Western Province, Sri Lanka

The Western Province (Sinhala: බස්නාහිර පළාත Basnahira Palata; Tamil: மேல் மாகாணம் Mael Maakaanam) 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.[4][5] The province is the most densely populated province in the country and is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as well to Colombo, the nation's administrative and business center.

Western Province බස්නාහිර පළාත மேல் மாகாணம்
Province
Colombo
Flag
Location within Sri Lanka
Coordinates: 06°50′N 80°05′E
Country	Sri Lanka
Created	1 October 1833
Provincial council	14 November 1987
Capital	Colombo
Largest City	Colombo
Districts	List Colombo Gampaha Kalutara
Government
• Type	Provincial council
• Body	Western Provincial Council
• Governor	Roshan Goonatilake
Area [1]
• Total	3,684 km^2 (1,422 sq mi)
• Land	3,593 km^2 (1,387 sq mi)
Area rank	9th (5.61% of total area)
Population  (2012 census)[2]
• Total	5,821,710
• Rank	1st (28.73% of total pop.)
• Density	1,600/km^2 (4,100/sq mi)
Ethnicity (2012 census)[2]
• Sinhalese	4,905,425 (84.26%)
• Sri Lankan Moors	450,505 (7.74%)
• Sri Lankan Tamil	335,751 (5.77%)
• Indian Tamil	61,826 (1.06%)
• Other	68,203 (1.17%)
Religion (2012 census)[3]
• Buddhist	4,288,797 (73.67%)
• Christian	752,993 (12.93%)
• Muslim	500,992 (8.61%)
• Hindu	274,336 (4.71%)
• Other	4,592 (0.08%)
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka)
Post Codes	00000-19999
Telephone Codes	011, 031, 033, 034, 036, 038
ISO 3166 code	LK-1
Vehicle registration	WP
Website	www.wpc.gov.lk

History

Parts of present-day Western Province were part of the pre-colonial Kingdom of Kotte. The province then came under Portuguese, Dutch and British control. In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island of Ceylon. They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. The Western Province was part of the Low Country Sinhalese administration. In 1833, in accordance with the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission, the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces.[6] The districts of Chilaw, Colombo, Kalutara, Puttalam, Seven Korales (present day Kurunegala District), Three Korales, Four Korales and Lower Bulatgama (present day Kegalle District) formed the new Western Province.[7] Chilaw District, Puttalam District and Seven Korales were transferred to the newly created North Western Province in 1845.[8] Three Korales, Four Korales and Lower Bulatgama were transferred to the newly created Sabaragamuwa Province in 1889.[9]

It is planned to create a planned Megacity under the Western Region Megapolis Plan in the Western Province designed by Surbana. Originally initiated in 2004 by Ranil Wickremesinghe it was stopped after his election defeat and was restarted again after his return to power in 2015. The project plans to merge Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts and introduce zoning[10][11]

Geography and climate

Western Province is located in the southwest of Sri Lanka. It has an area of 3,684 square kilometres (1,422 sq mi).[1] The province is surrounded by the Laccadive Sea to the west, North Western Province to the north, Sabaragamuwa Province to the east and the Southern Province to the south.

The Western Province is vulnerable to recurrent flooding as a result of an increase in average rainfall coupled with heavier rainfall events, with knock-on impacts on the infrastructure, utility supply, and the urban economy of the Province. As the most urbanised province in Sri Lanka, these climate events pose a number of problems due to the rapid urban growth the province has undergone.[12]

Administrative divisions

Districts

The Western Province is divided into three administrative districts, 40 Divisional Secretary's Divisions (DS Divisions) and 2,505 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).

District	Capital	District Secretary	DS Divisions	GN Divisions [13][14][15]	Total Area (km^2)[1]	Land Area (km^2)[1]	Population (2012 Census)[2]						Population Density (/km^2)
							Sinhalese	Sri Lankan Moors	Sri Lankan Tamil	Indian Tamil	Other	Total
Colombo	Colombo	Sunil Kannangara	13	566	699	676	1,771,319	242,728	231,318	27,336	37,108	2,309,809	3,304
Gampaha	Gampaha	J. J. Rathnasiri	13	1,177	1,387	1,341	2,079,115	95,501	80,071	10,879	29,075	2,294,641	1,654
Kalutara	Kalutara	U. D. C. Jayalal	14	762	1,598	1,576	1,054,991	112,276	24,362	23,611	2,020	1,217,260	762
Total			40	2,505	3,684	3,593	4,905,425	450,505	335,751	61,826	68,203	5,821,710	1,580

Major cities and towns

Kalutara Fort

City/town	District	Population (2001 census)[16]
Colombo	Colombo	647,100
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia	Colombo	210,546
Moratuwa	Colombo	177,563
Negombo	Gampaha	121,701
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte	Colombo	116,366
Gampaha	Gampaha	57,461
Kalutara	Kalutara	37,451

Demographics

Population

The Western Province's population was 5,821,710 in 2012.[2] The majority of the population are Sinhalese, with a minority Sri Lankan Moor and Sri Lankan Tamil population.

