# Batticaloa District

Batticaloa District (Tamil: மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம் Maṭṭakkaḷappu Māvaṭṭam; Sinhala: මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්‍රික්කය maḍakalapuva distrikkaya) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary (previously known as a Government Agent) appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The capital of the district is the city of Batticaloa. Ampara District was carved out of the southern part of Batticaloa District in April 1961.

## Geography

Batticaloa District is located in the east of Sri Lanka in the Eastern Province. It has an area of 2,854 square kilometres (1,102 sq mi).

### Administrative units

Batticaloa District is divided into 14 Divisional Secretary's Division (DS Divisions), each headed by a Divisional Secretary (previously known as an Assistant Government Agent). The DS Divisions are further sub-divided into 346 Grama Niladhari Divisions (GN Divisions).
| DS Division | Main Town | Divisional Secretary | GN Divisions | Area (km$^2$) | Population (2012 Census) | Population (2012 Census) | Population (2012 Census) | Population (2012 Census) | Population (2012 Census) | Population (2012 Census) | Population Density (/km$^2$) |
| DS Division | Main Town | Divisional Secretary | GN Divisions | Area (km$^2$) | Sri Lankan Tamil | Sri Lankan Moors | Sinhalese | Burgher | Other | Total | Population Density (/km$^2$) |
| Eravurpattu | Chenkalady | U. Uthayashreethar | 39 | 695 | 60,278 | 12,617 | 2,040 | 119 | 82 | 75,136 | 108 |
| Eravur Town | Eravur | S. L. M. Haneefa | 15 | 3 | 3,287 | 21,075 | 191 | 69 | 10 | 24,632 | 8,211 |
| Kattankudy | Kattankudy | S. H. Muzammil | 18 | 6 | 14 | 40,201 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 40,237 | 6,706 |
| Koralaipattu | Valaichchenai | T. Dinesh | 12 | 35 | 22,799 | 77 | 339 | 82 | 20 | 23,317 | 666 |
| Koralaipattu Central | Pasikudah | Nihara Mowjood | 9 | 80 | 583 | 24,961 | 57 | 36 | 6 | 25,643 | 320 |
| Koralaipattu North | Vakarai | S. R. Rahulanayahi | 16 | 589 | 20,519 | 698 | 288 | 5 | 2 | 21,512 | 37 |
| Koralaipattu South | Kiran | K. Thanapalasundaram | 18 | 582 | 25,820 | 18 | 87 | 0 | 136 | 26,061 | 45 |
| Koralaipattu West | Oddamavadi | M. C. Ansar | 8 | 17 | 65 | 22,070 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 22,144 | 1,303 |
| Manmunai North | Batticaloa | Srineevasan Gridaran | 48 | 68 | 76,898 | 4,569 | 1,340 | 2,473 | 748 | 86,028 | 1,265 |
| Manmunaipattu | Araiyampathy | V. Arulrajah | 27 | 37 | 22,994 | 7,520 | 35 | 2 | 32 | 30,583 | 827 |
| Manmunai South & Eruvilpattu | Kaluvanchikudy | S. Suthakar | 45 | 63 | 60,457 | 12 | 192 | 5 | 28 | 60,694 | 963 |
| Manmunai South West | Kokkadichcholai | V. Thavarajah | 24 | 145 | 23,653 | 5 | 1,005 | 1 | 9 | 24,673 | 170 |
| Manmunai West | Vavunathivu | V. Thavarajah | 24 | 352 | 28,199 | 13 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 28,392 | 81 |
| Porativupattu | Vellavely | Nallaiya Vilvaretnam | 43 | 182 | 35,719 | 8 | 355 | 2 | 6 | 36,090 | 198 |
| Total | Total | Total | 346 | 2,854 | 381,285 | 133,844 | 6,127 | 2,794 | 1,092 | 525,142 | 184 |

## Demographics
### Population

Batticaloa District's population was 525,142 in 2012. The population of the district mostly Sri Lankan Tamil.
The population of the district, like the rest of the east and north, was affected by the civil war. The war killed an estimated 100,000 people. Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan Tamils, possibly as much as one million, emigrated to the West during the war. Many Sri Lankan Tamils also moved to the relative safety of the capital Colombo. The war also caused many people from all ethnic and religious groups who lived in the district to flee to other parts of Sri Lanka, though most of them have returned to the district since the end of the civil war.

