What are the Districts of Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka is divided into 25 districts, which are grouped into nine provinces. Each district is run by a District Secretary, formerly known as the Government Agent, and is further divided into Divisional Secretariats. The system dates back to British Ceylon, where the island was split into provinces from 1833 and the provinces into districts for administration and revenue collection. After independence in 1948, several new districts were carved out of larger ones, including Ampara, Gampaha, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi, bringing the total to 25. Since 1987 the provinces have had elected provincial councils, while the districts remain the main units of central government administration and also serve as electoral districts.