Parts of present-day Western Province were part of the pre-colonial Kingdom of Kotte. The province then came under Portuguese, Dutch and British control. In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island of Ceylon. They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. The Western Province was part of the Low Country Sinhalese administration. In 1833, in accordance with the recommendations of the Colebrooke-Cameron Commission, the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces.[6] The districts of Chilaw, Colombo, Kalutara, Puttalam, Seven Korales (present day Kurunegala District), Three Korales, Four Korales and Lower Bulatgama (present day Kegalle District) formed the new Western Province.[7] Chilaw District, Puttalam District and Seven Korales were transferred to the newly created North Western Province in 1845.[8] Three Korales, Four Korales and Lower Bulatgama were transferred to the newly created Sabaragamuwa Province in 1889.[9]
It is planned to create a planned Megacity under the Western Region Megapolis Plan in the Western Province designed by Surbana. Originally initiated in 2004 by Ranil Wickremesinghe it was stopped after his election defeat and was restarted again after his return to power in 2015. The project plans to merge Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts and introduce zoning[10][11]
The Western Province is vulnerable to recurrent flooding as a result of an increase in average rainfall coupled with heavier rainfall events, with knock-on impacts on the infrastructure, utility supply, and the urban economy of the Province. As the most urbanised province in Sri Lanka, these climate events pose a number of problems due to the rapid urban growth the province has undergone.[12]
The Western province provides the highest contribution to the Gross Domestic Product contributing 41.2% of the Provincial Gross Domestic Product(PGDP) and has a nominal PGDP growth rate of 5.8% as of 2015. Agriculture only made up 1.7% of the GDP the lowest among the nine provinces while Industrial sector made up 34.6% the highest in the country and service sector represented 56.5%.[20]
The province is undergoing rapid development with several of the largest infrastructure development projects happening in the province such as the Colombo International Financial City(CIFC) which is an International Financial Zone and the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project(WRMPP)[21][22][23][24] Western province is also undergoing a major real estate and construction boom with residential and commercial buildings and skyscrapers changing the skylines of cities such as Colombo and Rajagiriya. Several major residential, office and hotel buildings as well as resorts and malls are either proposed or under construction.[25][26][27]
The Colombo Harbour is also a major driver of economic growth being the busiest port in South Asia. It has both privately run and state owned terminals and is being expanded.[28][29]
^ abcd"Area of Sri Lanka by province and district" (PDF). Statistical Abstract 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
^ abcde"A2 : Population by ethnic group according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
^ ab"A3 : Population by religion according to districts, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka.
^Mills, Lennox A. (1933). Ceylon Under British Rule (1795 - 1932). London: Oxford University Press. pp. 67–68.
^Mendis, G. C. (1946). Ceylon Under the British (2nd (revised) ed.). Colombo: The Colombo Apothecaries Co. pp. 39–40.
^Medis, G. C. (1946). Ceylon Under the British (2nd (revised) ed.). Colombo: The Colombo Apothecaries Co. p. 51.
^Medis, G. C. (1946). Ceylon Under the British (2nd (revised) ed.). Colombo: The Colombo Apothecaries Co. p. 85.
^"What is the Singapore-styled Western Region Megapolis plan for Colombo? | Adaderana Biz English | Sri Lanka Business News". bizenglish.adaderana.lk. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
^"Project Megapolis explained - Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara to merge - Newsfirst". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst | News1st | newsfirst.lk | Breaking. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
^Integrating urban agriculture and forestry into climate change action plans: Lessons from Sri Lanka, Marielle Dubbeling, the Climate and Environment Knowledge Network, 2014
^"Grama Niladhari Divisions". Colombo District Secretariat.
^"Grama Niladhari Divisions". Gampaha District Secretariat.
^"Grama Niladhari Divisions". Kalutara District Secretariat.
^(PDF). Statistics Statistical Abstract 2013. Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
^"Real Estate Market Update: Roaring Rajagiriya | The Sunday Times Sri Lanka". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
^"Colombo breaks through as South Asia's next big transshipment port". www.joc.com. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
^"Sri Lanka: An Emerging Logistics Hub in South Asia | Hong Kong Means Business". Hong Kong Means Business. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Province, Sri Lanka.
