Sabaragamuwa Province

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Sabaragamuwa Province is one of Sri Lanka’s nine provinces. Its capital and largest city is Ratnapura. The province has two districts, Ratnapura and Kegalle, and covers 4,968 square kilometers.

Population and people: about 1.92 million people (2011 census), with a density of around 386 people per square kilometer. The Sinhalese are the majority (about 86%), with Indian Tamils, Sri Lankan Moors and Sri Lankan Tamils as minorities.

Religion: Buddhists make up about 86% of the population, followed by Hindus, Muslims, and Christians.

Languages: Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages.

Time zone: UTC+5:30.

Flower: Vesak flower.

Education: Literacy is about 94.8%; computer literacy around 32% (2020).

University: The Sabaragamuwa University is in Belihuloya (founded 1991).

History and administration: The province was established as part of Sri Lanka’s 13th Amendment in 1987. It was named after the Sabara hunter-gatherer tribes. The province is divided into two districts and 28 divisional secretariats.