The 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 Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but neither side has formally withdrawn from the cease-fire.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
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Geographic coordinates
7 00 N, 81 00 E
Map references
Asia
Area
total
65,610 sq km
land
64,740 sq km
water
870 sq km
Area - comparative
slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries
0 km
Coastline
1,340 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
contiguous zone
24 nm
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
continental shelf
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate
tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Elevation extremes
lowest point
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point
Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Natural resources
limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower
Land use
arable land
13.96%
permanent crops
15.24%
other
70.8% (2005)
Irrigated land
7,430 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards
occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Environment - current issues
deforestation; 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 agreements
party 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 - note
strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
Population
20,926,315
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 structure
0-14 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 age
total
30 years
male
29.2 years
female
31 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
0.982% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
6.01 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-1.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at 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 rate
total
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 birth
total population
74.8 years
male
72.81 years
female
76.88 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.05 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
3,500 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality
noun
Sri Lankan(s)
adjective
Sri Lankan
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 provisional data)
Religions
Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Languages
Sinhala (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
Literacy
definition
age 15 and over can read and write
total population
90.7%
male
92.3%
female
89.1% (2001 census)
Country name
conventional 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 type
republic
Capital
name
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 divisions
8 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
Independence
4 February 1948 (from UK)
National holiday
Independence Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution
adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978
Legal system
a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Islamic, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief 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 branch
unicameral 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 branch
Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders
All 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 People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's 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 (People's United Front) or MEP [D. GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Ellawala METHANANDA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's 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 People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial councils
Political pressure groups and leaders
Buddhist 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)
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
Economy - overview
In 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 Lanka's 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 rate
7.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$4,700 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
17.3%
industry
27.3%
services
55.3% (2006 est.)
Labor force
7.5 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
34.3%
industry
25.3%
services
40.4% (30 June 2006 est.)
Unemployment rate
7.6% (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
22% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
1.1%
highest 10%
39.7% (FY03/04)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
50 (FY03/04)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
12.1% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
28.2% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$5.61 billion
expenditures
$8.39 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.8 billion (FY07 est.)
processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate
6.2% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production
8.766 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel
51.7%
hydro
48.3%
nuclear
0%
other
0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption
8.17 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2005)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - consumption
82,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
0 cu m (2006 est.)
Current account balance
-$1.118 billion (2006 est.)
Exports
$7.076 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities
textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
Exports - partners
US 27.7%, UK 11.4%, India 9.4%, Belgium 4.7%, Germany 4% (2006)
Imports
$9.655 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities
textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment
Imports - partners
India 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)
Currency code
LKR
Exchange rates
Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002)
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
1.51 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular
4.284 million (2006)
Telephone system
general 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 stations
34 (station types NA) (2006)
Radios
3.85 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
14 (2006)
Televisions
1.53 million (1997)
Internet country code
.lk
Internet hosts
6,526 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
5 (2000)
Internet users
280,000 (2005)
Airports
16 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
14
over 3,047 m
1
1,524 to 2,437 m
6
914 to 1,523 m
7 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
2
under 914 m
2 (2006)
Railways
total
1,449 km
broad gauge
1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
97,287 km
paved
78,802 km
unpaved
18,485 km (2003)
Waterways
160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2006)
Merchant marine
total
22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 144,066 GRT/196,418 DWT
