Colombo District ( ''kol̠am̆ba distrikkaya''; ''Koḻumpu Māvaṭṭam'') is one of the 25
districts of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, the second level
administrative division
Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...
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. The
capital of the district is the city of
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
. The district of Colombo was officially recorded in 2016 as having the highest income on average, per household.
History
Colombo District was part of the pre-colonial
Kingdom of Kotte. The district then came under
Portuguese,
Dutch and
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
control. In 1815 the British gained control of the entire island of
Ceylon
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. They divided the island into three ethnic based administrative structures: Low Country Sinhalese, Kandyan Sinhalese and Tamil. Colombo District 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. Colombo District, together with
Kalutara,
Puttalam
Puttalam (; ) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam District and governed by a municipal council.
Climate
Under the ...
, Seven Korales (present day
Kurunegala District), Three Korales, Four Korales and Lower Bulatgama (present day
Kegalle District) formed the new
Western Province.
At the time that
Ceylon gained independence, Colombo was one of the two districts located in the Western Province. Parts of the district were transferred to newly created
Gampaha District in September 1978.
Geography
Colombo District is located in the south west of Sri Lanka and has an area of .
Administrative units
Colombo District is divided into 13
Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent).
The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 566
Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).
[
]
Cities and Towns
Demographics
Population
Colombo District's population was 2,309,809 in 2012.[ It has the highest population and population density in Sri Lanka. The majority of the population are Sinhalese, with a minority Sri Lankan Moor and Sri Lankan Tamil population.
]
Ethnicity
Religion
Notes
References
External links
Colombo District Secretariat
{{Authority control
Districts of Sri Lanka