Plan your trip to Sri Lanka with our Sri Lanka travel guide information
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Sri Lanka - Travel guideSri Lanka - Country 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 an ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formalized a cease-fire in February 2002, with Norway brokering peace negotiations. More about Sri Lanka Travel Guide |
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Sri Lanka General Information |
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| Country full name : | conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka former: Serendib, Ceylon |
| Capital : | Colombo (commercial), Sri Jayawardenepura (administrative) |
| Religions : | Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) |
| Languages : | Sinhala, Tamil, English |
| Location : | Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. |
| Geographic coordinates : | 7 00 N, 81 00 E |
| Area : | total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km |
| Climate : | tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) |
| Population : | 20,222,240 (July 2006 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) |
| Government type : | republic |
| Administrative divisions: | 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western note: in 1998 the Government of Sri Lanka proposed a merger of the former Northern and Eastern provinces; while this merger was never ratified, the Government treats North Eastern Province as a de facto singular administrative unit. |
| Legal system : | a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction. |
| Suffrage : | 18 years of age; universal |
| Internet code : | .lk |
| Calling code : | +94 |
| Time zone : | GMT/UTC +6 |
| Electricity : | 230V 50Hz |
| National holiday : | Independence Day, 4 February (1948) |
| Interesting link : | Sri Lanka Travel Guide |
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Sri Lanka Travel Guide Information