Sri Lanka - Tourism and Travel

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island nation in south Asia. It can be found in the Indian Ocean, off the southeast coast of India.

Sri Lanka has an area of 25,332 miles (65,610 square kilometers).

It lies on the Indian continental shelf.

The landscape of Sri Lanka is characterized by rolling coastal plains.

There are mountains and plateaus in the center of the country.

Coastal deposits on the west coast form spits and bars, some of which enclose lagoons.

Coral reefs around Sri Lanka support a wide variety of marine life.

A chain of sandy shoals known as Rama's Bridge, or Adam's Bridge, lies between India and Sri Lanka, about 4 feet (1.2 meters) below sea level. Several thousand years ago, when the sea level was lower, Rama's Bridge was the world's largest tombola (land bridge).

There is a hot climate with monsoons.

Sri Lanka has a population of 20,238,000. Most of the people live on the west coast.

82% of Sri Lankans are Sinhalese, 9% are Tamil and 8% are Moor.

Conflicts between the Sinhalese and the Tamil, who want their own homeland in the northeast, have led to a long civil war.

Official languages in Sri Lanka are Sinhala and Tamil. English and Sinhala-Tamil are also spoken.

69% of the people are Buddhist, 15% are Hindu, 8% are Muslim and 8% are Christian.

The capital of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte.

Rice is the primary staple crop.

Fishing plays an important part in the lives of many Sri Lankans.The tsunami of 2004 destroyed the livelihoods of many Sri Lankan fishermen.

Industry centers around processing agricultural products.

Tea, rubber, coconuts, copra, gems, textiles and clothing are important exports.

The government of Sri Lanka is a mixed parliamentary-presidential system.

Sri Lanka's official currency is the Sri Lanka rupee, which is worth 100 cents.