Mahaweli River

Mahaweli (Mahaweli Ganga)
River
Mahaweli River flowing through Gampola
Country	Sri Lanka
Source	Central Province
Mouth	Bay of Bengal
- location	Trincomalee
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Length	335 km (208 mi)

The Mahaweli River (Sinhala: මහවැලි ගඟ, literally "Great Sandy River"; Tamil: மகாவலி ஆறு [mahawali gangai]),^[1] is a 335 km (208 mi) long river, ranking as the longest river in Sri Lanka. Its drainage basin is the largest in the country, and covers almost one-fifth of the total area of the island. The river reaches the Bay of Bengal on the southwestern side of Trincomalee Bay. The bay includes the first of a number submarine canyons, making Trincomalee one of the finest deep-sea harbors in the world.^[2] The river and its tributaries are dammed at several locations to allow irrigation in the dry zone, with almost 1,000 km² (386 sq mi) of land irrigated.^[3] Production of hydroelectricity from six dams of the Mahaweli system supplies more than 40% of Sri Lanka's electricity needs. One of the many sources of the river is the Kotmale Oya.^[4]

Branches

• Kotmale Oya
• Hatton Oya
• Hulu Ganga
• Loggal Oya
• Uma Oya
• Badulu Oya
• Amban ganga

See also

• List of rivers in Sri Lanka

References

1. ^ Room, Adrian (2001-05-01). Placenames of the World. McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-1814-1. 
2. ^ Stoddart, David (1996-12-26). Process and Form in Geomorphology. Routledge (UK). ISBN 0-415-10527-7. 
3. ^ Barry, D. (2001-06-07). Knowledge of the Land. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-829601-0. 
4. ^ Mahaweli Ganga

Coordinates: 8°28′N 81°14′E / 8.467°N 81.233°E / 8.467; 81.233