Ethnicity

Population of Western Province by ethnic group 1981 to 2012[2][17]

Year	Sinhalese		Sri Lankan Moors		Sri Lankan Tamil		Indian Tamil		Other		Total No.
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
1981 Census	3,321,830	84.74%	238,728	6.09%	228,516	5.83%	59,402	1.51%	71,331	1.82%	3,919,807
2001 Census	4,530,918	84.20%	374,729	6.96%	325,706	6.05%	61,337	1.14%	88,507	1.64%	5,381,197
2012 Census	4,905,425	84.26%	450,505	7.74%	335,751	5.77%	61,826	1.06%	68,203	1.17%	5,821,710

Religion

Population of Western Province by religion 1981 to 2012[3][18]

Year	Buddhist		Christian[lower-alpha 1]		Muslim		Hindu		Other		Total No.
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
1981 Census	2,885,789	73.62%	556,581	14.20%	279,639	7.13%	194,000	4.95%	3,798	0.10%	3,919,807
2001 Census	3,942,171	73.26%	721,115	13.40%	441,397	8.20%	271,777	5.05%	4,737	0.09%	5,381,197
2012 Census	4,288,797	73.67%	752,993	12.93%	500,992	8.61%	274,336	4.71%	4,592	0.08%	5,821,710

Economy

Colombo the commercial capital of Sri Lanka

The Western province provides the highest contribution to the Gross Domestic Product contributing 41.2% of the Provincial Gross Domestic Product(PGDP) and has a nominal PGDP growth rate of 5.8% as of 2015. Agriculture only made up 1.7% of the GDP the lowest among the nine provinces while Industrial sector made up 34.6% the highest in the country and service sector represented 56.5%.[19]

The province is undergoing rapid development with several of the largest infrastructure development projects happening in the province such as the Colombo International Financial City(CIFC) which is an International Financial Zone and the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project(WRMPP)[20][21][22][23] Western province is also undergoing a major real estate and construction boom with residential and commercial buildings and skyscrapers changing the skylines of cities such as Colombo and Rajagiriya. Several major residential, office and hotel buildings as well as resorts and malls are either proposed or under construction.[24][25][26]

The Colombo Harbour is also a major driver of economic growth being the busiest port in South Asia. It has both privately run and state owned terminals and is being expanded.[27][28]

Education

Almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in the Western Province. Universities in the province includes the University of Colombo, University of Kelaniya, University of Moratuwa, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Open University, Sri Lanka, Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, National Institute of Business Management and the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology. Having the highest population in all the provinces, Western Province has the largest number of schools in the country, which includes national, provincial, private and international schools.

See also

• List of settlements in Western Province (Sri Lanka)
• Provinces of Sri Lanka
• Districts of Sri Lanka

Notes

1. Roman Catholic and Other Christian.

References

1. "Area of Sri Lanka by province and district" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
2. "A2 : Population by ethnic group according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
3. "A3 : Population by religion according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
4. "Provinces of Sri Lanka". Statoids.
5. "Provincial Councils". Government of Sri Lanka.
6. Mills, Lennox A. (1933). Ceylon Under British Rule (1795 - 1932). London: Oxford University Press. pp. 67–68.
7. Mendis, G. C. (1946). Ceylon Under the British (2nd (revised) ed.). Colombo: The Colombo Apothecaries Co. pp. 39–40.
8. Medis, G. C. (1946). Ceylon Under the British (2nd (revised) ed.). Colombo: The Colombo Apothecaries Co. p. 51.
9. Medis, G. C. (1946). Ceylon Under the British (2nd (revised) ed.). Colombo: The Colombo Apothecaries Co. p. 85.
10. "What is the Singapore-styled Western Region Megapolis plan for Colombo? | Adaderana Biz English | Sri Lanka Business News". bizenglish.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
11. "Project Megapolis explained - Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara to merge - Newsfirst". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst | News1st | newsfirst.lk | Breaking. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
12. Integrating urban agriculture and forestry into climate change action plans: Lessons from Sri Lanka, Marielle Dubbeling, the Climate and Environment Knowledge Network, 2014
13. "Grama Niladhari Divisions". Colombo District Secretariat.
14. "Grama Niladhari Divisions". Gampaha District Secretariat.
15. "Grama Niladhari Divisions". Kalutara District Secretariat.
16. "Population of principal towns by sex, census years" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
17. "Population by ethnic group and district, Census 1981, 2001" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
18. "Population by religion and district, Census 1981, 2001" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
19. "Provincial Gross Domestic Product – 2015" (PDF). cbsl.gov.lk.
20. "Government Signs Tripartite Agreement for Colombo International Financial City".
21. "Sri Lanka to create international financial zone where people can also park their money".
22. "Megapolis: Part 1 ‒ What To Expect".
23. "The Western Region Megapolis Master Plan and the Megapolis Authority".
24. Nizar, Ahamed. "The Colombo Skyline - Roar.lk". roar.lk. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
25. Haniff, Hakiem. "Colombo's Changing Skyline (Part II) - Roar.lk". roar.lk. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
26. "Real Estate Market Update: Roaring Rajagiriya | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
27. "Colombo breaks through as South Asia's next big transshipment port". www.joc.com. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
28. "Sri Lanka: An Emerging Logistics Hub in South Asia | Hong Kong Means Business". Hong Kong Means Business. Retrieved 31 January 2017.

External links

• Western Provincial Council