Western Provincial Council
January 12, 2023
western, province, lanka, western, province, sinhala, බස, පළ, basnāhira, paḷāta, tamil, ணம, mael, mākāṇam, nine, provinces, lanka, first, level, administrative, division, country, provinces, have, existed, since, 19th, century, have, legal, status, until, 1987. The Western Province Sinhala බස න හ ර පළ ත Basnahira Paḷata Tamil ம ல ம க ணம Mael Makaṇam is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka the first level administrative division of the country The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils 4 5 Western Province is the most densely populated province in the country and is home to the legislative capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte as well as to Colombo the nation s administrative and business center Western Province බස න හ ර පළ ත ம ல ம க ணம ProvinceColomboFlagLocation within Sri LankaCoordinates 06 50 N 80 05 E 6 833 N 80 083 E 6 833 80 083 Coordinates 06 50 N 80 05 E 6 833 N 80 083 E 6 833 80 083CountrySri LankaCreated1 October 1833Provincial council14 November 1987CapitalColomboLargest CityColomboMajor CitiesList Gampaha Negombo Kalutara Kaduwela Dehiwala Kotte Kesbewa MoratuwaDistrictsList ColomboGampahaKalutaraGovernment TypeProvincial council BodyWestern Provincial Council GovernorRoshan Goonatilake Ind Area 1 Total3 684 km2 1 422 sq mi Land3 593 km2 1 387 sq mi Rank9th 5 61 of total area Population 2012 census 2 Total5 821 710 Rank1st 28 73 of total pop Density1 600 km2 4 100 sq mi Ethnicity 2012 census 2 Sinhalese4 905 425 84 26 Sri Lankan Moors450 505 7 74 Sri Lankan Tamil335 751 5 77 Indian Tamil61 826 1 06 Other68 203 1 17 Religion 2012 census 3 Buddhist4 288 797 73 67 Christian752 993 12 93 Muslim500 992 8 61 Hindu274 336 4 71 Other4 592 0 08 Time zoneUTC 05 30 Sri Lanka Post Codes00000 19999Telephone Codes011 031 033 034 036 038ISO 3166 codeLK 1Vehicle registrationWPOfficial LanguagesSinhalese English TamilFlowerWhite Lotus Nymphaea lotus ButterflyCeylon Blue Glassy Tiger Ideopsis similis Websitewww wbr wp wbr gov wbr lkThis article contains Indic text Without proper rendering support you may see question marks or boxes misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text Contents 1 History 2 Geography and climate 3 Administrative divisions 3 1 Districts 3 2 Major population centres 4 Demographics 4 1 Population 4 2 Ethnicity 4 3 Religion 5 Economy 6 Education 7 Transportation 7 1 Expressways in Western Province 7 2 International Highways in Western Province 7 3 National Highways in Western Province 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External linksHistory EditParts of present day Western Province were part of the pre colonial Kingdom of Kotte The province then came under Portuguese Dutch and British control In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island of Ceylon They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures Low Country Sinhalese Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil The Western Province was part of the Low Country Sinhalese administration In 1833 in accordance with the recommendations of the Colebrooke Cameron Commission the ethnic based administrative structures were unified into a single administration divided into five geographic provinces 6 The districts of Chilaw Colombo Kalutara Puttalam Seven Korales present day Kurunegala District Three Korales Four Korales and Lower Bulatgama present day Kegalle District formed the new Western Province 7 Chilaw District Puttalam District and Seven Korales were transferred to the newly created North Western Province in 1845 8 Three Korales Four Korales and Lower Bulatgama were transferred to the newly created Sabaragamuwa Province in 1889 9 It is planned to create a planned Megacity under the Western Region Megapolis Plan in the Western Province designed by Surbana Originally initiated in 2004 by Ranil Wickremesinghe it was stopped after his election defeat and was restarted again after his return to power in 2015 The project plans to merge Colombo Gampaha and Kalutara districts and introduce zoning 10 11 Geography and climate EditWestern Province is located in the southwest of Sri Lanka It has an area of 3 684 square kilometres 1 422 sq mi 1 The province is surrounded by the Laccadive Sea to the west North Western Province to the north Sabaragamuwa