| Southern Province | |
| Native Name: | Sinhala; Sinhalese: දකුණු පළාත Tamil: தென் மாகாணம் |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Coordinates: | 6.1667°N 125°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Sri Lanka |
| Established Title: | Created |
| Established Date: | 1833 |
| Established Title1: | Admitted |
| Established Date1: | 14 November 1987 |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Galle |
| Seat1 Type: | Largest City |
| Seat1: | Galle |
| Leader Title: | Governor |
| Leader Name: | Willy Gamage |
| Leader Title1: | Chief Minister |
| Leader Name1: | none |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 5544 |
| Area Rank: | 7th (8.46% of total area) |
| Population Total: | 2,464,732[1] |
| Population Rank: | 3rd (12.18% of total pop.) |
| Population As Of: | 2011 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Gross Regional Product |
| Demographics1 Footnotes: | (2010)[2] |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Rs 492 billion |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Rank |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 3rd (10.2% of total) |
| Timezone1: | Sri Lanka |
| Utc Offset1: | +05:30 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Official Languages |
| Blank Info Sec1: | Sinhala, Tamil |
| Iso Code: | LK-3 |
| Registration Plate: | SP |
The Southern Province (Sinhala; Sinhalese: දකුණු පළාත Dakuṇu Paḷāta, Tamil: தென் மாகாணம் Theṉ Mākāṇam) of Sri Lanka is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country. The provinces have existed since 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.[3] [4] It is the 7th largest province by area and is home to 2.5 million people, the 3rd most populated province. The province is bordered by Sabaragamuwa Province and Uva Province to the North, Eastern Province to the Northeast, Western Province to the Northwest and the Indian Ocean to the South, West and East. The Province's capital is Galle.
The Southern Province is a geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. Subsistence farming and fishing is the main source of income for the vast majority of the people of this region. Government School education is primarily handled by the Southern Provincial Education Department.
See main article: Districts of Sri Lanka, Divisional Secretariats of Sri Lanka and List of cities in Sri Lanka.
Southern Province is divided into 3 districts and 47 divisional secretariats.
| District | Capital | Area | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galle District | Galle | 1652km2 | 1,075,000 | |
| Hambantota District | Hambantota | 2609km2 | 596,617 | |
| Matara District | Matara | 1283km2 | 831,000 |
See main article: List of Divisional Secretariats of Southern Province, Sri Lanka.
The districts of the Sri Lanka are divided into administrative sub-units known as divisional secretariats. These were originally based on the feudal counties, the Sinhala; Sinhalese: korales and Sinhala; Sinhalese: ratas. They were formerly known as 'D.R.O. Divisions' after the 'Divisional Revenue Officer'. Later the D.R.O.s became 'Assistant Government Agents' and the divisions were known as 'A.G.A. Divisions'. Currently, the divisions are administered by a 'Divisional Secretary', and are known as a 'D.S. Divisions'.
There are 47 divisional secretariats in the Southern Province, with 19 in Galle District, 12 in Hambantota District and 16 in Matara District.
| Cities of Southern Province by Population (2012)[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | District | Population | |
| 1 | 86,333 | |||
| 2 | 74,193 | |||
| 3 | 27,075 | |||
| 4 | 23,236 | |||
| 5 | 22,377 | |||
| 6 | 19,990 | |||
| 7 | 8,473 |
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 seriously affected by the tsunami in 2004. The province is going through a rebuilding process.
.News Line : North, East record highest GDP growth rate