| Batticaloa District | |
| Native Name: | Tamil: மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம் Sinhala; Sinhalese: මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය |
| Settlement Type: | Administrative District |
| Image Map1: | Batticaloa District.png |
| Map Caption1: | Administrative units of Batticaloa District in 2007 |
| Coordinates: | 7.8333°N 101°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Sri Lanka |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Established Title: | Created |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Batticaloa |
| Parts Type: | DS Division |
| Parts Style: | coll |
| P1: | Eravurpattu |
| P2: | Eravur Town |
| P3: | Kattankudy |
| P4: | Koralaipattu |
| P5: | Koralaipattu Central |
| P6: | Koralaipattu North |
| P7: | Koralaipattu South |
| P8: | Koralaipattu West |
| P9: | Manmunai North |
| P10: | Manmunaipattu |
| P11: | Manmunai S & Eruvilpattu |
| P12: | Manmunai South West |
| P13: | Manmunai West |
| P14: | Porativupattu |
| Leader Title: | District Secretary |
| Leader Name: | Kalamathi Pathmaraja |
| Leader Title1: | MPs |
| Leader Title2: | MPCs |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 2854 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2610 |
| Area Water Km2: | 244 |
| Area Water Percent: | 8.55 |
| Area Rank: | 9th (4.35% of total area) |
| Population Total: | 525142 |
| Population Rank: | 17th (2.59% of total pop.) |
| Population As Of: | 2012 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Ethnicity |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | (2012 census) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Sri Lankan Tamil |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 381,285 (72.61%) |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Moor |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 133,844 (25.49%) |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Sinhalese |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 6,127 (1.17%) |
| Demographics1 Title4: | Burgher |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 2,794 (0.53%) |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1,092 (0.21%) |
| Demographics Type2: | Religion |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | (2012 census) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Hindu |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 338,983 (64.55%) |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Muslim |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 133,939 (25.51%) |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Christian |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 46,300 (8.82%) |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Buddhist |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 5,787 (1.10%) |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 133 (0.03%) |
| Timezone1: | Sri Lanka |
| Utc Offset1: | +05:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | Post Codes |
| Postal Code: | 30000-30999 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone Codes |
| Area Code: | 065 |
| Iso Code: | LK-51 |
| Registration Plate: | EP |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Official Languages |
| Blank Info Sec1: | Tamil, Sinhala |
Batticaloa District (Tamil: மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம் ; Sinhala; Sinhalese: මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the city of Batticaloa. Ampara District was carved out of the southern part of Batticaloa District in April 1961.[1] [2]
Batticaloa District is located in the east of Sri Lanka in the Eastern Province. It has an area of 2854km2.[3]
Batticaloa District is divided into 14 Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent).[4] The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 346 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).[4]
| DS Division | Main Town | Divisional Secretary | GN Divisions | Area (km2) [5] | Population (2012 Census)[6] | Population Density (/km2) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | Total | ||||||||||
| U. Uthayashreethar | 39 | 695 | 60,278 | 12,617 | 2,040 | 119 | 82 | 75,136 | 108 | ||
| S. L. M. Haneefa | 15 | 3 | 3,287 | 21,075 | 191 | 69 | 10 | 24,632 | 8,211 | ||
| S. H. Muzammil | 18 | 6 | 14 | 40,201 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 40,237 | 6,706 | ||
| T. Dinesh | 12 | 35 | 22,799 | 77 | 339 | 82 | 20 | 23,317 | 666 | ||
| Koralaipattu Central | Nihara Mowjood | 9 | 80 | 583 | 24,961 | 57 | 36 | 6 | 25,643 | 320 | |
| S. R. Rahulanayahi | 16 | 589 | 20,519 | 698 | 288 | 5 | 2 | 21,512 | 37 | ||
| K. Thanapalasundaram | 18 | 582 | 25,820 | 18 | 87 | 0 | 136 | 26,061 | 45 | ||
| Oddamavadi | M. C. Ansar | 8 | 17 | 65 | 22,070 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 22,144 | 1,303 | |
| Srineevasan Gridaran | 48 | 68 | 76,898 | 4,569 | 1,340 | 2,473 | 748 | 86,028 | 1,265 | ||
| Araiyampathy | V. Arulrajah | 27 | 37 | 22,994 | 7,520 | 35 | 2 | 32 | 30,583 | 827 | |
| S. Suthakar | 45 | 63 | 60,457 | 12 | 192 | 5 | 28 | 60,694 | 963 | ||
| Manmunai South West | V. Thavarajah | 24 | 145 | 23,653 | 5 | 1,005 | 1 | 9 | 24,673 | 170 | |
| V. Thavarajah | 24 | 352 | 28,199 | 13 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 28,392 | 81 | ||
| Nallaiya Vilvaretnam | 43 | 182 | 35,719 | 8 | 355 | 2 | 6 | 36,090 | 198 | ||
| align=left colspan=3 | Total | 346 | 2,854 | 381,285 | 133,844 | 6,127 | 2,794 | 1,092 | 525,142 | 184 | |
Batticaloa District's population was 525,142 in 2012. The population of the district mostly Sri Lankan Tamil.
