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Central

The Central Province (capital Kandy) is located in the mountainous region of central Sri Lanka, comprising the three districts of Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya. Through the 16th to 19th centuries, it retained its independence against successive foreign invasions, till the British entered Kandy in the 1820s. Famous for its lush tea estates on the hillsides, the Central Province produces most of what we know as ‘Ceylon’ tea. Gampola and Hatton are amongst its popular tourist destinations, which also include the Knuckles Mountain Range, Adam’s Peak and Horton Plains — all three being UNESCO Heritage sites as well. It is bordered by the North Central Province to its north, Sabaragamuwa Province to the south and west, Uva Province on the east and North Western Province on the west, and is home to about 2.5 million Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims.

LSE Research, Commentary and Analysis

  • Demonic Violence and Moral Panic in Post-War Sri Lanka: Explaining the “Grease Devils”: Venugopal, R. (2015)

    Sociology, Violence

    — Journal of Asian Studies
  • Democracy, Development and the Executive Presidency in Sri Lanka: Venugopal, R. (2015)

    Democracy, Development, Politics

    — Third World Quarterly
  • Nationalism, Development and Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka: Venugopal, R. (2018)

    International Relations, Politics, Sociology

    — Cambridge University Press
  • Ethnic Domination under Liberal Democracy in Sri Lanka: Venugopal, R. (2022)

    Democracy, Politics

    — Journal of Contemporary Asia

State Facts & Figures

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