Matara District

This article is about the district in Sri Lanka. For the town, see Matara, Sri Lanka. For the district of the province Cajamarca in Peru, see Matara District, Cajamarca.
Matara District
මාතර දිස්ත්‍රික්කය
மாத்தறை மாவட்டம்
Administrative District
Map of Sri Lanka with Matara District highlighted
Map of Sri Lanka with Matara District highlighted
Coordinates: 6°10′N 80°30′E / 6.167°N 80.500°E / 6.167; 80.500
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceSouthern Province
Largest CityMatara
Divisions
List
Government
 • District SecretaryPradeep Ratnayaka
 • Local
List
  • Municipal Councils: 1
  • Urban Councils: 1
  • Pradeishiya Sabhas: 10
Area
 • Total
1,282.5 km2 (495.2 sq mi)
Population
 (2012)[1]
 • Total
809,344
 • Density630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka)
ISO 3166 codeLK-32
Websitematara.dist.gov.lk/

Matara (Sinhala: මාතර දිස්ත්‍රික්කය Mātara distrikkaya; Tamil: மாத்தறை மாவட்டம் Māttaṛai māvaṭṭam) is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. It is one of 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka.

Geography

Matara District is located in the south west of Sri Lanka and has an area of 1,282.5 square kilometres (495.2 sq mi).[2]

It is represented in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the 2010 Sri Lankan parliamentary election by former Sri Lankan national cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya who stood for the United People's Freedom Alliance.

Administrative units

Matara District is divided into 16 Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent).[3] The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 650 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions),[3] with 1,658 villages.

DS Division Main town Divisional Secretary GN
Divisions
[3] 		Area
(km2)
[4] 		Population (2012 Census)[5] Population
density
(/km2)
Sinhalese Sri Lankan Moors Sri Lankan
Tamil		 Indian
Tamil		 Other Total
Akuressa Akuressa Mr. O. V. Chandana Tilakerathne 46 148.8 51,280 7 519 865 5 52,595 357
Athuraliya Athuraliya Mr. T. G. S. Sarath Kumara 28 62.9 29,674 1,675 602 155 67 31,869 512
Devinuwara Devinuwara Mr. D. D. K. Wickramarachchi 41 39.9 47,217 663 66 14 19 47,979 1,183
Dickwella Dickwella Mr. B. S. Ranjitha 48 51.9 51,530 2,680 70 81 9 54,187 1,055
Hakmana Hakmana Mr. Kusalaka Nanayakkara 34 47.7 30,465 977 16 1 5 31,892 -
Kamburupitiya Kamburupitiya Mrs. N. M. M. W. W. N. Herath Kumari 39 60.9 40,738 10 28 17 10 39,438 676
Kirinda Puhuwella Kirinda Puhuwella Mr. Chinthaka Abeywickrama 25 37.5 19,480 648 5 - 2 20,574 655
Kotapola Kotapola Mr. Ganesha Amarasinghe 37 175.6 51,057 110 4,041 7,855 9 67,596 389
Malimbada Malimbada Mrs. Deepika Kumari Gunarathne 66 44.7 34,180 476 51 21 7 33,289 753
Matara Matara Mr. Ranjith Yapa 29 53.9 110,221 4,314 304 22 109 114,298 2,144
Mulatiyana Mulatiyana Mr. Susantha Attanayake 48 115.2 49,689 1 192 61 - 48,645 427
Pasgoda Pasgoda Mrs. Nadeeka Kaushalya Kumari 43 148.2 57,224 2 347 1,289 7 59,285 404
Pitabeddara Pitabeddara Mr. Ravindra Jayanath 40 141.5 47,149 24 2,086 1,555 13 52,081 372
Thihagoda Thihagoda Mrs. K. P. C. N. Mahindagnana 40 45.2 33,168 8 16 - 10 32,640 730
Weligama Weligama Mr. K. P. G. Sumith Shantha 48 44.0 64,927 7,366 159 26 33 70,180 1,120
Welipitiya Welipitiya Mrs. Tushari Sooriyarachchi 38 64.4 45,122 6,339 60 22 72 48,756 1,102
Total 650 1,282.5 757,046 23,635 5,060 17,937 321 803,999 638

Major cities

Other towns

Demographics

Population

Matara District's population was 803,999 in 2012.[6] The majority of the population are Sinhalese, with a minority Sri Lankan Moor and Indian Tamil population.

Ethnicity

Population of Matara District by ethnic group[6]
Year Sinhalese Sri Lankan Moors Sri Lankan Tamil Indian Tamil Other Total
No.
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
2012 Census 757,046 94.16% 23,635 2.94% 5,060 0.63% 17,937 2.23% 321 0.04% 803,999

Religion

Religions in Matara District (2011)[1]

  Buddhism (94.2%)
  Islam (3.2%)
  Hinduism (2.0%)
  Christianity (0.7%)
Population of Matara District by religion[7]
Year Buddhist Muslim Christian[a] Hindu Other Total
No.
No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %
2012 Census 756,098 94.0% 18,908 2.35% 25,982 3.23% 2,901 0.36% 110 0.01% 803,999

Notes

  1. ^ Roman Catholic and Other Christian.

References

  1. ^ a b Department of Census and Statistics,The Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka-2011
  2. ^ "Area of Sri Lanka by province and district" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-13.
  3. ^ a b c "Grama Niladhari Divisions". Matara District Secretariat.
  4. ^ "Land area by province, district and divisional secretariat division" (PDF). Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
  5. ^ "A6 : Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
  6. ^ a b "A2 : Population by ethnic group according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
  7. ^ "A3 : Population by religion according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matara District.
  • Kaut, Christoph; International Labour Office (2007). Matara district book : facts & figures and economic development. International Labour Office. ISBN 978-92-2-120189-2.