Province to the east and the Southern Province to the south The Western Province is vulnerable to recurrent flooding as a result of an increase in average rainfall coupled with heavier rainfall events with knock on impacts on the infrastructure utility supply and the urban economy of the Province As the most urbanised province in Sri Lanka these climate events pose a number of problems due to the rapid urban growth the province has undergone 12 Administrative divisions EditDistricts Edit The Western Province is divided into three administrative districts 40 Divisional Secretary s Divisions DS Divisions and 2 505 Grama Niladhari Divisions GN Divisions District Capital District Secretary DSDivisions GNDivisions 13 14 15 TotalArea km2 1 LandArea km2 1 Population 2012 Census 2 PopulationDensity km2 Sinhalese Sri Lankan Moors Sri Lankan Tamil Indian Tamil Other TotalColombo Colombo Sunil Kannangara 13 566 699 676 1 771 319 242 728 231 318 27 336 37 108 2 309 809 3 304Gampaha Gampaha J J Rathnasiri 13 1 177 1 387 1 341 2 079 115 95 501 80 071 10 879 29 075 2 294 641 1 654Kalutara Kalutara U D C Jayalal 14 762 1 598 1 576 1 054 991 112 276 24 362 23 611 2 020 1 217 260 762Total 40 2 505 3 684 3 593 4 905 425 450 505 335 751 61 826 68 203 5 821 710 1 580Major population centres Edit Colombo is the most populous city and the largest city in Sri Lanka Largest cities or towns in Western Province Sri Lanka As per the 2012 Census 16 17 Rank District Pop Colombo Kaduwela 1 Colombo Colombo 693 593 Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Maharagama2 Kaduwela Colombo 252 0413 Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Colombo 233 2904 Maharagama Colombo 196 4235 Moratuwa Colombo 191 6346 Kesbewa Colombo 185 1227 Negambo Gampaha 141 5208 Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Colombo 125 2709 Gampaha Gampaha 67 99010 Katunayake Gampaha 60 915Demographics EditPopulation Edit The Western Province s population was 5 821 710 in 2012 2 The majority of the population are Sinhalese with a minority Sri Lankan Moor and Sri Lankan Tamil population Ethnicity Edit Population of Western Province by ethnic group 1981 to 2012 2 18 Year Sinhalese Sri Lankan Moors Sri Lankan Tamil Indian Tamil Other TotalNo No No No No No 1981 Census 3 321 830 84 74 238 728 6 09 228 516 5 83 59 402 1 51 71 331 1 82 3 919 8072001 Census 4 530 918 84 20 374 729 6 96 325 706 6 05 61 337 1 14 88 507 1 64 5 381 1972012 Census 4 905 425 84 26 450 505 7 74 335 751 5 77 61 826 1 06 68 203 1 17 5 821 710Religion Edit Population of Western Province by religion 1981 to 2012 3 19 Year Buddhist Christian a Muslim Hindu Other TotalNo No No No No No 1981 Census 2 885 789 73 62 556 581 14 20 279 639 7 13 194 000 4 95 3 798 0 10 3 919 8072001 Census 3 942 171 73 26 721 115 13 40 441 397 8 20 271 777 5 05 4 737 0 09 5 381 1972012 Census 4 288 797 73 67 752 993 12 93 500 992 8 61 274 336 4 71 4 592 0 08 5 821 710Economy Edit Colombo the commercial capital of Sri Lanka The Western province provides the highest contribution to the Gross Domestic Product contributing 41 2 of the Provincial Gross Domestic Product PGDP and has a nominal PGDP growth rate of 5 8 as of 2015 Agriculture only made up 1 7 of the GDP the lowest among the nine provinces while Industrial sector made up 34 6 the highest in the country and service sector represented 56 5 20 The province is undergoing rapid development with several of the largest infrastructure development projects happening in the province such as the Colombo International Financial City CIFC which is an International Financial Zone and the Western Region Megapolis Planning Project WRMPP 21 22 23 24 Western province is also undergoing a major real estate and construction boom with residential and commercial buildings and skyscrapers changing the skylines of cities such as Colombo and Rajagiriya Several major residential office and hotel buildings as well as resorts and malls are either proposed or under construction 25 26 27 The Colombo Harbour is also a major driver of economic growth being the busiest port in South Asia It has both privately run and state owned terminals and is being expanded 28 29 Education Edit University of Colombo Almost all the premier educational institutions in the island are located in the Western Province Universities in the province includes