Southern Province (Sri Lanka)

Southern Province is a province on the southern coast of Sri Lanka.

• 🌍 Galle — capital city of the Southern Province and well preserved example of colonial city built by Portuguese and Dutch
• 🌍 Matara — second largest city in the Southern Province with gorgeous beaches nearby
• 🌍 Ahangama — a surfing destination with secluded beaches
• 🌍 Hambantota — home to the world's emptiest international airport
• 🌍 Tangalle — has a beautiful wetland area that draws
• 🌍 Tissamaharama — an historical site in the interior, with access to Yala National Park

• 🌍 Bentota — a destination for watersports
• 🌍 Ambalangoda —famous for its traditional wood masks manufacturing
• 🌍 Hikkaduwa — a beach town famous for snorkelling and surfing
• 🌍 Unawatuna — a beach resort famous for diving
• 🌍 Koggala — a seafront town with gorgeous beaches and upscale hotels
• 🌍 Yala National Park — known for its variety of wild animals, and for the conservation of Sri Lankan Elephants and aquatic birds

Important landmarks of the Southern Province include the wildlife sanctuaries of the Yala and Udawalawe National Parks. Ussangoda in Ambalantota is a panoramic view of the beach and the sea, and the holy city of Kataragama, and the ancient cities of Tissamaharama, Kirinda and Galle. (Although Galle is an ancient city, almost nothing survives from before the Portuguese invasion.)