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Sri Lanka


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Introduction - Sri Lanka:
CountrySri Lanka

BackgroundThe Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning 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 seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied 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 Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but neither side has formally withdrawn from the cease-fire.

Location - Sri Lanka:
LocationSouthern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Geographic coordinates7 00 N, 81 00 E

Map referencesAsia

Areatotal: 65,610 sq km
land: 64,740 sq km
water: 870 sq km

Area comparativeslightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries0 km

Coastline1,340 km

Maritime claimsterritorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

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

Terrainmostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

Elevation extremeslowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Natural resourceslimestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower

Land usearable land: 13.96%
permanent crops: 15.24%
other: 70.8% (2005)

Irrigated land7,430 sq km (2003)

Natural hazardsoccasional cyclones and tornadoes

Environment current issuesdeforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo

Environment international agreementsparty to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography notestrategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

People - Sri Lanka:
Population20,926,315
note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2007 est.)

Age structure0-14 years: 24.3% (male 2,596,295/female 2,495,949)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 6,947,310/female 7,259,271)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 765,507/female 861,983) (2007 est.)

Median agetotal: 30 years
male: 29.2 years
female: 31 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate0.982% (2007 est.)

Birth rate17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate6.01 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate-1.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex ratioat birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.957 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.888 male(s)/female
total population: 0.971 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortality ratetotal: 19.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 74.8 years
male: 72.81 years
female: 76.88 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate2.05 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Hiv aids adult prevalence rateless than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Hiv aids people living with hiv aids3,500 (2001 est.)

Hiv aids deathsless than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationalitynoun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan

Ethnic groupsSinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

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

LanguagesSinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population

Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.7%
male: 92.3%
female: 89.1% (2001 census)

Government - Sri Lanka:
Country nameconventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form: Sri Lanka
local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu
local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai
former: Serendib, Ceylon

Government typerepublic

Capitalname: Colombo
geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E
time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)

Administrative divisions8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
note: in October 2006, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruled voided a presidential directive merging the North and Eastern Provinces; many have defended the merger as a prerequisite for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict; a parliamentary decision on the issue is pending

Independence4 February 1948 (from UK)

National holidayIndependence Day, 4 February (1948)

Constitutionadopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978

Legal systema highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Islamic, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage18 years of age; universal

Executive branchchief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the largely ceremonial title of prime minister
head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3%

Legislative branchunicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%, TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%, SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNP dissident 1

Judicial branchSupreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president

Political parties and leadersAll Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [A. VINAYAKAMOORTHY]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [T.N.S. NANAYAKKARA]; Eelam Peoples Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP [Tissa VITHARANA]; Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (Peoples United Front) or MEP [D. GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Ellawala METHANANDA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R. SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country Peoples Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial councils

Political pressure groups and leadersBuddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; Tamil Eela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, TMVP or Karuna group [Vinayagamurthi MURALITHARAN] (paramilitary breakaway from LTTE and fighting against LTTE)

International organization participationAsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the uschief of mission: Ambassador Bernard GOONETILLEKE

chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)
FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the uschief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr.
embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500
FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345

Flag descriptionyellow 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

Economy - Sri Lanka:
Economy overviewIn 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for more market-oriented policies, export-oriented trade, and encouragement of foreign investment. Recent changes in government, however, have brought some policy reversals. Currently, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party has a more statist economic approach, which seeks to reduce poverty by steering investment to disadvantaged areas, developing small and medium enterprises, promoting agriculture, and expanding the already enormous civil service. The government has halted most privatizations. Although suffering a brutal civil war that began in 1983, Sri Lanka saw GDP growth average 4.5% in the last 10 years with the exception of a recession in 2001. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property. Growth, partly spurred by reconstruction, reached 5% in 2005 and more than 6% in 2006. Sri Lankas most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2005, plantation crops made up only about 15% of exports (compared with more than 90% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home more than $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for an independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy.

Gdp purchasing power parity $95.55 billion (2006 est.)

Gdp official exchange rate $27.4 billion (2006 est.)

Gdp real growth rate7.5% (2006 est.)

Gdp per capita ppp $4,700 (2006 est.)

Gdp composition by sectoragriculture: 17.3%
industry: 27.3%
services: 55.3% (2006 est.)

Labor force7.5 million (2006 est.)

Labor force by occupationagriculture: 34.3%
industry: 25.3%
services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.)

Unemployment rate7.6% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line22% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage sharelowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 39.7% (FY03/04)

Distribution of family income gini index50 (FY03/04)

Inflation rate consumer prices 12.1% (2006 est.)

Investment gross fixed 28.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budgetrevenues: $5.61 billion
expenditures: $8.39 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.8 billion (FY07 est.)

Public debt89.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture productsrice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish

Industriesprocessing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate6.2% (2006 est.)

Electricity production8.766 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity consumption8.17 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity exports0 kWh (2005)

Electricity imports0 kWh (2005)

Oil production0 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil consumption82,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil exportsNA bbl/day

Oil importsNA bbl/day

Oil proved reserves0 bbl

Natural gas production0 cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas consumption0 cu m (2006 est.)

Current account balance-$1.118 billion (2006 est.)

Exports$7.076 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports commoditiestextiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish

Exports partnersUS 27.7%, UK 11.4%, India 9.4%, Belgium 4.7%, Germany 4% (2006)

Imports$9.655 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports commoditiestextile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment

Imports partnersIndia 19.2%, China 10.3%, Singapore 8.6%, Iran 5.6%, Malaysia 5%, Hong Kong 4.1% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold$2.81 billion (2006 est.)

Debt external$12.23 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid recipient$808 million (2005)

Currency code Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

Exchange ratesSri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002)

Communications - Sri Lanka:
Fiscal yearcalendar year

Telephones main lines in use2.087 million (2007)

Telephones mobile cellular5.959 million (2007)

Telephone systemgeneral assessment: telephone services have improved significantly and are available in most parts of the country
domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and 2 fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems and mobile cellular subscribership is increasing; telephone density remains low (2006)
international: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia, Djibouti, India and Maldives; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations34 (station types NA) (2006)

Television broadcast stations14 (2006)

Internet country code.lk

Internet hosts6,526 (2006)

Internet users428,000 (2006)

Transportation - Sri Lanka:
Airports16 (2006)

Airports with paved runwaystotal: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2006)

Airports with unpaved runwaystotal: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Railwaystotal: 1,449 km
broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2006)

Roadwaystotal: 97,287 km
paved: 78,802 km
unpaved: 18,485 km (2003)

Waterways160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2006)

Merchant marinetotal: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 144,066 GRT/196,418 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, container 2, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 7 (Germany 5, UAE 2)
registered in other countries: 5 (Panama 5) (2006)

Ports and terminalsColombo, Galle

Military - Sri Lanka:
Military branchesSri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lankan Air Force (2006)

Military service age and obligation18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military servicemales age 18-49: 4,933,217
females age 18-49: 5,153,597 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military servicemales age 18-49: 3,789,627
females age 18-49: 4,281,043 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annuallymales age 18-49: 174,049
females age 18-49: 167,201 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures percent of gdp2.6% (2006)

Disputes internationalnone


This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007
Source: CIA >>>

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