers ofCeylon in 1833. Over the next century, most of the administrative functions of the provinces were transferred to the districts, the second level administrative division of the country. By the middle of the 20th century, the provinces had become mostlyceremonial. This changed in 1987 when, following several decades of increasing demand fordecentralization, the13th Amendment to the1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka establishedprovincial councils.[1][2]
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After the British took control of the entire island of Ceylon in 1815, it was divided into three ethnic-based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. In 1829, the British established theColebrooke–Cameron Commission to review the colonial government of Ceylon, including its administrative structures.[3] The commission recommended that the existing three ethnic based administrations be unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces.[3] Accordingly, on 1 October 1833, five provinces under one administration came into being:[4][5][6][7]
Over the next fifty years, four additional provinces were created, bringing the total number up to nine:[6][7][8]
The number of provinces remained static until September 1988 when, in accordance with theIndo-Lanka Accord,PresidentJ. R. Jayewardene issued proclamations enabling the Northern and Eastern provinces to be oneadministrative unit administered by one elected council, creating theNorth Eastern Province.[12] The proclamations were only meant to be a temporary measure until areferendum was held in the Eastern Province on a permanent merger between the two provinces. However, the referendum was never held and successive Sri Lankan presidents issued proclamations annually extending the life of the "temporary" entity.[13]
The merger was controversial and bitterly opposed bySinhalese-speaking people, in particular. On 14 July 2006, after a long campaign against the merger, theJVP filed three separatepetitions with theSupreme Court of Sri Lanka requesting a separate Provincial Council for the East.[12] On 16 October 2006, the Supreme Court ruled that the proclamations issued by President Jayewardene were null and void and had no legal effect.[12] The North Eastern Province was formally de-merged into the Northern and Eastern provinces on 1 January 2007.
Sri Lanka currently has nine provinces, seven of which have had provincial councils from the start.[2]
All population data is from the most recent census of Sri Lanka, in 2012.
| Province | Area map | Provincial capital | Established | Land area in km2 (mi2)[14] | Inland water area in km2 (mi2)[14] | Total area in km2 (mi2)[14] | Population (2012)[15] | Population density per km2 (per mi2)[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Central |  | Kandy | 1 October 1833 | 5,575 (2,153) | 99 (38) | 5,674 (2,191) | 2,571,557 | 461 (1,195) |
 Eastern |  | Trincomalee | 1 October 1833 | 9,361 (3,614) | 635 (245) | 9,996 (3,859) | 1,555,510 | 166 (430) |
 North Central |  | Anuradhapura | 1873 | 9,741 (3,761) | 731 (282) | 10,472 (4,043) | 1,266,663 | 130 (337) |
 Northern |  | Jaffna | 1 October 1833 | 8,290 (3,201) | 594 (229) | 8,884 (3,430) | 1,061,315 | 128 (332) |
 North Western |  | Kurunegala | 1845 | 7,506 (2,898) | 382 (147) | 7,888 (3,046) | 2,380,861 | 317 (822) |
 Sabaragamuwa |  | Ratnapura | 1889 | 4,921 (1,900) | 47 (18) | 4,968 (1,918) | 1,928,655 | 392 (1,015) |
 Southern |  | Galle | 1 October 1833 | 5,383 (2,078) | 161 (62) | 5,544 (2,141) | 2,477,285 | 460 (1,192) |
 Uva |  | Badulla | 1886 | 8,335 (3,218) | 165 (64) | 8,500 (3,282) | 1,266,463 | 152 (394) |
 Western |  | Colombo | 1 October 1833 | 3,593 (1,387) | 91 (35) | 3,684 (1,422) | 5,851,130 | 1,628 (4,218) |
| Total | 62,705 (24,211) | 2,905 (1,122) | 65,610 (25,332) | 20,359,439 | 325 (841) |
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