Provinces Of Sri Lanka

The island in the Indian Ocean has attracted people from far and wide since time immemorial and so Sri Lanka has remained in the lime light for centuries. Though this island is known as Sri Lanka now, from the annals of history we find that it had many names. Sri Lanka was called Taprobane by the ancient Greeks and by the Arabs it was called Serendib. Ceylon the name by which Sri Lanka was known on a wider scale derived from Ceilao (Portuguese). Simhala is another old name for the island and Sri Lanka is a Sanskrit name meaning resplendent island. It has a glorious past and Buddhism is one of the dominant religions of the country. There are many provinces in Sri Lanka which are administered effectively to make the country a coherent whole. Provinces of Sri Lanka amount to a total of nine and they are subdivided in to twenty five districts. A provincial council looks after the administration of the provinces and these councils are elected directly for a more transparent democracy. Names of the provinces are as follows:

- Central
- North Central
- North
- Eastern
- North Western
- Southern
- Uva
- Sabaragamuwa
- Western

Each province has the districts which are more than one.

- The Central province has Kandy as its capital and has three districts.
- North Central Province has Anuradhapura and has two districts.
- North Western Province has as its capital Kurunegala and has two districts.
- Sabaramaguwa has Ratnapura as its capital and has two districts.
- The Southern province has Galle as its capital and has three districts.
- Uva has Badulla as its capital and has two districts.
- Western province has Colombo as its capital and has three districts.

All the provinces of Sri Lanka are well managed and administered efficiently, you will find ready help anywhere should you face any trouble on your holiday there.