Known as Serendib, Taprobane, the pearl of the Indian Ocean, and Ceylon, Sri Lanka offers a diversity of attractions to suit each visitor's individual taste, be it nature, history, culture, adventure or golden beaches.
Within a mere area of 65,610 kilometres lie 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 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.
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Official name: |
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
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Government type: |
Republic |
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Location: |
Latitude 5° 55. to 9° 50. north, longitude 79° 42. to 81° 52., 650 km north of the equator |
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Dimensions: |
430 km north to south, 225 km east to west |
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Coastline: |
1,340 km |
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Area: |
65,525 km |
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Currency (code): |
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) |
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Independence: |
4 February 1948 |
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Administrative capital: |
Sri Jayewardenapura |
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Commercial capital: |
Colombo |
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Administrative divisions: |
9 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western, Eastern Province |
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Climate: |
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 |
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Terrain: |
Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior |
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Highest mountain: |
Pidurutalagala, 2,524m |
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Highest waterfall: |
Bambarakanda, 263m |
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National Flower |
The Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata) |
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National parks and nature reserves area: |
8,000sq.km |
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Population: |
21,128,773 |
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Population growth rate: |
1.3% |
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Population Density: |
309 people per sq km |
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Life Expectancy at Birth |
Female 74, Male 64 |
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Literacy rate : |
Female 87.9 Male 92.5 |
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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) |
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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 |
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Religion: |
Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, others 10% (2001 census) |
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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) |
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International dialing: |
+94 |
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Electricity: |
230- 240 volts, 50 cycles AC. If you travel with a laptop computer bring a stabilizer |
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Economy: |
Sri Lanka’s most dynamic sectors are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and 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 |
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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.) |
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Agriculture & products |
Rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts, milk, eggs, hides, beef, fish |
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Industries: |
Processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining |
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Exports: |
Textiles and apparel; tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish |
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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) |
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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% |
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Gross National Product (GNP): |
Sri Lanka is placed in 76th place in GNP figures of the world’s nations with $22.8 billion (2005) |
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National Flag
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The national flag was hoisted for the first time on March 3, 1950. Its design was approved in February 1950 by a committee appointed by the first Prime Minister of independent Sri Lanka, D. S. Senanayake
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