Southern Province, Sri Lanka

Southern Province
Southern Province; දකුණු පළාත; தென் மாகாணம்
	Province
	; Flag
	; Flag
	; Location within Sri Lanka
Country	Sri Lanka
Created	1833
Admitted	14 November 1987
Capital	Galle
Largest City	Galle
Government
• Governor	Hemakumara Nanayakkara
• Chief Minister	Shan Wijayalal De Silva
Area
• Total	5,444 km2 (2,102 sq mi)
Area rank	7th (8.46% of total area)
Population (2011 census)
• Total	2,464,732
• Rank	3rd (12.18% of total pop.)
Gross Regional Product (2010)
• Total	Rs 492 billion
• Rank	3rd (10.2% of total)
Time zone	Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30)
Official Languages	Sinhala, Tamil
Website	www.sp.gov.lk

The Southern Province (Sinhalese: දකුණු පළාත Dakunu Palata, Tamil: தென் மாகாணம் Thaen Maakaanam) 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 small 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.

Administrative divisions

Southern Province is divided into 3 districts and 47 divisional secretariats.

Districts

Districts of Southern province

Administrative Divisions of Southern Province
District	Capital	Area	Population
Galle District	Galle	1,652 km² (638 sq mi)	1,075,000
Hambantota District	Hambantota	2,609 km² (1,007 sq mi)	596,617
Matara District	Matara	1,283 km² (495 sq mi)	831,000

Divisional Secretariats

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 korales and 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.

Major Cities

Galle, a major city in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka

Aerial view of the Hambantota District

City/town	Local authority	District	Population (2012)^[5]
Ambalangoda	Ambalangoda Urban Council	Galle	56,783
Galle	Galle Municipal Council	Galle	101,159
Hambantota	Hambantota Municipal Council	Hambantota	57,053
Hikkaduwa	Hikkaduwa Urban Council	Galle	101,382
Matara	Matara Municipal Council	Matara	114,970
Tangalle	Tangalle Urban Council	Hambantota	71,920
Weligama	Weligama Urban Council	Matara	72,511

Landmarks

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.