Sri Lanka - 9 Destinations You Must Visit

The central province is the 6th largest province of the nine provinces, with an area of 5,674 km². The province is home to 2,558,716 people, and it famous for the Ceylon tea. Kandy is the capital and the largest city of the central province.

The Eastern Province is the second largest province in Sri Lanka, and its capital is Trincomalee, located on the east side of the region. The province covers most of the coastline on the east coast, and its area is 9,996 km2 which is 15.2% of the Sri Lankan landmass. Its major cities are Kalmunai, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kattankudy, Eravur, and Ampara, with a population of 1,551,381 in 2012. And, it is the most diverse province ethnically and religiously in the country.

It is the biggest province located in the north middle in Sri Lanka, with 10,472 km2 covering around 16% of the Sri Lankan landmass. It has two districts; Polonnaruwa and the largest district that covers 68% of the province and the capital Anuradhapura. More than 65% of the province population depends on basic agriculture and agro-based industries.

It is the fifth largest province in Sri Lanka, with area of 7,888 km² and a population of 2,370,075. It consists of two districts of Puttalam, and the larger district of Kurunegala with 4,771 km² that covers around 60% of the province, acting as the capital with a population of 28,571. Fishing, prawn farming and rubber tree farms are other prominent industries in the region, and it has several archaeological sites.

The northern province lies close to India, 35km away. It has an area of 8,884 km2, the capital of the province is Jaffna city, the population of the province is 1,058,762. Most of the population are from the Tamil ethnicity. Jaffna city is the cultural city of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka.

The province is the second smallest province in Sri Lanka, with a total area of 4902 km2 that covers 7.45% of the Sri Lankan landmass. The regions existed on 14 November 1987 and got its legal status in 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in Sri Lanka established provincial councils. It contains two districts: the most substantial one Ratnapura with 3,275 km2 area representing around 67% of the province and Kegalle with 1,693.

The seventh-largest provinces out of nine in Sri Lanka. Its geographic area has the districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota. Farming and fishing are the primary sources of income for the majority of the locals in this region. It is divided into 3 districts and 47 divisional secretariats with the third largest population of the country, most of them living in Galle district.

Uva Province is Sri Lanka's fourth-largest province, with around 13% of the Sri Lankan landmass and the second least populated province, with 1,259,880 inhabitants. It was established in 1896 with two districts: Badulla and the biggest district Moneragala. There are 26 divisional secretariats divided to 15 in Badulla District and 11 in Moneragala District and the capital is Badulla. The bordered surrounded by Eastern, Southern, Sabaragamuwa, and Central provinces.

The western province is in the Southwest of Sri Lanka. The Province is comprised of three administrative districts: Gampaha, Kalutara, and Colombo which is the capital city also the largest. The western province is famous for the large amount the educational institutions, it has the most schools in the country. The western province has a total area of 3,684 km2 and a total population of 5,821,710.