Sri Lanka - 25 Districts

    Select a region below to go to that District:

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    25 Districts within 9 Provinces of Sri Lanka

      Northern
    • Jaffna
    • Kilinochchi
    • Mannar
    • Mullaitivu
    • Vavuniya

      • North Western
    • Puttalam
    • Kurunegala

      • Western
    • Gampaha
    • Colombo
    • Kalutara
      North Central
    • Anuradhapura
    • Polonnaruwa

      • Central
    • Matale
    • Kandy
    • Nuwara Eliya

      • Sabaragamuwa
    • Kegalle
    • Ratnapura
      Eastern
    • Trincomalee
    • Batticaloa
    • Ampara

      • Uva
    • Badulla
    • Monaragala

      • Southern
    • Hambantota
    • Matara
    • Galle
    District
    Capitol    		Province Area
    sq.km    		Population
    density
    Jaffna Northern 1,025 628
    Kilinochchi Northern 1,279 94
    Mannar Northern 1,996 53
    Mullaitivu Northern 2,617 38
    Vavuniya Northern 1,967 92
     
    Puttalam NorthWestern 3,072 264
    Kurunegala NorthWestern 4,816 348
     
    Gampaha Western 1,387 1,711
    Colombo Western 699 3,417
    Kalutara Western 1,598 772
    District
    Capitol    		Province Area
    sq.km    		Population
    density
    Anuradhapura NorthCentral 7,179 128
    Polonnaruwa NorthCentral 3,293 131
     
    Matale Central 1,993 247
    Kandy Central 1,940 715
    Nuwara Eliya Central 1,741 414
     
    Kegalle Sabaragamuwa 1,693 497
    Ratnapura Sabaragamuwa 3,275 334
    District
    Capitol    		Province Area
    sq.km    		Population
    density
    Trincomalee Eastern 2,727 150
    Batticaloa Eastern 2,854 201
    Ampara Eastern 4,415 153
     
    Badulla Uva 2,861 287
    Monaragala Uva 5,639 81
     
    Hambantota Southern 2,609 239
    Matara Southern 1,283 637
    Galle Southern 1,652 655
     
    Total 65,610 323

    Province Capitol CreatedArea
    km2    		Population Districts
    1955 1985    		Population
    Density
    Northern Jaffna 1833 8,290 1,058,762 3 5 128
    North WesternKurunegala 1845 7,506 2,370,075 2 2 316
    Western Colombo 1833 3,593 5,821,710 2 31,620
    North CentralAnuradhapura1873 9,741 1,259,567 2 2 129
    Central Kandy 1833 5,575 2,558,716 3 3 459
    Sabaragamuwa Ratnapura 1889 4,921 1,918,880 2 2 390
    Eastern Trincomalee 1833 9,361 1,551,381 2 3 166
    Uva Badulla 1886 8,335 1,259,900 2 2 151
    Southern Galle 1833 5,383 2,464,732 3 3 458
    Total 62,70520,263,7232125 323

    In 1833 a legislative council was created, making the island a politically and administratively single unit. Five provinces were created, later expanded into nine, and these were subdivided into twenty-one districts. These districts were administered by officials known as Government Agents or Assistant Government Agents.

    In 1955, the district replaced the province as the country's main administrative unit. Ampara District was created in April 1961, followed by the creation of Mullaitivu and Gampaha districts in September 1978 through a new constitution, which also reintroduced the province as the main administrative unit. The last district to be created was Kilinochchi in February 1984, and the current constitution (that of 1978) states that the territory of Sri Lanka consists of 25 administrative districts. These districts may be subdivided or amalgamated by a resolution of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.