Koggala City
Koggala er en lille kystby beliggende ved kanten af en lagune på Sri Lankas sydkyst i Galle-distriktet i den sydlige provins i Sri Lanka, og er styret af et byråd.
Koggala Lagoon
Koggala Lagoon (Sinhala: ?????? ????? Koggala Kalapuwa) is a coastal waterbody located in Galle District, Southern Sri Lanka. It is situated near the town of Koggala and adjacent to the southern coast, about 110 km (68 mi) south of Colombo. The lagoon is embellished with eight ecologically rich small islands.
Features and location
The lagoon has a surface area of approximately 7.27 km2 (2.81 sq mi) measuring 4.8 kilometres (3.0 mi) in length and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in width. The water depth ranges from 1.0 metre (3.3 ft) to 3.7 metres (12 ft). The lagoon is largely rain fed and a number of streams are connected to it. Warabokka-ela stream (Koggala-oya) that enters the lagoon from the north-west is the main freshwater supply. Kerena anicut, which was constructed combining two streams, Mudiyansege-ela stream and Thithagalla-ela stream, is the second largest freshwater inflow. Heen-ela stream contributes a minor to the freshwater inflow. In addition to above four streams, Kahanda-ela stream, Gurukanda-ela stream and Thelambu-ela stream are also contributors for freshwater inflows but are presently abandoned with overgrown vegetation. The only outlet of the lagoon is Pol-oya located at the southeast corner; a narrow 300 metres (980 ft) long canal, which connects the lagoon with the Indian Ocean. The lagoon has a hydro-catchment area of approximately 55 km2 (21 sq mi).2 Various land use practices exist in the catchment, which mainly includes small-scale fishing industry and paddy farming. The Koggala Export Processing Zone (KEPZ), is an industrial area with a surface area of 91 ha (220 acres) located within the catchment area of the lagoon.
Tourism
The Koggala Lagoon is one of the main features for tourists who visit southern coastal areas in Sri Lanka with rich bio diversities and eco systems. The Lagoon is scattered with eight small islands. The islands consist of lush mangrove swamps. Anchored in mud, the mangrove roots are coated with a variety of creatures, including barnacles, oysters and crabs. The dense, intertwining roots serve as nurseries for many fish species. There are seven islands in the lagoon, that can be reached by boat. The most famous of the islands is ‘Madol Doova' (Mangrove Island Sinhala: ????? ???)’, which is described in detail by Martin Wickramasinghe in his novel, Madol Doova. Motor boats are available to hire to travel across the lagoon. Tourists can witness the varying species of Mangrove, about ten of which are endemic to Sri Lanka. Wildlife of these islands inherited to a wide variety of flora and fauna, like monitor lizards and a number of birds. In addition to wildlife and the scenery, Kathaluwa Buddhist Temple (Kathaluwa Purvarama Maha Vihara) is one of the main tourist attractions in the lagoon with Kandyan-style paint
Om Galle-distriktet
Galle er en by beliggende på den sydvestlige spids af Sri Lanka, 119 km fra Colombo. Galle er det bedste eksempel på en befæstet by bygget af europæere i Syd- og Sydøstasien, hvilket viser samspillet mellem europæiske arkitektoniske stilarter og sydasiatiske traditioner. Galle-fortet er et verdensarvssted og den største tilbageværende fæstning i Asien bygget af europæiske besættere.
Galle er en betydelig by efter srilankanske standarder og har en befolkning på 91.000, hvoraf størstedelen er af singalesisk etnicitet. Der er også et stort srilankansk maurisk mindretal, især i fortområdet, som nedstammer fra arabiske købmænd, der bosatte sig i den gamle havn i Galle.
Om den sydlige provins
Den sydlige provins i Sri Lanka er et lille geografisk område, der består af distrikterne Galle, Matara og Galle. Selvforsyningslandbrug og fiskeri er den vigtigste indtægtskilde for langt størstedelen af befolkningen i denne region.
Vigtige vartegn i den sydlige provins inkluderer naturreservaterne i Yala og Udawalawe Nationalparker, den hellige by Kataragama og de gamle byer Tissamaharama, Kirinda og Galle. (Selvom Galle er en gammel by, er der næsten intet bevaret fra før den portugisiske invasion.) I den portugisiske periode var der to berømte singalesiske digtere ved navn Andare, som var fra Dickwella, og Gajaman Nona, som var fra Denipitiya i Matara-distriktet, som komponerede digte om almindelige mennesker.