| Sabaragamuwa Province | |
| Native Name: | Sinhala; Sinhalese: සබරගමුව පළාත Tamil: சப்ரகமுவ மாகாணம் |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Coordinates: | 6.6667°N 104°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Sri Lanka |
| Established Title: | Created |
| Established Date: | 1889 |
| Established Title1: | Admitted |
| Established Date1: | 14 November 1987 |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Ratnapura |
| Seat1 Type: | Largest city |
| Seat1: | Ratnapura |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts Style: | list |
| P1: | Kegalle |
| P2: | Ratnapura |
| Government Type: | Provincial council |
| Governing Body: | Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Navin Dissanayake |
| Leader Title1: | Chief Minister |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 4968 |
| Area Rank: | 8th (7.46% of total area) |
| Population Total: | 1918880 |
| Population Rank: | 5th (9.63% of total pop.) |
| Population As Of: | 2011 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Ethnicity |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | (2012 census)[1] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Sinhalese |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 1,666,180 (86.4%) |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Indian Tamil |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 105,872 (5.49%) |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Sri Lankan Moors |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 82,343 (4.27%) |
| Demographics1 Title4: | Sri Lankan Tamil |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 72,298 (3.75%) |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 1,962 (0.09%) |
| Demographics Type2: | Religion |
| Demographics2 Footnotes: | (2012 census)[2] |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Buddhist |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 1,653,381 (85.73%) |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Hindu |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 156,312 (8.1%) |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Muslim |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 85,610 (4.44%) |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Christian |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 33,219 (1.72%) |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other/None |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 133 (0.006%) |
| Timezone1: | Sri Lanka |
| Utc Offset1: | +05:30 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Official Languages |
| Blank Info Sec1: | Sinhala, Tamil |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Flower |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Vesak flower (Dendrobium Maccarthiae) |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Literacy (2012) |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 94.8% [3] |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Computer literacy (2020) |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 32% [4] |
| Iso Code: | LK-9 |
| Registration Plate: | SG |
The Sabaragamuwa Province (Sinhala; Sinhalese: සබරගමුව පළාත Sabaragamuwa Paḷāta, Tamil: சபரகமுவ மாகாணம் Sabaragamuva Mākāṇam) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. Ratnapura is the capital of the province.
The provinces of Sri Lanka were created by the British in the 19th century, but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils.[5] [6]
The province is named after its former indigenous inhabitants, namely the Sabara, an Indic term for hunter-gatherer tribes, a term seldom used in ancient Sri Lanka.
The Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka is located in the town of Belihuloya, and was founded in 1991.
The province has an area of 4,968 km2 and a population of 1,918,880. Major towns include Ratnapura and Kegalle.
The Sinhalese are the majority ethnic group of the Sabaragamuwa province. Additionally, there are sizeable minority populations of Indian Tamils, Moors and Sri Lankan Tamils.
| Ethnic group | Population | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,666,180 | 86.4% | ||
| 105,872 | 5.49% | ||
| 82,343 | 4.27% | ||
| Sri Lankan Tamils | 72,298 | 3.75% | |
| Others | 1,962 | 0.09% | |
| Total | 1,918,880 | 100.00% |
| Census 1981[7] | Census 2001[8] | Census 2012[9] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | ||
| Buddhism | 1,259,396 | 84.98% | 1,547,769 | 85.77% | 1,653,381 | 85.73% | |
| Hinduism | 146,010 | 9.86% | 148,400 | 8.2% | 156,312 | 8.1% | |
| Islam | 51,248 | 3.46% | 73,576 | 4% | 85,610 | 4.44% | |
| Christianity | 24,892 | 1.67% | 30,994 | 2% | 33,219 | 1.72% | |
| Others/None | 485 | 0.03% | 592 | 0.03% | 133 | 0.006% | |
| Total | 1,482,031 | 100% | 1,801,331 | 100% | 1,928,655 | 100% | |
See main article: Districts of Sri Lanka, Divisional Secretariats of Sri Lanka and List of cities in Sri Lanka. Sabaragamuwa is divided into two districts and 28 divisional secretariats.
| + Administrative Divisions of Sabaragamuwa Province | ||||
| District | Capital | Area (km2) | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kegalle District | Kegalle | 1,693 | 837,179 | |
| Ratnapura District | Ratnapura | 3,275 | 1,088,007 |
See main article: List of settlements in Sabaragamuwa Province.