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Country Profile
| Country Name |
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
| Size |
65,610 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 21,128,773 million.
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. |
| Population |
21,128,773 million |
| Population Density |
309 people per sq km |
| Life Expectancy at Birth |
74 female, 64 male |
| Literacy rate |
92.5% |
| 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%, Tamil- 18%, Muslim- 7%, Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonist) and others- 1% |
| Religions |
Buddhism- 70%, Hinduism- 16%, Christianity- 7%, Islam- 7% |
| 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. |
| GNI per capita |
USD 1,990 |
| 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. |
| Time zone |
Sri Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT |
| International dialing |
+94 |
| Electricity |
230 - 240 volts, 50 cycles AC |
| 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, 500, 1000, 2000 & 5000. 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 | |
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