Mountains of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's Major Mountains (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාවේ කඳු; Tamil: இலங்கையின் மலைகள்) are located in the central part of the island popularly known as the hill country or the central massif. The shape of the central massif over 1,500 m in height appears in the form of an inverted "T" or anchor, with a central ridge (or central backbone) forming the shank on which are some of the highest peaks in the country such as Pidurutalagala (2,524 m), Kirigalpotta (2,395 m) and Totapolakanda [(2,357 m) Sri Lanka Year Book, 1982]. The central ridge extends from Bopatalawa to Katugastota past Pidurutalagala and among the high plains of this ridge are Bopatalawa ( Horton Plains ), Hawa-Eliya ( Moon Plains ), Mipilimana (Elk Plains), Sita Eliya (Kandapola Plains) and Ambewela Plains (Vithanage, 1988). At the base of the central ridge (or the shank of the anchor) is Kirigalpotta from where one arm of the anchor extends westwards to terminate at Sri Pada while the other arm towards the east exte…
