Batticaloa_district
Batticaloa District
Administrative District in Eastern, Sri Lanka
Batticaloa District (Tamil: மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம் Maṭṭakkaḷappu Māvaṭṭam; Sinhala: මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය maḍakalapuva distrikkaya) is one of the 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. The capital of the district is the city of Batticaloa. Ampara District was carved out of the southern part of Batticaloa District in April 1961.[4][5]
Batticaloa District
மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம் මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය | |
|---|---|
Sunset at Kumburumoolai | |
Location within Sri Lanka | |
Administrative units of Batticaloa District in 2007 | |
| Coordinates: 07°50′N 81°20′E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Eastern |
| Capital | Batticaloa |
| DS Division | List |
| Government | |
| • District Secretary | Kalamathi Pathmaraja |
| • MPs | List
|
| • MPCs | List
|
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,854 km2 (1,102 sq mi) |
| • Land | 2,610 km2 (1,010 sq mi) |
| • Water | 244 km2 (94 sq mi) 8.55% |
| • Rank | 9th (4.35% of total area) |
| Population (2012 census)[2] | |
| • Total | 525,142 |
| • Rank | 17th (2.59% of total pop.) |
| • Density | 180/km2 (480/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity (2012 census)[2] | |
| • Sri Lankan Tamil | 381,285 (72.61%) |
| • Moor | 133,844 (25.49%) |
| • Sinhalese | 6,127 (1.17%) |
| • Burgher | 2,794 (0.53%) |
| • Other | 1,092 (0.21%) |
| Religion (2012 census)[3] | |
| • Hindu | 338,983 (64.55%) |
| • Muslim | 133,939 (25.51%) |
| • Christian | 46,300 (8.82%) |
| • Buddhist | 5,787 (1.10%) |
| • Other | 133 (0.03%) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka) |
| Post Codes | 30000-30999 |
| Telephone Codes | 065 |
| ISO 3166 code | LK-51 |
| Vehicle registration | EP |
| Official Languages | Tamil, Sinhala |
| Website | Batticaloa District Secretariat |
Batticaloa District is located in the east of Sri Lanka in the Eastern Province. It has an area of 2,854 square kilometres (1,102 sq mi).[1]
Administrative units
Batticaloa District is divided into 14 Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent).[6] The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 346 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).[6]
| DS Division | Main Town | Divisional Secretary | GN Divisions [6] |
Area (km2) [7] |
Population (2012 Census)[8] | Population Density (/km2) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lankan Tamil | Sri Lankan Moors | Sinhalese | Burgher | Other | Total | ||||||
| Eravurpattu | Chenkalady | U. Uthayashreethar | 39 | 695 | 60,278 | 12,617 | 2,040 | 119 | 82 | 75,136 | 108 |
| Eravur Town | Eravur | S. L. M. Haneefa | 15 | 3 | 3,287 | 21,075 | 191 | 69 | 10 | 24,632 | 8,211 |
| Kattankudy | Kattankudy | S. H. Muzammil | 18 | 6 | 14 | 40,201 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 40,237 | 6,706 |
| Koralaipattu | Valaichchenai | T. Dinesh | 12 | 35 | 22,799 | 77 | 339 | 82 | 20 | 23,317 | 666 |
| Koralaipattu Central | Pasikudah | Nihara Mowjood | 9 | 80 | 583 | 24,961 | 57 | 36 | 6 | 25,643 | 320 |
| Koralaipattu North | Vakarai | S. R. Rahulanayahi | 16 | 589 | 20,519 | 698 | 288 | 5 | 2 | 21,512 | 37 |
| Koralaipattu South | Kiran | K. Thanapalasundaram | 18 | 582 | 25,820 | 18 | 87 | 0 | 136 | 26,061 | 45 |
| Koralaipattu West | Oddamavadi | M. C. Ansar | 8 | 17 | 65 | 22,070 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 22,144 | 1,303 |
| Manmunai North | Batticaloa | Srineevasan Gridaran | 48 | 68 | 76,898 | 4,569 | 1,340 | 2,473 | 748 | 86,028 | 1,265 |
| Manmunaipattu | Araiyampathy | V. Arulrajah | 27 | 37 | 22,994 | 7,520 | 35 | 2 | 32 | 30,583 | 827 |
| Manmunai South & Eruvilpattu | Kaluvanchikudy | S. Suthakar | 45 | 63 | 60,457 | 12 | 192 | 5 | 28 | 60,694 | 963 |
| Manmunai South West | Kokkadichcholai | V. Thavarajah | 24 | 145 | 23,653 | 5 | 1,005 | 1 | 9 | 24,673 | 170 |
| Manmunai West | Vavunathivu | V. Thavarajah | 24 | 352 | 28,199 | 13 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 28,392 | 81 |
| Porativupattu | Vellavely | Nallaiya Vilvaretnam | 43 | 182 | 35,719 | 8 | 355 | 2 | 6 | 36,090 | 198 |
| Total | 346 | 2,854 | 381,285 | 133,844 | 6,127 | 2,794 | 1,092 | 525,142 | 184 | ||
Population
Batticaloa District's population was 525,142 in 2012.[2] The population of the district mostly Sri Lankan Tamil.
The population of the district, like the rest of the east and north, was affected by the civil war. The war killed an estimated 100,000 people.[9] Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated to the West during the war.[10] Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capital Colombo. The war also caused many people from all ethnic and religious groups who lived in the district to flee to other parts of Sri Lanka, though most of them have returned to the district since the end of the civil war.
