Sri Lanka

A country Like no Other

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.

  • 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