### Ethnicity

Population of Batticaloa District by ethnic group 1881 to 2012 :
| Year | Tamil | Tamil | Moor | Moor | Sinhalese | Sinhalese | Other | Other | Total No. |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | Total No. |
| 1881 Census | 61,014 | 57.80% | 37,255 | 35.29% | 5,012 | 4.75% | 2,277 | 2.16% | 105,558 |
| 1891 Census | 69,584 | 56.71% | 44,780 | 36.50% | 6,403 | 5.22% | 1,932 | 1.57% | 122,699 |
| 1901 Census | 79,857 | 55.01% | 54,190 | 37.33% | 7,575 | 5.22% | 3,539 | 2.44% | 145,161 |
| 1911 Census | 83,948 | 54.53% | 60,695 | 39.43% | 5,771 | 3.75% | 3,529 | 2.29% | 153,943 |
| 1921 Census | 84,665 | 53.35% | 63,146 | 39.79% | 7,243 | 4.56% | 3,655 | 2.30% | 158,709 |
| 1946 Census | 102,264 | 50.33% | 85,805 | 42.23% | 11,850 | 5.83% | 3,267 | 1.61% | 203,186 |
| 1953 Census | 130,381 | 48.20% | 106,706 | 39.45% | 31,174 | 11.52% | 2,232 | 0.83% | 270,493 |
| 1963 Census | 141,110 | 71.93% | 46,038 | 23.47% | 6,715 | 3.42% | 2,326 | 1.19% | 196,189 |
| 1971 Census | 181,527 | 70.71% | 60,889 | 23.72% | 11,548 | 4.50% | 2,757 | 1.07% | 256,721 |
| 1981 Census | 237,787 | 71.98% | 78,829 | 23.86% | 11,255 | 3.41% | 2,462 | 0.75% | 330,333 |
| 2001 Census | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 2007 Enumeration | 381,984 | 74.05% | 128,964 | 25.00% | 2,397 | 0.46% | 2,512 | 0.49% | 515,857 |
| 2012 Census | 382,300 | 72.80% | 133,844 | 25.49% | 6,127 | 1.17% | 2,871 | 0.55% | 525,142 |

### Religion

Population of Batticaloa District by religion 1981 to 2012 :
| Year | Hindu | Hindu | Islam | Islam | Christian | Christian | Buddhist | Buddhist | Others | Others | Total No. |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | Total No. |
| 1981 Census | 218,812 | 66.24% | 78,810 | 23.86% | 23,499 | 7.11% | 9,127 | 2.76% | 85 | 0.03% | 330,333 |
| 2012 Census | 338,983 | 64.55% | 133,939 | 25.51% | 46,300 | 8.82% | 5,787 | 1.10% | 133 | 0.03% | 525,142 |

### Poverty

In 2016 the district was one of the poorest in Sri Lanka and had the fourth-highest incidence of extreme poverty according to the World Bank.

## Politics and government
### Local government

Batticaloa District has 12 local authorities of which one is a Municipal Council, two are Urban Councils and the remaining nine are Divisional Councils (Pradesha Sabhai or Pradeshiya Sabha).
| Local Authority | Area | Population | Registered Electors (2008) | Elected Members (2008) | Elected Members (2008) | Elected Members (2008) | Elected Members (2008) | Elected Members (2008) | Elected Members (2008) |
| Local Authority | Area | Population | Registered Electors (2008) | TMVP | UPFA | SLMC | UNP | Other | Total |
| Batticaloa Municipal Council | | | 54,948 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 19 |
| Eravurpattu Divisional Council | 585.70 | 77,203 | 45,336 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Eravur Urban Council | 4.90 | 40,819 | 16,522 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Kattankudy Urban Council | 6.50 | 46,597 | 26,454 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Koralaipattu Divisional Council | 242.00 | 125,000 | 41,858 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| Koralaipattu North Divisional Council | 645.00 | 21,202 | 12,419 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Koralaipattu West Divisional Council | 25.00 | 29,614 | 17,885 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Manmunaipattu Divisional Council | 21.50 | 30,218 | 18,759 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Manmunai South & Eruvilpattu Divisional Council | 44.17 | 70,256 | 38,386 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Manmunai South West Divisional Council | 161.60 | 25,279 | 14,880 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Manmunai West Divisional Council | 292.65 | 30,026 | 15,771 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Porativupattu Divisional Council | 176.00 | 49,066 | 28,116 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Total | | | | 61 | 34 | 11 | 1 | 21 | 128 |