Puttalam (Sinhala: පුත්තලම, romanized: Puttalama; Tamil: புத்தளம், romanized: Puttaḷam) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam District and governed by an urban council.
Puttalam පුත්තලම புத்தளம் | |
|---|---|
Town | |
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  Puttalam පුත්තලම புத்தளம் | |
| Coordinates: 08°02′03″N 79°50′07″E / 8.03417°N 79.83528°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | North Western |
| District | Puttalam District |
| Divisional Secretariat | Puttalam Division |
| Government | |
| • Type | Puttalam Urban Council |
| • Chairman | Vacant since May 2021[1] |
| Area | |
• Town | 25.6 km2 (9.9 sq mi) |
| • Land | 119.0 km2 (45.9 sq mi) |
| • Water | 327 km2 (126 sq mi) |
| Population (2012)[2] | |
• Town | 45,511 (Urban Council) |
| • Density | 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
| • Urban density | 1,778/km2 (4,600/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 82,443 (Puttalam Division) |
| • Metro density | 471.1/km2 (1,220/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone) |
Climate
editUnder the Köppen climate classification, Pattalam has a tropical savanna climate (As) with a short dry season from June to September and a second dry season from January to March. The wet season is mainly from October to December. Temperatures remain steady throughout the year with little variations in between.
| Climate data for Puttalam (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.4 (93.9) |
36.4 (97.5) |
38.5 (101.3) |
38.5 (101.3) |
36.2 (97.2) |
35.4 (95.7) |
34.9 (94.8) |
35.5 (95.9) |
35.7 (96.3) |
35.5 (95.9) |
34.5 (94.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
38.5 (101.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.7 (87.3) |
32.3 (90.1) |
33.5 (92.3) |
33.2 (91.8) |
32.5 (90.5) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.8 (89.2) |
31.3 (88.3) |
30.7 (87.3) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.8 (89.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.2 (79.2) |
27.0 (80.6) |
28.6 (83.5) |
28.9 (84.0) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.2 (84.6) |
28.9 (84.0) |
28.9 (84.0) |
28.9 (84.0) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.4 (79.5) |
28.1 (82.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.4 (70.5) |
21.7 (71.1) |
23.4 (74.1) |
24.7 (76.5) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.9 (78.6) |
24.7 (76.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
22.6 (72.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) |
16.2 (61.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
20.5 (68.9) |
19.7 (67.5) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.0 (71.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
21.4 (70.5) |
21.3 (70.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
15.7 (60.3) |
15.6 (60.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 50.5 (1.99) |
42.1 (1.66) |
56.9 (2.24) |
154.4 (6.08) |
101.8 (4.01) |
32.1 (1.26) |
23.5 (0.93) |
23.3 (0.92) |
69.2 (2.72) |
230.6 (9.08) |
254.6 (10.02) |
143.7 (5.66) |
1,182.6 (46.56) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.6 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 9.5 | 6.5 | 4.2 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 12.8 | 15.3 | 10.8 | 84.7 |
| Source: NOAA[3] | |||||||||||||
Points of interest
editEnergy
editSeguwantivu Wind Power (Private) Limited, an Indian firm, invests US$37 million and maintains 25 wind turbines which produce 20 MWs of electricity in Puttalam Seguwantivu region.[5]
Education
editNational schools
edit- St. Mary's National College
- St. Andrew's Central College
- Ananda National School
- Zahira College,Puttalam
- Kalpitiya Nirmala Matha National College.
- President's Science College
- Fathima Muslim Ladies College[6]
- Science High School Puttalam
Provincial schools
edit- Puttalam Hindu Central College
- Thillayadi Muslim Maha Vidhyalaya
- Zahira Primary School
- Manal Kundru Muslim Maha Vidhiyalaya
- Zainab Muslim Girl's Primary
- Assenkudhoos Government Muslim Vidyalayam
International schools
edit- Phoenix International School
- Puttalam Primary school and child care centre
- KEC
- St. Joseph Vaz College
- Ikra International School
- School of Excellence
- Mercy Education Center
Puttalam also has an open university.
