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Hambantota District
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Hambantota District |
| type | District |
| image_map | Sri Lanka districts Hambantota.svg |
| map_caption | Map of Sri Lanka with Hambantota District highlighted |
| coordinates | |
| subdivision_type | Country |
| subdivision_name | Sri Lanka |
| subdivision_type1 | Province |
| subdivision_name1 | Southern Province |
| parts_type | Divisions |
| parts_style | list |
| p1 | Divisional Secretariats: 12 |
| p2 | Grama Niladhari: 576 |
| established_title | Created |
| seat_type | Largest Town |
| seat | Hambantota |
| leader_title | District Secretary |
| leader_name | W. H. Karunarathne |
| leader_title1 | Local |
| leader_name1 | {{collapsible list |
| unit_pref | Metric |
| area_total_km2 | 2,609 |
| area_land_km2 | 2,496 |
| area_water_km2 | 113 |
| population_total | 596,617 |
| population_as_of | 2011 |
| population_density_km2 | auto |
| timezone1 | Sri Lanka |
| utc_offset1 | +05:30 |
| iso_code | LK-33 |
| website | hambantota.dist.gov.lk/ |
the district in Sri Lanka
| Municipal Councils: 1 | Urban Councils: 1 | Pradeishiya Sabhas: 10 Hambantota District ( hambantoṭa distrikkaya; Ampāntōṭṭai 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.
Hambantota District is located on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka. It has an area of 2,593 sqkm and a very dry climate. The district capital is Hambantota town; the administrative headquarters are there as well as the center of salt production. Other prominent towns include Tangalle, Ambalantota, Sooriyawewa, Tissamaharama, and Beliatta.
History
Before modern development took place after the country gained independence in 1948, the agriculture in the district was characterised by swidden cultivation (chena or slash-and-burn) and, to some extent, paddy cultivation on non-irrigated land. In the highlands, kurakkan — a grain used to make an eatable paste — was cultivated with other grains such as corn. Leonard Woolf's Village in the Jungle provides a highly interesting and insightful account of the people, the land and issues of concern during the British Colonial period as he worked as an assistant government agent for Hambantota.
The area has traditionally been home to Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Malay people, who collectively make up 98% of the district's population. The long history of Malay settlement in the district has impacted the local culture of Hambantota, with Sri Lankan Malay being a shared language between the Sri Lankan Malays and some members of the Sinhalese community.
Demographics
| other-label = Others | other-color = grey
Hambantota District has a population of 596,617 (2011) of whom 96% are considered rural residents. Some 13.4% of the labor force of 244,847 is unemployed — in comparison to the national average of 8.3%. Of those employed, 42.2% are in the agricultural sector, 23.3% in industry with the remaining 34.5% working in the services sector.
Politics and government
Local government
Hambantota District has 12 local authorities of which one is a Municipal Council, one is an Urban Council and the remaining 10 are Divisional Councils (Pradeshiya Sabha).
| Local Authority | Registered | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electors | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (2025) | Elected Members (2025) | NPP | SJB | SLPP | PA | SB | UNP | Other | style="width:50px;" | Total | National People's Power}}" | Samagi Jana Balawegaya}}" | Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna}}" | People's Alliance (Sri Lanka)}}" | Sarvajana Balaya}}" | United National Party}}" | |||||||
| Ambalantota Pradeshiya Sabha | 62,779 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 31 | ||||||||||||||
| Angunakolapellessa Pradeshiya Sabha | 43,114 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | ||||||||||||||
| Beliatte Pradeshiya Sabha | 49,272 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | ||||||||||||||
| Hambantota Municipal Council | 18,759 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | ||||||||||||||
| Hambantota Pradeshiya Sabha | 30,055 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | ||||||||||||||
| Katuwana Pradeshiya Sabha | 60,805 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 33 | ||||||||||||||
| Lunugamvehera Pradeshiya Sabha | 28,050 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||||||||||||||
| Suriyawewa Pradeshiya Sabha | 38,355 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||||
| Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha | 55,492 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | ||||||||||||||
| Tangalle Urban Council | 7,105 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Tissamaharama Pradeshiya Sabha | 59,873 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | ||||||||||||||
| Weeraketiya Pradeshiya Sabha | 72,940 | 19 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 38 | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 526,599 | 146 | 55 | 45 | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 284 |
Towns
- Hambantota (Municipal Council)
- Tangalle (Urban Council)
- Ambalantota
- Suriyawewa
- Beliatta
- Tissamaharama
- Middeniya
- Angunukolapelessa
- Walasmulla
- Weeraketiya
References
References
- Shihan de Silva Jayasuriya. "Sri Lankan Malay: a unique creole".
- (2024). "Population by ethnicity according to Divisional Secretariat Divisions, 2024".
- (2024). "Population by religion according to Divisional Secretariat Divisions, 2024".
- Source: Department of Census & Statistics - Sri Lanka
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