| Hambanthota District Profile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Location
and Area |
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Hambantota District is located in southern province of and the dry agro-ecological
zone of Sri Lanka. Western parts of the District are located in the
intermediate zone, and a small part of the more mountainous north-west is
located in the wet zone. The District has an area of 2525 square km and a
shoreline of 115 square km and inland water area covers approximately 113
square km. Hambantota District accounts for 4% of
the countrys total land area. Boundaries
Physical
Features With an altitude of 804 m Rammale Kanda is the
highest point which situated in the Northern edge of the District. There are a number of major and minor
rivers and streams in the area that either originate
in the highlands adjacent to the Hambantota
District. Kumbukkan Oya
in the Northeast and Manik ganga and its
tributaries in the west flow through the Yala
National Park providing a source of water to the animals even during the
driest months of the year. These rivers and streams show very high
fluctuations in the runoff between wet and dry seasons. For example,
the Udawalawa river, Menik
Ganga and Kumbbukkan Oya
carries much water to the sea in the rainy season than it does during the dry
season. Other major rivers are Uru bokka Oya, Uda
Walawa River, kirindi Oya, Kirama Oya
and Kuchigal-Ara which flows southwardly. Reservoirs such as Muruthawela
and Weeravila, Lunugamvehera,
Yoda wewa, Tissa Wewa, Ridiyagama tank and Debarawewa located within the District. Some of the
significant coastal physical features are the large sand dune which lies
along the coastal belt from Bundala to Yala. Katuwana & Walasmulla
DS Division s in the District have small tea plantations which show the
ecological diversity in the District. Some of the major geological formations
in the District are blow hole which located in Tangalle
Divisions and the hot springs near Madunagala in Sooriyawewa Division The Lagoon Mangrove
vegetation is widespread in the estuaries of Manik
Ganga and Kumbukkan Oya.
Some of the important lagoons in the Hambantota
District are Rekawa, Lunama,
Kalametiya, Bundala, Koholankala, Palatupana, and
the lagoons within the Yala National park are Buthuwa, Udapothana, Mahirawa, Etiliu and Udagajaba. Forest Hambantota District provides refuges to large
number of fauna & flora while three major National Parks in the country
located in the District namely, Yala NP
(97,880.0ha.), Bundala NP (6,216ha.), Lunugamvehera NP (23,498.8ha.). Additionally, there
number of sanctuaries located within the District namely, Weeravila
(4,164.2ha.), Ridiyagama (4,273.5ha.), Pallemalala (13.7ha.), Kalametiya
(2,525.2ha.), Nimalawa (1,065.8ha.), Madunagala (995.2ha.). Mineral Resources The geology of the area is composed almost entirely of
metamorphic rocks belonging to the Pre-Cambrian age and can be categorized
into two main series: Vijayan series, and the
highland series. Out of the 6 soil types identified, reddish brown earths and
low humic gley soils are
prominent in the area. The area is situated in the lowest peneplain of the island, which stretches from Trincomalee to the Hambantota
coastal plain Climate and Rainfall Situated in the dry semi-arid type of
climate, the major rainy season is the northeast monsoon. The wet season that
stretches from October to January is mainly a part of the Second
Inter-Monsoon season. The annual rainfall in the District is between 750 and
1000 mm in the dry areas, between 1000 and 1500 mm in the intermediate parts
and between 1500 and 2000 mm in the wet parts. The mean temperature
range is between 26 C in January to 30 C in April. During the year the
wind speed varies from 15 km/h during the northeast monsoon to 23 km/h during
the southwest monsoons.
Table - Temperature in Hambantota
District in Celsius
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