| Puttalam District | |
| Native Name: | |
| Type: | Administrative District |
| Coordinates: | 8°N 80°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Sri Lanka |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Western Province |
| Parts Type: | Divisions |
| Parts Style: | list |
| P1: | Divisional Secretariats |
| P2: | Grama Niladhari: --> |
| Seat Type: | Largest town |
| Seat: | Puttalam |
| Leader Title: | District Secretary |
| Leader Name: | H. M. S. P. Herath |
| Leader Title1: | Local |
| Leader Name1: | --> |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 3,072 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2,882 |
| Area Water Km2: | 190 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 760,778 |
| Population As Of: | 2012 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | Sri Lanka |
| Utc Offset1: | +05:30 |
| Iso Code: | LK-62 |
| Website: | www.puttalam.dist.gov.lk |
Puttalam is a district of Sri Lanka situated near the west coast of the country. The district has an area of 30720NaN0. Along with the Kurunegala District, it forms the North Western Province of Sri Lanka. The district capital is Puttalam, which borders the Kala Oya and Modaragam Aru in the north, Anuradhapura District and Kurunegala District in the east, Ma Oya in the south, and the Indian Ocean in the west. Puttalam has lagoons, popular for shallow sea fishing and prawn farming activities.
In 1845, North Western Province was created. In 1958, Puttalam district was merged with Chilaw district.[3] There are 548 GN division in the area. These areas are governed by the 16 Divisional Secretary areas.
Buddhism is the major religion in the district, and has been since the early part of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. The second-most common religion is Roman Catholicism. In addition to two of the above major religions, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are well established in the area. Munneswaram Hindu Temple and St Anne's Church, Thalawila, are among the historical religious places in the area.
Puttalam District is served by Puttalam line, a railway line linking Ragama near Colombo to Puttalam. Puttalam Railway Station is north of Colombo.