Knuckles

Last updated on 31 May 2023Show location

Sri Lanka's rivers rise in the Central Highlands and flow in a radial pattern toward the sea.

Most of these rivers are short.There are 16 principal rivers longer than 100 kilometers in length, with twelve of them carrying about 75%

In the highlands, river courses are frequently broken by discontinuities in the terrain, and where they encounter escarpments, numerous waterfalls and rapids have eroded a passage. Once they reach the plain, the rivers slow down and the waters meander across flood plains and deltas.The upper reaches of the rivers are wild and usually unnavigable, and the lower reaches are prone to seasonal flooding.