The Sabaragamuwa Province (, , ) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. Ratnapura is the capital of the province.
History 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.
The province is named after its former indigenous inhabitants, namely the Sabara (शबर Śabara), an Indic term for hunter-gatherers (mleccha) and the Sinhala gamuwa, "gathering place."Punchihewa, G. d. S. G. (1997:57-58). Vignettes of Far Off Things: Introducing the History, Tank Civilization, Jungle-lore, Fauna, & Flora and Adventure of the Walawe Basin. Sri Lanka: State Print. Corporation.
The Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka is located in the town of Belihuloya, and was founded in 1991.
Geography
The province has an area of 4,968 km2 and a population of 1,918,880. Major towns include Ratnapura and Kegalle.
Demographics
Ethnic groups
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 % Sinhalese 1,666,180 86.4% Indian Tamils 105,872 5.49% Sri Lankan Moors 82,343 4.27% Sri Lankan Tamils 72,298 3.75% Others 1,962 0.09% Total 1,918,880 100.00%
Religion
+Religion in Sabaragamuwa Province 1981–2012 Religion Census 1981 Census 2001 Census 2012Population%Population%Population% Buddhism1,259,39684.98%1,547,76985.77%1,653,38185.73% Hinduism146,0109.86%148,4008.2%156,3128.1% Islam51,2483.46%73,5764%85,6104.44% Christianity24,8921.67%30,9942%33,2191.72% Others/None4850.03%5920.03%1330.006% Total 1,482,031100%1,801,331100%1,928,655100%
Administrative divisions
Sabaragamuwa is divided into two districts and 28 divisional secretariats.
Districts + 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
Major population centres
Ratnapura Balangoda Embilipitiya Kegalle Bulathkohupitiya Belihuloya Eheliyagoda Kalawana Kuruwita Mawanella Aranayaka Rakwana Imbulpe Deraniyagala Ambepussa Rambukkana Kitulgala Panamure Godakawela Yatiyanthota Karawanalla Ruwanwella Aguruwalla Dehiowita
See also Provinces of Sri Lanka Districts of Sri Lanka
References
External links Cities in Sabaragamuwa province Postal codes of Sabaragamuwa province