Ampara (Sinhalese: අම්පාර, Tamil: அம்பாறை) is the main town of Ampara District, governed by an Urban Council. It is located in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, about 360 km from the capital city of Colombo.Most of the civilians in the town are Sinhala. In 2001, there were 20,152 people in the town limit and 96% of them were Sinhalese. Buddhism was the predominant religion, practiced by 93%.