Sri Lanka

LK / LKA 7.0°, 81.0°

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and is separated from India by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with the Maldives to the southwest and India to the northwest, and lies across the Bay of Bengal from Bangladesh and Myanmar to the northeast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India to the east. Its executive and judicial capital is Colombo, which is also its largest city and the political, financial and cultural centre of the country; neighboring Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital. Sri Lanka's population is 22 million. About 74% of the population are Sinhalese, who speak the Sinhala language, and about 15% are Tamils who speak the Tamil language. Other long-established ethnic groups include the Moors, Indian Tamils, Burghers, Malays, Chinese, and Vedda.

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Capital

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo

Population

21,444,000

Area

65,610 km2

Climate

Tropical

Government

Presidential republic

Currency

Sri Lankan rupee

Languages

Sinhala 87%, Tamil 28.5%, English 23.8%

Sells

garments, tea, precious stones, used rubber tires

Sells to

USA 22%, India 7%, Germany 7%

Land borders

None

Drives on the

left

Calling code

+94

Founded

1972

Hemisphere

Northern

Where it is

Languages

Share of the population that speaks each. Click one to see every country that speaks it.

Sinhalaofficial

87.0%

Tamilofficial

28.5%

English

23.8%

What it sells, and to whom

Every line is a thread: click a commodity or a partner to see who else trades in it.

Farms and fisheries

rice
coconuts
tea
sugarcane
plantains
milk

Largest cities

Colombo	648,034
Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia	219,827
Maharagama	195,355
Jaffna	169,102
Moratuwa	168,280

Wars and conflicts

Click one to see everyone else who fought in it.

Sri Lankan civil war1983–2009 Eelam War I1983–1987 Eelam War III1995–2002 Eelam War II1990–1995

Form of government

Presidential republic.

republic

Money, belief and alliances

Money

Sri Lankan rupee

Belief

Buddhism Islam Hinduism Christianity

Belongs to

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation United Nations World Meteorological Organization International Development Association Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Asian Development Bank Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Commonwealth of Nations UNESCO International Bank for Reconstruction and Development World Health Organization Interpol World Trade Organization International Hydrographic Organization

Climate and geography

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

Climate zone

Tropical

Highest point

Pidurutalagala

Landmarks and landscapes

Sigiriya Temple of the Tooth Adam's Peak

Northern hemisphere.

In charge right now

Anura Kurankan Dissanayake Head of state

Harini Amarasuriya Head of government

Figures from its history

Sirimavo Bandaranaike World's first female prime minister Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, commonly known as Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was a Sri Lankan stateswoman who thrice served as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1960 to 1965, from 1970 to 1977, and from 1994 to 2000.

Ashoka Emperor who brought Buddhism to the island Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka, most commonly known as Ashoka the Great, was Emperor of Magadha from c. 268 BCE until his death, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynasty.

D. S. Senanayake First prime minister Don Stephen Senanayake was a Ceylonese statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of Ceylon, having emerged as the leader of the Sri Lankan independence movement that led to the establishment of self-rule in Ceylon.