Sri Lanka Country Information
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SRI LANKA – IN BRIEF
Formerly known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka is an island nation of 19 million inhabitants, strategically located at the crossroads to the East & West. The city of Colombo remains the country’s commercial capital, whilst the administrative capital was moved to Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte in 1982. Boasting a proud history of over 2500 years with its original inhabitants.
In the late 1970’s Sri Lanka liberalized its economy and to date remains the most open in the South Asian region. It has a well developed capital market and infrastructure especially in the services sector. Its per capita income of US$ 850 remains one of the highest in the region.
SRI LANKA - HISTORY
Recent excavations show that even during the Neolithic Age, there were food gatherers and rice cultivators in Sri Lanka. Very little is known of this period; documented history began with the arrival of the Aryans from North India. The Aryans introduced the use of iron and an advanced form of agriculture and irrigation. They also introduced the art of government. Of the Aryan settlements, Anuradhapura grew into a powerful kingdom under the rule of king Pandukabhaya. According to traditional history he is accepted as the founder of Anuradhapura.
In the mid 2nd century B.C. a large part of north Sri Lanka came under the rule of an invader from South India. From the beginning of the Christian era and up to the end of the 4th century A.D. Sri Lanka was governed by an unbroken dynasty called Lambakarna, which paid great attention to the development of irrigation. A great king of this dynasty, Mahasen (3rd century A.D.) started the construction of large `tanks' or irrigation reservoirs. Another great `tank' builder was Dhatusena, who was put to death by his son Kasyapa who made Sigiriya a royal city with his fortress capital on the summit of the rock.
During the reign of King Devanampiya Tissa, a descendent of Pandukabhaya, Buddhism was introduced in 247 B.C. by Arahat Mahinda, the son of Emperor Asoka of India. This is the most important event in Sri Lankan history as it set the country on the road to cultural greatness. As a new civilisation flourished Sri Lanka Became rich and prosperous.
As a result of invasions from South India the kingdom of Anuradhapura fell by the end of the 10th century A.D. Vijayabahu 1 repulsed the invaders and established his capital at Polonnaruwa in the crossing the Palk Strait from India, Ceylon was ruled for centuries by Sinhalese and Tamil kings. In 1505 began more than 400 years of colonization, first by the Portuguese, the Dutch and finally by the British. Sri Lanka was granted self rule in 1948 by the British and went on to adopt a democratic style of government based on the Westminster system.
11th century A.D. Other great kings of Polonnaruwa were Parakrama Bahu the Great and Nissanka Malla both of whom adorned the city with numerous buildings of architectural beauty.
Invasion was intermittent and the capital was moved constantly until the Portuguese arrived in 1505, when the chief city was established at Kotte, in the western lowlands. The Portuguese came to trade in spices but stayed to rule until 1656 in the coastal regions, as did the Dutch thereafter. Dutch rule lasted from 1656 to 1796, in which year they were displaced by the British. During this period the highland Kingdom, with its capital in Kandy, retained its independence despite repeated assaults by foreign powers who ruled the rest of the country.
In 1815 the kingdom of Kandy was ceded to the British and thus they established their rule over the whole island. Modern communications, western medical services, education in English, as well as the plantation industry (first coffee then tea, rubber and coconut) developed during British rule. By a process of peaceful, constitutional evolution, Sri Lanka won back her independence in 1948 and is now a sovereign republic, with membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations Organisation.
SRI LANKA - STATISTICS
Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean is located to the south of the Indian subcontinent. It lies between 5° 55' and 9° 55' north of the equator and between the eastern longitudes 79° 42' and 81° 52'. The total land area is 65,610 sq. km. and is astonishingly varied. A length of 445 km. and breadth of 225 km. encompasses beautiful tropical beaches, verdant vegetation, ancient monuments and a thousand delights to please all tastes.
