Uva Province ඌව පළාත ஊவா மாகாணம் |
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Province | ||
View from Haputale-Beragala gap
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Location within Sri Lanka |
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Country | Sri Lanka | |
Created | 1886 | |
Admitted | 14 November 1987 | |
Capital | Badulla | |
Largest City | Badulla | |
Government | ||
• Governor | M. P. Jayasinghe | |
• Chief Minister | Chamara Sampath Dassanayake | |
Area | ||
• Total | 8,500 km2 (3,300 sq mi) | |
Area rank | 4th (12.92% of total area) | |
Population (2011 census) | ||
• Total | 1,259,800 | |
• Rank | 7th (6.3% of total pop.) | |
• Density | 150/km2 (380/sq mi) | |
Gross Regional Product (2010) | ||
• Total | Rs 220 billion | |
• Rank | 8th (4.6% of total) | |
Time zone | Sri Lanka (UTC+05:30) | |
ISO 3166 code | LK-8 | |
Vehicle registration | UP | |
Official Languages | Sinhalese, Tamil | |
Symbols | Gurulu raaja (Rhynchostylis retusa) | |
Website | www |
Uva Province (Sinhalese: ඌව පළාත Uva Palata, Tamil: ஊவா மாகாணம் Uva Maakaanam) is Sri Lanka's second least populated province, with 1,259,880 people, created in 1896. It consists of two districts: Badulla and Moneragala. The provincial capital is Badulla. Uva is bordered by Eastern, Southern and Central provinces. Its major tourist attractions are Dunhinda falls, Diyaluma Falls, Rawana Falls, the Yala National Park (lying partly in the Southern and Eastern Provinces) and Gal Oya National Park (lying partly in the Eastern Province). The Gal Oya hills and the Central mountains are the main uplands, while the Mahaweli (Sinhalese: great-sandy) and Menik (Sinhalese: gemstone) rivers and the huge Senanayake Samudraya and Maduru Oya Reservoirs are the major waterways.
Uva Province has large amount of historical incidents from Ravana Era. Several News sources identifies that the King Ravana had been governed the country based from Badulla. Ravana Waterfalls, Stripura Curve Tunnel Complex, Ravana Cave, Hakgala Mountain, Diurumwela Temple are the related places with Ravana stories. Mahiyangana Raja Maha Vihara is the Place of first visit of Lord Buddha to Sri Lanka. There are some ancient temples in Uva province such as Muthiyangana Raja Maha Vihara and Kataragama temple.