Religion
editPuttalam is a multi-cultural and multi-religious town. Islam is the major religion in Puttalam town while Buddhists and Christians are significant minorities; there is also a small Hindu population.[9]
Religious places
edit- Mohideen Jumma Mosque
- බෞද්ධ මධ්යස්ථානය
- முத்து மாரியம்மன் கோவில்
- Mother of Refuge Catholic Church
| Climate data for Puttalam (1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.0 (95.0) |
37.9 (100.2) |
38.5 (101.3) |
38.5 (101.3) |
36.2 (97.2) |
36.1 (97.0) |
36.7 (98.1) |
35.5 (95.9) |
35.7 (96.3) |
35.5 (95.9) |
36.1 (97.0) |
34.6 (94.3) |
38.5 (101.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.5 (86.9) |
32.1 (89.8) |
33.2 (91.8) |
33.1 (91.6) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.5 (86.9) |
29.9 (85.8) |
31.6 (88.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 25.8 (78.4) |
26.8 (80.2) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.8 (83.8) |
29.0 (84.2) |
28.8 (83.8) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
28.5 (83.3) |
27.6 (81.7) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.0 (69.8) |
21.4 (70.5) |
23.1 (73.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
25.8 (78.4) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.3 (77.5) |
24.1 (75.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
22.1 (71.8) |
24.0 (75.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 15.2 (59.4) |
13.5 (56.3) |
14.9 (58.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.4 (68.7) |
21.0 (69.8) |
20.2 (68.4) |
20.4 (68.7) |
19.4 (66.9) |
16.7 (62.1) |
16.7 (62.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 55 (2.2) |
40 (1.6) |
66 (2.6) |
176 (6.9) |
95 (3.7) |
42 (1.7) |
16 (0.6) |
16 (0.6) |
64 (2.5) |
238 (9.4) |
249 (9.8) |
138 (5.4) |
1,195 (47.0) |
| Average relative humidity (%) (at Daytime) | 70 | 66 | 67 | 71 | 74 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 72 | 75 | 76 | 75 | 72 |
| Source 1: NOAA [10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Department of Meteorology (records up to 2007)[11]
"Puttalam records from 2007 to 2021" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 25 August 2021. | |||||||||||||
Notable people
edit- Sahan Adeesha - cricketer born in Puttalam
- Hector Appuhamy - politician, Member of Parliament
- Tariq Hisny - composer, born in Puttalam
- H. S. Ismail - 5th Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
- Abdul Baiz Kamardeen - politician, former Chairman of Puttalam Urban Council
- M. H. M. Naina Marikar - first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka as member for Puttalam
- M. H. M. Navavi - politician, former Member of Parliament
- Ali Sabri Raheem - politician, Member of Parliament
References
edit- ^ "The Chairman of puttalam urban council died following a road accident".
- ^ "Sri Lanka: Provinces, Districts, Divisional Secretariats, Cities - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts".
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Puttalam". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Puttalam Salt". www.puttalamsalt.lk. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "புத்தளம் பாத்திமாவின் புதிய அதிபராக கல்லூரியின் பழைய மாணவி பதவியேற்பு – Puttalam Online". Retrieved 2023-04-05.
- ^ "Provincial Department of Education - North Western". nwpedu.lk. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
- ^ Sanoon, Text and pictures by M. U. M.; Corr, Puttalam TKN. "Eleven years of excellence". Daily News. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
- ^ http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2012Visualization/htdocs/index.php?usecase=indicator&action=DSMap&indId=10&district=Puttalam&Legend=3# statistics.gov.lk
- ^ "Puttalam Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
- ^ "Ever Recorded Daily Extreme Values" (PDF). Department of Meteorology. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
External links
edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Puttalam.