The Central Province of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya.
Histor
y
Though three successive European powers invaded Sri Lanka during the 16th to the 19th century, the Central Province maintained its independence until the early 19th century when the British finally managed to conqueror Kandy.
The historic Matale town, Temple of the Tooth, Dambulla cave temple, Aluwihare temple and the Sigiriya rock is also in the Central Province.
Geography
The province has an area of 5,674 km², and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy (119 186), Matale (39 869), Dambulla (75 290), Gampola (26 481), Nuwara Eliya (27 449) Hatton (16 790).
Climate
The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 meters often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.
Demographics
The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors. Many tea plantation workers are Indian Tamils, brought over to Sri Lanka by the British in the 19th century.
From – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Province,_Sri_Lanka
Sri Lanka 