Ethnicity
| Year | Tamil[lower-alpha 1] | Moor[lower-alpha 2] | Sinhalese | Other | Total No. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | ||
| 1881 Census | 61,014 | 57.80% | 37,255 | 35.29% | 5,012 | 4.75% | 2,277 | 2.16% | 105,558 |
| 1891 Census | 69,584 | 56.71% | 44,780 | 36.50% | 6,403 | 5.22% | 1,932 | 1.57% | 122,699 |
| 1901 Census | 79,857 | 55.01% | 54,190 | 37.33% | 7,575 | 5.22% | 3,539 | 2.44% | 145,161 |
| 1911 Census | 83,948 | 54.53% | 60,695 | 39.43% | 5,771 | 3.75% | 3,529 | 2.29% | 153,943 |
| 1921 Census | 84,665 | 53.35% | 63,146 | 39.79% | 7,243 | 4.56% | 3,655 | 2.30% | 158,709 |
| 1946 Census | 102,264 | 50.33% | 85,805 | 42.23% | 11,850 | 5.83% | 3,267 | 1.61% | 203,186 |
| 1953 Census | 130,381 | 48.20% | 106,706 | 39.45% | 31,174 | 11.52% | 2,232 | 0.83% | 270,493 |
| 1963 Census[lower-alpha 3] | 141,110 | 71.93% | 46,038 | 23.47% | 6,715 | 3.42% | 2,326 | 1.19% | 196,189 |
| 1971 Census | 181,527 | 70.71% | 60,889 | 23.72% | 11,548 | 4.50% | 2,757 | 1.07% | 256,721 |
| 1981 Census | 237,787 | 71.98% | 78,829 | 23.86% | 11,255 | 3.41% | 2,462 | 0.75% | 330,333 |
| 2001 Census[13] | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 2007 Enumeration | 381,984 | 74.05% | 128,964 | 25.00% | 2,397 | 0.46% | 2,512 | 0.49% | 515,857 |
| 2012 Census | 382,300 | 72.80% | 133,844 | 25.49% | 6,127 | 1.17% | 2,871 | 0.55% | 525,142 |
Religion
| Year | Hindu | Islam | Christian[lower-alpha 4] | Buddhist | Others | Total No. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | ||
| 1981 Census | 218,812 | 66.24% | 78,810 | 23.86% | 23,499 | 7.11% | 9,127 | 2.76% | 85 | 0.03% | 330,333 |
| 2012 Census | 338,983 | 64.55% | 133,939 | 25.51% | 46,300 | 8.82% | 5,787 | 1.10% | 133 | 0.03% | 525,142 |
Poverty
In 2016 the district was one of the poorest in Sri Lanka and had the fourth-highest incidence of extreme poverty according to the World Bank.[15]
Local government
Batticaloa District has 12 local authorities of which one is a Municipal Council, two are Urban Councils and the remaining nine are Divisional Councils (Pradesha Sabhai or Pradeshiya Sabha).[6]
| Local Authority | Area | Population | Registered Electors (2008)[lower-alpha 5] |
Elected Members (2008)[lower-alpha 6] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TMVP | UPFA | SLMC | UNP | Other | Total | ||||
| Batticaloa Municipal Council | 54,948 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 19 | ||
| Eravurpattu Divisional Council | 585.70 | 77,203 | 45,336 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Eravur Urban Council | 4.90 | 40,819 | 16,522 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Kattankudy Urban Council | 6.50 | 46,597 | 26,454 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Koralaipattu Divisional Council | 242.00 | 125,000 | 41,858 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Koralaipattu North Divisional Council | 645.00 | 21,202 | 12,419 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Koralaipattu West Divisional Council | 25.00 | 29,614 | 17,885 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Manmunaipattu Divisional Council | 21.50 | 30,218 | 18,759 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Manmunai South & Eruvilpattu Divisional Council | 44.17 | 70,256 | 38,386 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Manmunai South West Divisional Council | 161.60 | 25,279 | 14,880 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Manmunai West Divisional Council | 292.65 | 30,026 | 15,771 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Porativupattu Divisional Council | 176.00 | 49,066 | 28,116 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Total | 61 | 34 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 128 | |||
- Sri Lankan Moors and Indian Moors
- Ampara District was carved out of Batticaloa District in 1961.
- Roman Catholic and Other Christian.
- 2011 for Eravur Urban Council, Kattankudy Urban Council and Koralaipattu West Divisional Council.
- 2011 for Eravur Urban Council, Kattankudy Urban Council and Koralaipattu West Divisional Council.
- "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.
- "A2 : Population by ethnic group according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
- "A3 : Population by religion according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2019-01-07. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
- "Overview". Ampara District Secretariat. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
- Mohideen, M. I. M. (27 December 2007). "Sinhalisation of East: A reply to Minister Champika Ranawaka". The Island (Sri Lanka).
- "Divisions". Batticaloa District Secretariat. Archived from the original on 2014-12-24. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
- "Land area by province, district and divisional secretariat division" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-13.
- "A6 : Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
- Harrison, Frances (23 July 2003). "Twenty years on - riots that led to war". BBC News.
- "Special Enumeration 2007, Batticaloa" (PDF). Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-08-07. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
- 2001 Census was only carried out partially in Batticaloa District.
- "Population by religion and district, Census 1981, 2001" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-13.
- "Geospatial Poverty Portal: Interactive Maps". World Bank. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
- Batticaloa District Secretariat Archived 2019-01-24 at the Wayback Machine