Ampara

Ampara (Tamil அம்பாறை Sinhala අමිපාර) is a remote city on the East Coast of Sri Lanka, about 200 km from the capital city of Colombo. It belongs to the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. It was a part of the domain of Kavantissa (2rd century BCE) and was then known as "Ambaragama", which over the years changed to Ambara to Ampara. [ [http://www.geocities.com/place.names/index.html Place names in Sri Lanka ] ]

Demographics

Most of the civilians are Sinhala, while Tamils and Sri Lankan Moors also live in the coastal parts of the district. [The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 49, No. 1 (Feb., 1990), pp. 30-55, and references therein ] This was a hunters resting place during British colonial days (late 1890s and early 1900). During the development of Galoya schem 1952 by D.S. Senanayake the late prime minister, Ampara was transformed into a city, initially it was the residence for the construction workers of the Inginiyagala Dam. Later became main administrative hub of Galoya valley, Ampara is the largest paddy harvesting province for the country and with resource of fisheries in indian ocean of east part of Sri Lanka. [ [http://www.nepc.lk/administration/amparai/20302.html#top Divisional guide of Ampara] ] .

Maps

* [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Ampara_district.svg/463px-Ampara_district.svg.pngEast of Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.ifsp-srilanka.org/assets/images/map_admin_ampara.jpgDivisions of Ampara]
* [http://www.liccavi-earth.com/Liccavi/Search.aspx?lat=7.29266&lon=81.67220&zoom=9 Detailed map of Ampara vicinity and Sri Lanka]

References