BASIC
INFORMATION
Full
Country Name: SRILANKA
Capital
Sri Jayawardenapura
Largest city Colombo
Official language(s)
Sinhala,Tamil
Government
Democratic Socialist Republic
Area , 1948 - Total
65,610 km² (122nd)
Population
- 2005 est. 20,743,000 (52nd)
- 2001 census 18,732,255
Currency Sri Lankan
Rupee (LKR)
Time
zone (UTC+5:30)
Internet
TLD .lk
Calling
code +94
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GEOGRAPHY
& BACKGROUND
In
1972, the official name of the nation that
governs the island was changed to "Free,
Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri
Lanka". In 1978 it was changed to "Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka". Prior
to 1972, Sri Lanka was known by a variety
of names; ancient Greek geographers called
it Taprobane, Arabs referred to it as Serendib,
but the best known is Ceylon. "Sri
Lanka" (originally Sanskrit) is translated
as "venerable Lanka", "sri"
meaning "venerable" and "la?ka"
being the ancient name of the island as
attested in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
The
island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean,
southwest of the Bay of Bengal. It is separated
from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf
of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
According
to Hindu mythology, a land bridge to the
Indian mainland, known as Rama's Bridge,
was constructed during the time of Rama.
Often referred to as Adam's Bridge, it now
amounts to only a chain of limestone shoals
remaining above sea level. According to
temple records, this natural causeway was
formerly complete, but was breached by a
violent storm (probably a cyclone) in 1480.
The
pear-shaped island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling
coastal plains, with mountains rising only
in the south-central part. Amongst these
are Sri Pada and the highest point Pidurutalagala
(also known as Mt Pedro), at 2,524 meters
(8,281 ft). The Mahaweli ganga (Mahaweli
river) and other major rivers provide fresh
water.
At
its maximum, Sri Lanka is 435KM / 235 miles
long (North to South) and 225KM / 140 miles
wide (East to West).
The
climate is tropical, characterized by monsoons:
the northeast monsoon lasts from December
to March, the southwest June to October.
The lowest gravitational field on Earth
lies just off the coast of Sri Lanka.
Demographics
of Sri Lanka
Mosque in GalleSri Lanka has the world's
53rd largest population. The Sri Lankan
population has not been growing as quickly
as many other Asian countries but has kept
a steady pace for the last 20 years. The
precise population is unclear (between 16
and 20 million) because many people have
been displaced as a result of the ethnic
conflict and the tsunami. The population
growth rate is 0.79% compared to 1.4% in
India and 2.03% in Pakistan. Sri Lanka has
a birth rate of 15.63 birth per 1,000 people
and a death rate of 6.49 deaths per 1,000
people. Population density is greatest in
the western part of the country, particularly
around the largest city, Colombo.
Ethnic
identities in Sri Lanka generally do not
represent the genetic heritage. Assimilation
and intermixing has produced a group of
people who are only marginally different
from each other irrespective of ethnic boundaries.
About 74% of Sri Lankans are Sinhalese.
Sri Lankan Tamils constitute 18%, and though
scattered evenly throughout the country,
form a large proportion in the north, east
and central provinces. Tamils comprise two
communities: Native Tamils and immigrants
from India (who arrived during the late
colonial period) called “Indian Origin"
(or "estate") Tamils. There is
a large population of Moors (Muslims of
Arab descent), living in all parts of the
island, but forming a large percentage of
the population living in the Eastern Province.
There are smaller ethnic groups such as
the Burghers (of mixed European descent)
and Malay people. There is also a small
population of the indigenous inhabitants
of the island called Wanniyala-Aetto or
Veddahs.
Both
Sinhala and Tamil are official languages.
English, the link language in the present
constitution, is spoken competently by about
10% of the population, and is widely understood.
All three languages are used in education,
business and administration.
For
more information please visit
http://www.fco.gov.uk/
or
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