Southern Province, Sri Lanka

Southern Province දකුණු පළාත தென் மாகாணம்
—  Province  —
Flag
Location within Sri Lanka
Country	Sri Lanka
Created	1833
Admitted	14 November 1987
Capital	Galle
Largest City	Galle
Government
– Governor	Kumari Balasuriya
– Chief Minister	Shan Wijayalal De Silva
Area
– Total	5,559 km2 (2,146.3 sq mi)
Area rank	7th (8.46% of total area)
Population (2001)
– Total	2,278,271
– Rank	3rd (12.18% of total pop.)
– Density	409.8/km2 (1,061.5/sq mi)
Gross Regional Product (2010)[1]
– Total	Rs 492 billion
– Rank	3rd (10.2% of total)
Time zone	Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30)
Official Languages	Sinhala, Tamil
Website	spc.gov.lk

The Southern Province (Sinhala: දකුණු පළාත Dakunu Palata, Tamil: தென் மாகாணம் Thaen Maakaanam) of Sri Lanka is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. The region is economically backward compared to the Western province, where the capital Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte is situated. Subsistence farming and fishing is the main source of income for the vast majority of the people of this region.Government School Education Handle By Southern Provincial Education Department.

Districts

Districts of Southern province

Southern province is divided into 3 districts:

• Galle District 1,673 km² (646 sq mi)
• Hambantota District 2,593 km² (1,001 sq mi)
• Matara District 1,246 km² (481 sq mi)

The more educated people of the province have been slowly migrating to Colombo, which has hindered industrial development of the region.^{[citation needed]}

Landmarks

Important landmarks of the Southern Province include the wildlife sanctuaries of the Yala and Udawalawe National Parks. Ussangoda in Ambalantota is a panoramic view of the beach and the sea, and the holy city of Kataragama, and the ancient cities of Tissamaharama, Kirinda and Galle. (Although Galle is an ancient city, almost nothing survives from before the Portuguese invasion.) During the Portuguese period there were two famous Sinhalese poets called Andare who was from Dickwella and Gajaman Nona who was from Denipitiya in Matara District, composing poems on common man.

The Southern Province was seriouly affected by the Tsunami in 2004. The province is going through a rebuilding process.

See also

• Provinces of Sri Lanka
• Districts of Sri Lanka

References

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

External links

• Southern Provincial Council Official website
• Southern Provincial Education Department
• Cities in Southern Province

Coordinates: 6°10′N 80°45′E / 6.167°N 80.75°E / 6.167; 80.75