Southern Province is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. It is located on the Southern coast of Lanka. It is the 7th largest province by area and is home to 2.5 million people, the 3rd most populated province. The province is borderedby Sabaragamuwa Province and Uva Province to the North, Eastern Province to the Northeast, Western Province to the Northwest and the Indian Ocean to the South, West, and East. The Southern Province is a small geographic area consisting of the districts of Galle, Matara, and Hambantota. The Province’s capital is Galle.
This province was redeveloped after tsunami disaster occurred in 2004 which resulted in a huge destruction in this area. At present, Council of Southern Province is planning to develop the province in many areas including tourism, with a number of new projects earmarked to make the areas more attractive to tourists. The other areas on which the SPC will focus on are the fisheries industry, handloom industry, tea and rubber industry etc. Also, measures are to be taken to organize recreational activities as well as educational programmes designed to ensure the children’s mental wellbeing. It is said in the folklore that the most intelligent people in Sri Lanka are from the southern province.
One of the great leaders emerged from the southern province was Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksha, the former president of Sri Lanka. By being the commander of three forces he led the civil war against the LTTE terrorists. Under his superb guidance, Sri Lanka gained the total victory over the terrorists on 2009. His presidency after ending the Civil war in 2009 is known for the initiating the large-scale infrastructure projects. Most of them are developed in the southern province were all high-profile lavish infrastructure projects initiated by Rajapaksa during his administration and named after him.
[envira-gallery id=”3124″]
- Such as Southern Expressway, Magampura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port, Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.
Galle district which is the capital of the southern province is bounded on the north by Benthara River and east by Matara and Ratnapura district and west by the Indian Ocean. The Galle District lies in a temperate climatic zone and its annual rainfall is between 2000 & 2500mm.
There are a wide variety of places to visit in Galle. Many visitors tour Sri Lanka and come to Galle to witness these places by their own eyes. Here are some of the best places in Galle that you should visit.
- Sinharaja rainforest, Roomassala, Kanneliya are some places to visit which are paradises for nature and wildlife lovers. Sinharaja is home to a vast number of endemic species of birds and mammals of Sri Lanka. The rivers “Gin Ganga” and “Madu Ganga” which lie in the Galle district help to maintain ecological balance in the Galle district.
- Galle Fort, Madol Duwa are some historical importance places to visit in Sri Lanka. Dutch Fort is one of the most extraordinary historical and archeological sites of the world. The fort was first constructed by Portuguese and fortified expansively by the Dutch.
- The coastal side of the Galle district is comprised of beautiful sandy beaches with scenic beauty. Here are some of those places: Hikkaduwa, Induruwa, Bentota, Weligama, Koggala, Unawatuna. Turtle Hatchery can be seen in the Bentota beach. You will also find coral gardens which are considered to be one of the much-appreciated beauties of the Hikkaduwa beach.
- Galle Fort and Sinharaja Forest Reserve are declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The Kanneliya and Hiyare Forest Reserves are located in the Galle District.
Matara district is located in the south west of Sri Lanka. It climatically belongs to wet zone of the low country.
- Matara consists of scenic sea belt and full of natural beauty. Dondrahead lighthouse, Crow Island, Mirissa Beach, Polhena Beach, Dickwella Beach, Nilwala River, Dewinuwara, Weherahena Temple are some famous places to visit in Matara district. Other than the scenic beauty whale watching is an interesting fun activity that you can see in Mirissa Beach. Crow Island is a small beautiful island that stands to face the beach of Matara covered completely with greenery. The river Nilwala meets the sea at Totamuna that is also a part of the city.
Hambantota district situated in down south features a tropical wet and dry climate. Significantly less rainfall affect the dry climate in this region.
- Tangalle beach, Ussangoda, Sithulpawwa Temple and Yala, Udawalawe, Kumana, Bundala National Parks are some popular places leading the tourists’ attraction in Hambantota district. A perfect remedy for your wintertime
blues- Tangalle Beach, which showcases a wide stretch of sandy beaches. And also this district possesses adventured areas to watch the sensational natural beauty of wildlife and birdlife.
Watching Lanka and its beautiful places will always give you the greatest experience in the world for sure.