The population of the district, like the rest of the east and north, was affected by the civil war. The war killed an estimated 100,000 people.[7] Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated to the West during the war.[8] Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capital Colombo. The war also caused many people from all ethnic and religious groups who lived in the district to flee to other parts of Sri Lanka, though most of them have returned to the district since the end of the civil war.
| Year | Tamil | Moor | Other | Total No. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |||
| 1881 Census | 61,014 | 57.80% | 37,255 | 35.29% | 5,012 | 4.75% | 2,277 | 2.16% | 105,558 | |
| 1891 Census | 69,584 | 56.71% | 44,780 | 36.50% | 6,403 | 5.22% | 1,932 | 1.57% | 122,699 | |
| 1901 Census | 79,857 | 55.01% | 54,190 | 37.33% | 7,575 | 5.22% | 3,539 | 2.44% | 145,161 | |
| 1911 Census | 83,948 | 54.53% | 60,695 | 39.43% | 5,771 | 3.75% | 3,529 | 2.29% | 153,943 | |
| 1921 Census | 84,665 | 53.35% | 63,146 | 39.79% | 7,243 | 4.56% | 3,655 | 2.30% | 158,709 | |
| 1946 Census | 102,264 | 50.33% | 85,805 | 42.23% | 11,850 | 5.83% | 3,267 | 1.61% | 203,186 | |
| 1953 Census | 130,381 | 48.20% | 106,706 | 39.45% | 31,174 | 11.52% | 2,232 | 0.83% | 270,493 | |
| 1963 Census | 141,110 | 71.93% | 46,038 | 23.47% | 6,715 | 3.42% | 2,326 | 1.19% | 196,189 | |
| 1971 Census | 181,527 | 70.71% | 60,889 | 23.72% | 11,548 | 4.50% | 2,757 | 1.07% | 256,721 | |
| 1981 Census | 237,787 | 71.98% | 78,829 | 23.86% | 11,255 | 3.41% | 2,462 | 0.75% | 330,333 | |
| 2001 Census[12] | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| 2007 Enumeration | 381,984 | 74.05% | 128,964 | 25.00% | 2,397 | 0.46% | 2,512 | 0.49% | 515,857 | |
| 2012 Census | 382,300 | 72.80% | 133,844 | 25.49% | 6,127 | 1.17% | 2,871 | 0.55% | 525,142 | |
| Year | Islam | Others | Total No. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |||
| 1981 Census | 218,812 | 66.24% | 78,810 | 23.86% | 23,499 | 7.11% | 9,127 | 2.76% | 85 | 0.03% | 330,333 | |
| 2012 Census | 338,983 | 64.55% | 133,939 | 25.51% | 46,300 | 8.82% | 5,787 | 1.10% | 133 | 0.03% | 525,142 |
In 2016 the district was one of the poorest in Sri Lanka and had the fourth-highest incidence of extreme poverty according to the World Bank.[15]
Batticaloa District has 12 local authorities of which one is a Municipal Council, two are Urban Councils and the remaining nine are Divisional Councils (Pradesha Sabhai or Pradeshiya Sabha).[4]
| Local Authority | Area | Population | Registered Electors (2008) | Elected Members (2008) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | Total | |||||||||
| 54,948 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 19 | ||||
| Eravurpattu Divisional Council | 585.70 | 77,203 | 45,336 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | |
| 4.90 | 40,819 | 16,522 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 6.50 | 46,597 | 26,454 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | ||
| Koralaipattu Divisional Council | 242.00 | 125,000 | 41,858 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | |
| Koralaipattu North Divisional Council | 645.00 | 21,202 | 12,419 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| Koralaipattu West Divisional Council | 25.00 | 29,614 | 17,885 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 | |
| Manmunaipattu Divisional Council | 21.50 | 30,218 | 18,759 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| Manmunai South & Eruvilpattu Divisional Council | 44.17 | 70,256 | 38,386 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | |
| Manmunai South West Divisional Council | 161.60 | 25,279 | 14,880 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | |
| Manmunai West Divisional Council | 292.65 | 30,026 | 15,771 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
| Porativupattu Divisional Council | 176.00 | 49,066 | 28,116 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | |
| Total | 61 | 34 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 128 | ||||