the University of Colombo University of Kelaniya University of Moratuwa University of Sri Jayewardenepura Open University Sri Lanka Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University National Institute of Business Management and the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology Having the highest population in all the provinces Western Province has the largest number of schools in the country which includes national provincial private and international schools Transportation EditExpressways in Western Province Edit E01 Southern Expressway E02 Outer Circular Expressway E03 Colombo Katunayake ExpresswayInternational Highways in Western Province Edit AH43National Highways in Western Province Edit A0 Kollupitiya to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte A1 Colombo to Dummaladeniya A2 Colombo to Alutgama A3 Colombo to kochchikade A4 Colombo to Avissawella A8 Panadura to Nambapana A33 Ja Ela to YakkalaSee also EditList of settlements in Western Province Sri Lanka Provinces of Sri Lanka Districts of Sri LankaNotes Edit Roman Catholic and Other Christian References Edit a b c d Area of Sri Lanka by province and district PDF Statistical Abstract 2011 Department of Census amp Statistics Sri Lanka a b c d e A2 Population by ethnic group according to districts 2012 Census of Population amp Housing 2011 Department of Census amp Statistics Sri Lanka a b A3 Population by religion according to districts 2012 Census of Population amp Housing 2011 Department of Census amp Statistics Sri Lanka Provinces of Sri Lanka Statoids Provincial Councils Government of Sri Lanka Mills Lennox A 1933 Ceylon Under British Rule 1795 1932 London Oxford University Press pp 67 68 Mendis G C 1946 Ceylon Under the British 2nd revised ed Colombo The Colombo Apothecaries Co pp 39 40 Medis G C 1946 Ceylon Under the British 2nd revised ed Colombo The Colombo Apothecaries Co p 51 Medis G C 1946 Ceylon Under the British 2nd revised ed Colombo The Colombo Apothecaries Co p 85 What is the Singapore styled Western Region Megapolis plan for Colombo Adaderana Biz English Sri Lanka Business News bizenglish adaderana lk 5 May 2015 Retrieved 30 January 2016 Project Megapolis explained Colombo Gampaha Kalutara to merge Newsfirst Sri Lanka News Newsfirst News1st newsfirst lk Breaking 26 January 2016 Retrieved 30 January 2016 Integrating urban agriculture and forestry into climate change action plans Lessons from Sri Lanka Marielle Dubbeling the Climate and Environment Knowledge Network 2014 Grama Niladhari Divisions Colombo District Secretariat Grama Niladhari Divisions Gampaha District Secretariat Grama Niladhari Divisions Kalutara District Secretariat Area Population Registered voters and Employees of Municipalities 2011 2012 PDF Statistics Statistical Abstract 2013 Department of Census and Statistics Sri Lanka Archived from the original PDF on 13 December 2014 Retrieved 5 December 2014 http www statistics gov lk abstract2019 CHAP2 2 4 bare URL PDF Population by ethnic group and district Census 1981 2001 PDF Statistical Abstract 2011 Department of Census amp Statistics Sri Lanka Population by religion and district Census 1981 2001 PDF Statistical Abstract 2011 Department of Census amp Statistics Sri Lanka Provincial Gross Domestic Product 2015 PDF cbsl gov lk Government Signs Tripartite Agreement for Colombo International Financial City Sri Lanka to create international financial zone where people can also park their money Megapolis Part 1 What To Expect The Western Region Megapolis Master Plan and the Megapolis Authority Nizar Ahamed The Colombo Skyline Roar lk roar lk Retrieved 29 January 2017 Haniff Hakiem Colombo s Changing Skyline Part II Roar lk roar lk Retrieved 29 January 2017 Real Estate Market Update Roaring Rajagiriya The Sunday Times Sri Lanka www sundaytimes lk Retrieved 29 January 2017 Colombo breaks through as South Asia s next big transshipment port www joc com Retrieved 31 January 2017 Sri Lanka An Emerging Logistics Hub in South Asia Hong Kong Means Business Hong Kong Means Business Retrieved 31 January 2017 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western Province Sri Lanka Western Provincial Council Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Western Province Sri Lanka amp oldid 1129442653, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
