Western Province, Sri Lanka

Western Province බස්නාහිර පළාත மேல் மாகாணம் Basnahira Province
—  Province  —
Flag
Location within Sri Lanka
Country	Sri Lanka
Created	1833
Admitted	14 November 1987
Capital	Sri Jayawardenapura
Largest City	Colombo
Government
– Governor	Alavi Moulana
– Chief Minister	Prasanna Ranatunga
Area
– Total	3,709 km2 (1,432.1 sq mi)
Area rank	9th (5.64% of total area)
Population (2001)
– Total	5,361,200
– Rank	1st (28.79% of total pop.)
– Density	1,445.5/km2 (3,743.7/sq mi)
	Population increased 36.8% over past 10 years
Gross Regional Product (2010)[1]
– Total	Rs 2,178 billion
– Rank	1st (45.1% of total)
Time zone	Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30)
Official Languages	Sinhala, Tamil
Website	wpc.gov.lk

The Western Province (Sinhala: බස්නාහිර පළාත Basnahira Palata, Tamil: மேல் மாகாணம் Mael Maakaanam) is the most densely populated province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenapura as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center.

Districts

Basnahira is divided into 3 districts:

• Colombo District 642 km² (248 sq mi)
• Gampaha District 1,386.6 km² (535.4 sq mi)^[2]
• Kalutara District 1,606 km² (620 sq mi)

Major Cities and Towns

• Colombo
• Kalutara
• Gampaha
• Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
• Homagama
• Maharagama
• Moratuwa
• Nittambuwa
• Wattala
• Negombo
• Panadura
• Ja-Ela
• Avissawella

Education

Almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in Basnahira. Universities in the province includes the University of Colombo, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Kelaniya, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, University of Moratuwa and the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology. Having the highest population in the all the provinces, Basnahira has the largest amount of schools in the country, which includes National, Provincial, Private and International schools.

See also

• Provinces of Sri Lanka
• Districts of Sri Lanka

References

1. ^ :.News Line : North, East record highest GDP growth rate
2. ^ Districts Secritariants

External links

• Western Province Official website
• Western Province Tourism Official website
• Cities in Western Province

Coordinates: 6°50′N 80°05′E / 6.833°N 80.083°E / 6.833; 80.083