Sri Lanka

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Photos
WideSchool kidsFrom the top of the rockCeylonOne of the few remaining paintings on the cliffsideDambulla Golden Cave TempleReclining BuddhaTourists outside Dambulla Cave TemplePolonnaruwaSigiriyaOn the topDambulla Golden Cave TempleCaitlin at the Dambulla templesIMG_9223PolonnaruwaFlower outside Dambulla Cave Temple




News
Lanka's health sector a success - WHO representative
The world salutes Sri Lanka for doing so much with so little and pushing the country from low income level to low middle income level status. Sri Lanka's maternal and infant mortality rates have significantly gone down.... More
Travel industry poised for a spirited upsurge
Underpinning the tourist revival is the fact that Sri Lanka is emerging a popular destination for many seeking to fill their leisure amidst the country’s idyllic setting. The laid-back and the debonair are being increasingly lured to our shores as an assured place for respite or revelry.... More
Sri Lanka: NPC cuts funds to Vanni local bodies
Northern Provincial Council (NPC) is alleged of cutting funds allocated to the local government bodies in Vanni in great measures while these institutions are not in a position to collect revenue from people who had been uprooted and just resettled in Vanni, sources in Vanni said. It is further accused that NPC officials spend the above funds on needless projects to satisfy the whims of Northern ...... More
Sri Lanka power to 199-run win
Sri Lanka finally took a decisive upper hand on the fourth afternoon as seamers Sanitha de Mel and Nadeera Rajaguru combined to demolish England's top order and derail the hosts' pursuit of an unlikely 369... More
Afghanistan, Hong Kong to send teams to Pakistan
In what is a minor boost for cricket in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Hong Kong will travel to the country to participate in a club tournament in Karachi... More
Sri Lanka Map

Latitude: 7.87305 Longtitude: 80.7718

Location:
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Border Countries:


Terrain:
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

Geography:
strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

Capital:
Colombo

About Sri Lanka
The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006 and the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. In January 2008, the government officially withdrew from the ceasefire, and has begun engaging the LTTE in the northern portion of the country.

Population:
21128772

Language:
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%

Religion:
Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

Phone Service:
telephone services have improved significantly and are available in most parts of the country

Currency:
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

Climate:
tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)

Natural Hazards:
occasional cyclones and tornadoes