Kegalle District

Kegalle is a district in Sabaragamuwa 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. It was a former Dissavani of Sri Lanka.

This article is about the district in Sri Lanka. For the town, see Kegalle.
Kegalle District
කෑගල්ල දිස්ත්‍රික්කය
கேகாலை மாவட்டம்
Administrative District
Map of Sri Lanka with Kegalle District highlighted
Map of Sri Lanka with Kegalle District highlighted
Coordinates: 7°18′N 80°24′E
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceSabaragamuwa Province
Largest TownKegalle
Divisions
List
Government
 • District SecretaryMahinda S. Weerasooriya
 • Local
List
  • Municipal Councils: -
  • Urban Councils: 1
  • Pradeishiya Sabhas: 11
Area
[1]
 • Total1,693 km2 (654 sq mi)
 • Land1,685 km2 (651 sq mi)
 • Water8 km2 (3 sq mi)
Population
 (2012)[2]
 • Total837,179
 • Density490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka)
ISO 3166 codeLK-92

It covers an area of 1,693 km2 (654 sq mi). The district has a population of 837,179 according to 2012 Census, which is approximately 4.0% of the total population of Sri Lanka.

Physical information

The District of Kegalle is situated in between the central highlands and western southern plains and has an enchanting environment. The height of the western region is 50 m (160 ft) above sea level while the eastern region exceeds 1,800 m (5,900 ft). Rubber cultivation has stretched over most of the area of the District and minor export crops from the district include coffee, cocoa, pepper, clove and nutmeg. Sri Lanka's best graphite mine is situated at Bogala in Kegalle District. The extent of the District is 1,692.8 km2 (653.6 sq mi).

Major cities

Other towns

Demographics
Population (2005)
Administration TypeNumber
Female521,683
Male504,541
Total Population1026,224
No. of Families296,348

Ethnic distribution (2001 census)

Most of the population are Sinhalese. Indian Tamils brought by the British as indentured labourers to work in tea states makes a significant minority.

Ethnic group Population  %
Sinhala 674,665 85.89%
Sri Lankan Tamil 14,908 1.90%
Indian Tamil 44,202 5.63%
Sri Lankan Moors 50,419 6.42%
Burger 191 0.02%
other 1,139 0.14%
Total 785,524 100.00%

Religious groups (2011 census)

Religions in Kegalle District (2011)[3]

  Buddhism (84.7%)
  Islam (7.24%)
  Hinduism (6.45%)
  Christianity (1.68%)
Religious group Population  %
Buddhist 707,830 84.7%
Islam 60,575 7.24%
Hindu 53,997 6.45%
Roman Catholic 8,221 0.98%
protestant 5,865 0.7%
other 115 0.02%
Total 836,603 100.00%

Land usage
CropsQuantity( Hec.)
Rice23,516
Tea18,673
Coconut27,192
Rubber89,311

Notable places

Situated between coastal lowlands and central highlands district has a contrasting landscape.

Elephant Orphanage of Pinnawala

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage of Pinnawala attracts thousands of tourists daily.

References
  1. "Area of Sri Lanka by province and district" (PDF). Department of Census and Statistics. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  2. "POPULATION OF SRI LANKA BY DISTRICT" (PDF). Census of Population and Housing 2011. Department of Census and Statistics. 2012-04-20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2013-02-08.
  3. Department of Census and Statistics,The Census of Population and Housing of Sri Lanka-2011



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