| Country
Name |
|
| Size |
65,525
sq km |
| Location |
An island
off the south-eastern cost shores of India, 880 km
north of the equator, in the Indian Ocean. |
 |
| Capital |
Sri Jayawardenepura |
| Commercial
Capital |
Colombo |
| Government |
Sri Lanka
is a free, independent and sovereign nation with a
population of 20,926,315 million (July 2007 est.).
Legislative power is exercised by a Parliament, elected
by universal franchise on proportional representation
basis. A President, who is also elected by the people,
exercises executive power inclusive of defence. Sri
Lanka enjoys a multi party system, and the people
vote to elect a new government every six years. |
| National
Flag |
National Flag of Sri Lanka is
the Lion Flag. A Lion bearing a sword in its
right hand is depicted in gold on red background
with a yellow border. Four Bo leaves pointing
inwards are at the four corners. Two vertical
bands of green and orange at the left end represent
the minority ethnic groups. It is an adaptation
of the standard of the last King of Sri Lanka.
|
 |
|
| National
Anthem |
| "Sri Lanka Matha" composed
by late Ananda Samarakoon. |
 |
Click on the Speaker Icon to listen
to a few bars of the Anthem |
|
|
| National Flower |
| The Blue Water Lily
(Nymphaea stellata). |
 |
|
| Population |
20,926,315 million |
| Population
Density |
309 people
per sq km |
| Life
Expectancy at Birth |
74 female,
64 male |
| Literacy
rate |
91.8% |
| Languages |
Sinhala, Tamil and English are widely spoken throughout Sri
Lanka, with the exception of remote villages where it might be Sinhala only or Tamil only. . |
| Ethnic
Groups |
Sinhalese-
74 per cent; Tamil- 18 per cent; Muslim -7 per cent;
Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonist)
and others- 1 per cent |
| Religions |
Buddhism-
70 per cent; Hinduism- 16 per cent; Christianity-
7 per cent; Islam-7 per cent |
| Climate |
Low Lands
– tropical, average 27C
Central Hills – cooler, with temperatures dropping
to 14C. The south-west monsoon brings rain to the
western, southern and central regions from May to
July, while the north-eastern monsoon is from December t0 January. Sri Lanka
climate is ideal for holiday-makers throughout the
year. |
| Annual
per capita GNP |
US$870 |
| Industries |
Processing
of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities;
clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco. |
| Agriculture
- Products |
Rice,
sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices,
tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, meat. |
| Currency |
Sri Lanka
follows decimal currency system in Rupees (Rs.) and
cents (Cts.) with 100 cents equal to a rupee. Currency
notes are available in the denominations of Rs.10,20,50,100,200,
50, 1000 & 2000. Coins are issued in values of Cts.
25 and 50 and Rs.1,2,5 and 10. The intervention currency
continuously will be the US Dollar. |
| Visa |
Residents
from permitted countries are issued visas on arrival. Consult
your local Sri Lanka embassy, consulate, tourist office
or your travel agent.
|
| Working
Days |
Five working days (Monday to Friday) |
| Business
Hours |
Government
offices 9.00 am. -5.00 pm, Monday to Friday |
| Banks |
9.00
am. to 1.00pm. or 3.00pm Monday to Saturday |
| Post
Office |
8.30am- 5.00pm
Monday to Friday
8.30am – 1.00pm on Saturday. The Central
Mail Exchange, at D.R.Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo
10, (Telephone : 2326203) is open 24-hours. |
|
