Maritime Provinces (Ceylon)

The Maritime Provinces was an administrative region of British Ceylon from 15 February 1796 to 1 October 1833, which consisted of the maritime districts of the former Dutch Governorate of Ceylon, which was ceded to the British following the Invasion of Ceylon.^[1]

Map of Ceylon, divided into districts between 1700 and 1800.

The Colebrooke–Cameron Commission brought the Kandyan Provinces and the Maritime Provinces under an administrative system of a unified territory for the whole island. The reforms divided the colony into five provinces, with each province further subdivided into four or five districts on 1 October 1833.^[2]

Districts

The 1766 Treaty between the King of Kandy and Dutch East India Company, defined the boundaries of the Maritime Provinces:^[1]

1. Yapapattanama (Jaffna)
2. Hettikulapattuwa (Chettikulam)
3. Mannarama (Mannar)
4. Kolamba Disawa (Colombo)
5. Galu Korale (Galle)
6. Puliyanduwa (Batticaloa)
7. Trikunamale (Trincomalee)