Administrative divisions of Sri Lanka explained

Administrative divisions of Sri Lanka
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Caption:Administrative map of Sri Lanka
Territory:Sri Lanka
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Data5:14,022

Sri Lanka is divided into 9 provinces, which are further subdivided into 25 districts. Districts are further subdivided into Divisional Secretary's Divisions. Each DS Division is divided into Grama Niladhari Divisions (village officer divisions).

History

The country was first divided into several administrative units during the Anuradhapura Kingdom. The kingdom was divided into three provinces; Rajarata, Ruhuna and Malaya Rata. These were further subdivided into smaller units called . Over time, the number of provinces increased, but the second-level administrative division continued to be the . However, with the country eventually being divided into more than one kingdom and with foreign colonial missions landing and taking parts of the country under their control, this structure began to change. The territory of the Kotte Kingdom was organized into four, which were further subdivided into forty . The had their own civil and military officials with a small militia. The Jaffna kingdom appears to have had a similar administrative structure to this with four provinces.

When the Portuguese took over parts of the country after their arrival in 1505,[1] they maintained more or less the same administrative structure followed by Sri Lankan rulers. During the Dutch rule in the country, the terrain under their control was divided into three administrative divisions. These were subdivided into as in earlier systems. The British initially continued this system, but following reforms in 1796 to 1802, the country was divided according to ethnic composition. This was abolished by the Colebrook–Cameron reforms in 1833 and a legislative council was created, making the island a politically and administratively single unit. Five provinces were created, later expanded into nine, and these were subdivided into twenty-one districts. These districts were administered by officials known as Government Agents or Assistant Government Agents.

In 1955, the district replaced the province as the country's main administrative unit. Ampara District was created in April 1961,[2] [3] followed by the creation of Mullaitivu and Gampaha districts in September 1978[4] through a new constitution, which also reintroduced the province as the main administrative unit.[5] The last district to be created was Kilinochchi in February 1984,[6] and the current constitution (that of 1978) states that the territory of Sri Lanka consists of 25 administrative districts. These districts may be subdivided or amalgamated by a resolution of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.[7]

Summary

Level Group name Type No.
1 Provinces
Sinhala; Sinhalese: පළාත
Tamil: மாகாணம்
N/A 9
2 Districts
Sinhala; Sinhalese: දිස්ත්‍රි‌ක්‌ක
Tamil: மாவட்டம்
N/A 25
3 N/A 339
4 N/A 14,018

List of subdivisions

Provinces

See main article: Provinces of Sri Lanka.

Provinces are first level administrative divisions in Sri Lanka. They were first established by the British rulers of Ceylon in 1833. Over the next century most of the administrative functions were transferred to the districts, the second level administrative division. By the middle of the 20th century the provinces had become merely ceremonial. This changed in 1987 when, following several decades of increasing demand for a decentralization, the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils.[8] [9] Currently there are nine provinces.

MapCodeNameArea
(km2)
Population[10] Website
CP 5,674 2,556,774
EP 9,996 1,547,377
NC 10,714 1,259,421
NP 8,884 1,060,023
NW 7,812 2,372,185
SG 4,902 1,919,478
SP 5,559 2,465,626
UP 8,488 1,259,419
WP 3,709 5,837,294

Districts

See main article: Districts of Sri Lanka.

Districts are the second-level administrative divisions. There are 25 districts organized into 9 provinces.[11] Each district is administered under a District Secretary,[12] who is appointed by the central government.[13] The main tasks of the District Secretariat involve coordinating communications and activities of the central government and Divisional Secretariats. The District Secretariat is also responsible for implementing and monitoring development projects at the district level and assisting lower-level subdivisions in their activities,[14] as well as revenue collection and coordination of elections in the district.[15] A district is divided into a number of Divisional Secretary's Divisions (commonly known as DS divisions), which are in turn subdivided into Grama Niladhari Divisions.[16] There are 256 DS divisions in the country.[11]

Divisional Secretary's Divisions

See main article: Divisional Secretary's Divisions.

Grama Niladhari Divisions

See main article: Grama Niladhari divisions.

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. News: Hewavissenti . Panchamee . Episodes of colonised history . 21 July 2009 . . 3 February 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20080207185848/http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/02/03/imp02.asp . 7 February 2008 .
  2. Web site: Overview. Ampara District Secretariat. 2016-06-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105413/http://www.ampara.dist.gov.lk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=63&lang=en. 2013-12-24. dead.
  3. News: Mohideen. M. I. M.. Sinhalisation of East: A reply to Minister Champika Ranawaka. The Island (Sri Lanka). 27 December 2007. 20 June 2016. 5 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181005201022/http://www.island.lk/2007/12/27/features5.html. dead.
  4. Web site: Population by sex and district, census years . Statistical Abstract 2011 . Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121113190337/http://www.statistics.gov.lk/Abstract2011/CHAP2/AB2-1.pdf . 2012-11-13 .
  5. Book: Schmiegelow, Michèle . Democracy in Asia. Palgrave Macmillan. 1997. 425. 0-312-16495-5.
  6. News: Karalliyadda . S. B. . Awakening Jaffna Uthuru Wasanthaya . . 9 June 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131224112149/http://www.nation.lk/edition/fine/item/18252-awakening-jaffna-uthuru-wasanthaya.html . 2013-12-24 .
  7. Web site: Chapter 1: The People, The State and Sovereignty . The Constitution of Sri Lanka . . 21 July 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140531083515/http://www.priu.gov.lk/Cons/1978Constitution/Chapter_01_Amd.html . 31 May 2014 .
  8. Web site: Provinces of Sri Lanka. Law. Gwillim. 2010. statoids.com. 19 January 2010.
  9. Web site: Introduction. Provincial Councils. Government of Sri Lanka. 16 January 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090707214924/http://www.priu.gov.lk/ProvCouncils/ProvicialCouncils.html. 7 July 2009.
  10. Web site: Population of Sri Lanka by district. Department of Census and Statistics. 28 September 2013. 6 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131206021926/http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2011/Pages/sm/CPH%202011_R1.pdf. dead.
  11. Web site: At a Glance. Sri Lanka in Brief. Government of Sri Lanka. 21 July 2009. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090707220043/http://www.priu.gov.lk/TourCountry/Indextc.html. 7 July 2009.
  12. Web site: Vision & Mission. District Secretariats Portal. Ministry of Public Administration & Home Affairs, Sri Lanka. 21 July 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090513071439/http://www.ds.gov.lk/dis_sec/dis_eng/District_Secretariats.php. 13 May 2009.
  13. News: Kilinochchi a brief look. 1 August 2009. Daily News (Sri Lanka). 27 April 2009.
  14. Web site: About Us. Vavuniya District Secretariat. 29 July 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20101112002230/http://www.ds.gov.lk/dist_vavuniya/english/about_us.html. 12 November 2010.
  15. Web site: Performs Report and Accounts—2008 . District and Divisional Secretariats Portal—Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs . 2009-07-29 . PDF . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111003110032/http://www.ds.gov.lk/uploads/karayasadana_english_.pdf . 2011-10-03 .
  16. Web site: Identification of DS Divisions of Sri Lanka Vulnerable for food insecurity . . 21 July 2009 . PDF . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110304064422/http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/vam/wfp173167.pdf . 4 March 2011 .