North Central Province ( Uturumæda PaḷÃÂta, Vada Mattiya MÃÂkÃÂá¹Âam) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 10,472 km<sup>2</sup>, making it the largest province by area, and a population of 1,266,663, making it the 3rd least populated province. Anuradhapura is the capital city of the province.
The North Central province is home to the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, both of which were historical capitals of Sri Lanka during ancient times. The two cities were the capitals of the Anuradhapura kingdom (437 BCEâÂÂ1017 CE) and the Polonnaruwa kingdom (1070âÂÂ1232) respectively.
The provinces of Sri Lanka were established by the British in 1833. In independent Sri Lanka, provinces did not have any legal status or power until 1987, when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. The North Central Provincial Council is the main administrative and control body in the North Central Province.
The province has an area of 10,472 km<sup>2</sup> and a population of 1,266,663. It is the largest province by area, covering 16% of the total land area of Sri Lanka. The province consists two districts, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura; the Anuradhapura district is the largest district in Sri Lanka by area.
The province has a semi-arid climate and most forests situated in the province are Sri Lankan dry-zone dry evergreen forests.
The province is also referred to as Wew Bendi Rajje due to the many tanks (reservoirs) situated in the province, with more than 3000. More than 65% of the provinceâÂÂs population depend on basic agriculture and agricultural based industries.
In 2024, the North Central province has a population of 1,407,610.
<small><sup>1</sup> Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils.</small>
The North Central Province is divided into two districts and 29 divisional secretariats.