Multi-Ethnic Sri Lanka
Some Visualizations
In this article, I present a series of maps, that visualize Sri Lanka’s ethnic make-up.
The data is based on the 2012 census. For simplicity, I focus on Sinhala, Tamil (Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils aggregated), and Muslim (Moors and Malays aggregated) ethnicities.
Province
At the provincial level, Sri Lanka’s ethnicity is binary. A Sinhala dominated South, and a Tamil dominated North. While the eastern province contains a Tamil plurality, its demographics are far more diverse than the Northern province.
There was no province with a Muslim plurality.
District
At the district level, there are five types of ethnic zones:
- Sinhala >90%: North Central Province, Southern Province, Kurunegala, Gampaha, and Moneragala
- Sinhala > 50%: Sabaragamuwa Province, Puttalam, Colombo, Kalutara, Matale, Kandy, and Badulla
- Muslim plurality: Trincomalee and Ampara
- Tamil > 50%: The rest of the Northern Province, Batticaloa, and Nuwara-Eliya
- Tamil > 90%: Jaffna and Kilinochchi
There is no district, where more than 50% of the population is Muslim. Trincomalee and Ampara have a…