Sri Lanka at a Glance
Set in the Indian Ocean in
South Asia, the tropical island nation of Sri Lanka has a history dating back
to the birth of time. It is a place where the original soul of Buddhism
still flourishes and where nature’s beauty remains abundant and unspoilt.
Few places in the world can
offer the traveller such a remarkable combination of stunning landscapes,
pristine beaches, captivating cultural heritage and unique experiences within
such a compact location. Within a mere area of 65,610 kilometres
lie 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 1,330 kilometres of coastline - much of it
pristine beach - 15 national parks showcasing an abundance of wildlife, nearly
500,000 acres of lush tea estates, 250 acres of botanical gardens, 350
waterfalls, 25,000 water bodies, to a culture that extends back to over 2,500
years.
This is an island of
magical proportions, once known as Serendib, Taprobane, the Pearl of the Indian
Ocean, and Ceylon. Discover refreshingly Sri Lanka!
Official
Name:
|
Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
|
Government
Type:
|
Republic
|
Location:
|
Latitude
5° 55. to 9° 50. north, Longitude 79° 42. to 81° 52., 650km north of the
equator
|
Dimensions:
|
430km
North to South, 225km East to West
|
Coastline:
|
1,340km
|
Area:
|
65,525km
|
Currency
(code):
|
Sri
Lankan Rupee (LKR)
|
Independence:
|
4
February 1948
|
Administrative
Capital:
|
Sri
Jayewardenepura
|
Commercial
Capital:
|
Colombo
|
Administrative
Divisions:
|
Typically
tropical, with a northeast monsoon (December to March) bringing
unsettled weather to the north and east, and a southwest monsoon (June to
October) bringing bad weather to the south and west
|
Terrain:
|
Mostly
low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
|
Highest
Mountain:
|
Pidurutalagala,
2,524m
|
Highest
Waterfall:
|
Bambarakanda,
263m
|
National
Flower
|
The
Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata).
|
National
Parks and Nature Reserves Area:
|
8,000sq.km
|
Population:
|
21,128,773
|
Population
Growth Rate:
|
1.3%
|
Population
Density:
|
309
people per sq km
|
Life
Expectancy at Birth
|
74
female, 64 male
|
Literacy
Rate :
|
Female
87.9 Male 92.5
|
Ethnic
Groups:
|
Sinhalese
73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other
0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census)
|
Languages:
|
Sinhala
(official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other
8%
Note: English (a link language commonly) is used in government and spoken competently by about 10% of the population |
Religion:
|
Buddhist
69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census)
|
Time
Zone:
|
Sri
Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT.
(Allowance should be made for summer-time changes in Europe.)
|
International
Dialing:
|
+94
|
Electricity:
|
230 .
240 volts, 50 cycles AC. If you travel with a laptop computer bring a
stabilizer
|
Economy:
|
Sri
Lanka's most dynamic sectors are food processing, textiles and apparel, food
and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, insurance and banking.
In 2006, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (90% in 1970), while
textiles and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans
work abroad, 90% of them in the Middle East. They send home more than US$1
billion a year.
|
Labour
Force
|
34.3%
of the labour population is employed in agriculture, 25.3% in industry and
40.4% in services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.) The unemployment rate is 5.7%
(2007 est.)
|
Agriculture
& Products
|
Rice,
Sugarcane, Grains, Pulses, Oilseed, Spices, Tea, Rubber, Coconuts, milk,
Eggs, Hides, Beef, Fish
|
Industries:
|
Processing
of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities,
telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles, cement, petroleum
refining.
|
Exports:
|
Textiles
and apparel; tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products,
rubber manufactures, fish
|
Imports:
|
Main
import commodities are textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum,
foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment: $10.61 billion f.o.b.
(2007 est.). Percentage of main commodities from main import partners: India
19.6%, China 10.5%, Singapore 8.8%, Iran 5.7%, Malaysia 5.1%, Hong Kong 4.2%,
Japan 4.1% (2006)
|
Gross
Domestic Product (GDP):
|
Purchasing
power parity: $81.29 billion (2007 est.). Official exchange rate: $30.01
billion (2007 est.) Real growth rate: 6.3% (2007 est.) Per capita: $4,100
(2007 est.) composition by sector: Agriculture: 16.5% Industry: 26.9%
|
Gross
National Product (GNP):
|
Sri
Lanka is placed in 76th place in GNP figures of the world.s nations with
$22.8 billion (2005)
|
Flag
Description:
|
Yellow
with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of
green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle
with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each
corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and
extends between the two panels
|
