Our Country
Centuries ago Traders from the Middle East & the West braved
the seas to come to our resplendent land which was once
known as Spice Island and Land of Gems. Ibn Battutah, a
great traveller once wrote this about our Home thus “The
whole of its coasts are covered with branches of cinnamon
trees brought down by torrents & heaped up like mounds on
the shore. They are taken without payment by the people of
Ma'bar & Mulaibar, but in return for this they give presents
of woven cloth & similar articles...”
King Solomon was said to have procured a great ruby for the
Queen of Sheba from Ceylon. Marco Polo wrote about the
wonderful gems of Ceylon. Our country, a tiny tear shaped
island in the tip of India is truly a Gem and known as the
Pearl of the Indian Ocean. And we have so much to offer our
guests
7 World Heritage Sites
Over 20 breathtaking Beaches, some which are
world famous and some ideal for surfing
9 National Wild Life Parks
92 species of mammals, over 440 species of
Birds, 242 species of Butterflies, 190
Reptiles ( 90 species of Snakes), 102
species of Amphibian sand 107 species of
Fish (and 90 species of freshwater fish)
5 Bird sanctuaries close to Colombo
4 Nature Reserves and Botanical Gardens
Locations for Whale and Dolphin spotting
Over 100 waterfalls
A colonial heritage
Adventure Tourism (Camping, Windsurfing,
Diving, Snorkelling, White Water Rafting.
Canoeing, Trekking, Cross Country cycling
etc)
A Capital City that has attractions for both
Young and Old- shopping for the traditional
tourist and Night Clubs, Bars, Restaurants
and Pubs for the Young at Heart
Beautiful Tea Plantations that produce the
best Tea in the world
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, North Eastern,
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 reserves area:
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
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.)
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
