Kurunegala District Profile

  Location and Area

 

Kurunegala District extents 4,771 km˛ in North Western Province of Sri Lanka.

 

Boundaries

North : Anuradapura
South  : Kandy, Kegalle & Gampaha
West : Puttalam
East : Matale

 

Physical Features

Topographically Kurunegala town is based on a plain area with the exception of the surrounding rock out crops. The Kurunegala Lake is the primary geographical feature of Kurunegala and adorns the town. A transport hub, it has a railway station, and several main roads linking important parts of the country. Kurunegala is situated about 94 km from Colombo, and 42 km from Kandy. Ethagala (shape of Ethagala resembles an Elephant) a rock reaching 316 meters, towers over the town, which is located at an altitude of 116 meters above sea level.

Climate and Rainfall

Climate is fairly temperate and tropical throughout the year. However during the month of April the temperature can rise up to about 350 C. During the monsoons from May to August and October to January, heavy rains can be expected. The annual rainfall in Kurunegala is about 2000 mm. In general, temperatures experienced during late November to mid February period are lower than the rest of the year.

Annual Rainfall in Selected Areas and seasonal pattern

North East Monsoon (Nov-Feb)

Inter Monsoon -01(Feb-Apr)

South West Monsoon (May- Sep)

Inter Monsoon – 02 (Oct-Nov)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table - Temperature in Kurunegala District in o C         

Month

Years

1961 - 1990

Average

2007

Highest          Lowest

2008

Highest                 Lowest

Average

27.8

32.0

22.8

31.7

22.9

  Source: Department of Census and Statistics