Hatton, Sri Lanka

Hatton
හැටන්
ஹட்டன்
Town
Hatton is located in Sri Lanka
Hatton
Hatton
Coordinates: 6°53′23″N 80°35′53″E / 6.88972°N 80.59806°E / 6.88972; 80.59806
CountrySri Lanka
ProvinceCentral Province
DistrictNuwara Eliya District
Divisional SecretariatNuwara Eliya Divisional Secretariat (Ambagamuwa Divisional Secretariat)
Established1821[citation needed]
Government
 • TypeUrban Council
 • BodyHatton Dickoya Urban Council
 • ChairmanS. Balachandran (Unofficial Magistrate)
Elevation
1,271 m (4,170 ft)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total15,073
 [citation needed]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone)
Postal code
22000
Area code051

Hatton (Sinhala: හැටන්, Tamil: ஹட்டன்) is a major town in the Nuwara Eliya District of Central Province, Sri Lanka governed by the Hatton-Dickoya Urban Council. Hatton is a major centre of the Sri Lankan tea industry.[1][2]

Hatton is one of the busiest cities in the hill country of Sri Lanka and is colloquially known as the tea capital of the country, as it is the central point for most upcountry tea growing regions, such as Maskeliya, Talawakelle, Bogawantalawa and Dickoya.[3][4]

Hatton is located approximately 112 km (70 mi) southeast of Colombo and 72 km (45 mi) south of Kandy, at an elevation of 1,271 m (4,170 ft) above sea level.

Hatton was founded during the British colonial times in order to serve the coffee plantations and latter tea estates. The name of the town refers to the village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. A number of the surrounding tea estates are also named after Scottish villages.

Hatton serves as a gateway to Adam's Peak (Sri Pada) and Sinharaja Forest Reserve, but is better known for its Ceylon tea plantations. Over 48% of the town's population employed on tea estates.[5]

  1. ^ Cave, Henry William (1908). The Book of Ceylon, Volume 2. Cassell Limited. p. 451.
  2. ^ Murray, J (1955). Murray's Handbook, India, Pakistan, Burma & Ceylon. p. 578.
  3. ^ "Hatton". Sri Lanka Tourism. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  4. ^ Sidhant Sibal (24 February 2019). "India hands over 155 houses in Central Sri Lanka under its development programme". WIO News. Zee Media Corporation. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  5. ^ Bass, Daniel (2013). Everyday Ethnicity in Sri Lanka: Up-country Tamil Identity Politics. Routledge. p. 13. ISBN 9780415526241.