Puttalam

Puttalam
පුත්තලම
புத்தளம்
Town
Puttalam
පුත්තලම
புத்தளம்
Coordinates: 08°02′03″N 79°50′07″E / 8.03417°N 79.83528°E / 8.03417; 79.83528
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceNorth Western
DistrictPuttalam District
Divisional SecretariatPuttalam Division
Government
 • TypePuttalam Municipal Council
 • MayorVacant since May 2021[1]
Area
 • Town
25.6 km2 (9.9 sq mi)
 • Land119.0 km2 (45.9 sq mi)
 • Water327 km2 (126 sq mi)
Population
 (2012)[2]
 • Town
45,511 (Urban Council)
 • Density400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
 • Urban density1,778/km2 (4,600/sq mi)
 • Metro
82,443 (Puttalam Division)
 • Metro density471.1/km2 (1,220/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)

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 a municipal council.

Climate

Under 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

Energy

Seguwantivu 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]

Religion

Puttalam 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.[6]

Religion in Puttalam DS Division (2012)
Population Percent
Islam
64.21%
Buddhist
18.23%
Christian
11.66%
Hindu
5.89%
Others
0.02%

Notable people

References

  1. ^ "The Chairman of puttalam urban council died following a road accident". Archived from the original on May 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "Sri Lanka: Provinces, Districts, Divisional Secretariats, Cities - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts".
  3. ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Puttalam". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "Puttalam Salt". www.puttalamsalt.lk. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
  5. ^ [1]
  6. ^ http://www.statistics.gov.lk/PopHouSat/CPH2012Visualization/htdocs/index.php?usecase=indicator&action=DSMap&indId=10&district=Puttalam&Legend=3# statistics.gov.lk