Sri Lanka “Small Miracle”
Sri Lanka (Small Miracle) officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka known as Ceylon before 1972 and as Taprobane or Pearl of the Indian Ocean in ancient times, is an island country in South Asia, located about 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) off the southern coast of India.Because of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia, and has been a center of Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times. Today, the country is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation: more than a quarter of the population follows faiths other than Buddhism, notably Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts and rubber, Sri Lanka boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy and the highest per capita income in South Asia. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka's tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage, make it a world famous tourist destination.
- 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
- 9 provinces; Central, North Central, Northern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western, Eastern Province.
- Climate
- Typically tropical, with anortheast 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
- 8,000sq.km
- Population
- 21,128,773 (? Census)
- 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 isfive and a half hours ahead of GMT. (Allowance should be made for summer-time changes in Europe.)
- International dialing
- +94
- Commercial capital
- Colombo
- 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, 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.
- 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, coconutsm 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 nationswith $22.8billion (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
- Visa
-
Visa is a basic requirement for entry and in principle, a foreigner wishing to enter Sri Lanka must have a visa. Visa on arrival (30 days) is available on a reciprocal basis to travellers from Singapore and the Maldives. For more details and for online application, visit the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) website of the Department of Immigration and Emmigration: www.eta.gov.lk/