The relief features of the island consist of a mountainous mass somewhat south of the centre, with height exceeding 2,500 meters, surrounded by broad plains. Palm fringed beaches surround the island and the sea temperature rarely falls below 27°C.
SRI LANKA - STATISTICS | Country Name | Sri Lanka (Former – Ceylon) | | Government | Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka | | Governance | Sri Lanka is a free, independent and sovereign nation with a population of 19.5 million (2004). 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 including defense. Sri Lanka enjoys a multi party system, and the people vote to elect a new government every six years. | | Time Zone | GMT +05.30 hours | | International dialing code | +94 | | Location | An island in the Indian Ocean off the south-eastern cost shores of India, 880 km north of the equator | | Latitude | 005° 55' to 009° 50' North | | Longitude | 070° 42' to 081° 52' East | | Dimensions | 430 km north to south, 225 km east to west | | Coast Line | 1,330 km approximately | | Area | 65,525 sq km | | Capital | Sri Jayawardanepura | | Commercial Capital | Colombo | | Population | 20.2 million (74% Sin; 18.1% Tam; 7.1% Moors, 0.8% others) | | Population Density | 296 people per square meter | | Life expectancy(at berth) | 76.4 female, 71.7 male (2001 est) | | Literacy Rate | 92.5%(2003 est) | | Languages | Sinhala, Tamil and English | | Religion | Buddhism 70%; Hinduism 16%; Christianity 7%; Islam 7% | | Ethnic Mix | Sinhalese, 74%; Tamil, 18%; Muslim 7%; Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonist) and others 1% | | Gross Domestic Product | (GDP) 6% real growth rate | | Gross National Product | (GNP) Rs 1,102,292 million (agriculture, forestry and fishing, 21.5%; wholesale and retail, 22.5%; manufacturing, 17.1%) | | Annual per capita GNP | US $1197 (2005 est) | | Main foreign exchange earners | Garments, Tea, Tourism, Foreign Employment | | Industries | Processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco. | | Agricultural Products | Rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, meat. | | Unemployment | 10% | | Working Week | Sri Lanka works a five-day week, from Monday to Friday | | Business Hours | Government offices 8.35 a.m. – 4.15 p.m,, Monday to Friday | | Banks | 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. or 3.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday | | Post Office | 8.30 a.m.- 5.00 p.m., Monday to Friday, 8.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. on Saturday. The Central Mail Exchange, at D.R.Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo 10, (Telephone: 232 6203) is open 24-hours. | | Currency | Sri Lanka follows decimal currency system in the denominations of Rs. 2,10,20,50,100,200, 500, 1000 and 2000 in Rupees (Rs.) and cents (Cts.) with 100 cents equal to a rupee. Currency notes and Coins are issued in values of Cts.1, 2, 5, 10, 25 and 50 and Rs.1, 2, 5 and 10. The intervention currency continuously will be the US Dollar. | | Electricity | 230 Volts AC, 50-60 Hz | | Climate | Low lands – tropical, average 27°C
Central Hills – cooler, with temperatures dropping to 14°C. The south-west monsoon brings rain to the western, southern and central regions from May to July. While the north-eastern monsoon occurs in the north and east in December and January. Sri Lanka boasts of a good climate for holiday-makers throughout the year. | | 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 mast 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 Mr. Ananda Samarakoon. | | National Flower | The Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata) is the National Flower |
GOVERNMENT
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a free, independent and sovereign nation. The head of the government is an Executive President. Executive power of the people, including defense, is exercised by the President, who is also elected by the people. Legislative power is exercised by Parliament, elected by universal franchise on a proportional representation basis. Parliament is headed by the Prime Minister. A system of administration through provincial councils was introduced in 1988.
ECONOMY
Sri Lanka is mainly an agricultural country. The chief crop is rice with which the country is almost self sufficient. Tea, rubber and coconut are also important agricultural crops, with tea being a major foreign exchange earner.
In addition, other crops of importance are cocoa and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, pepper and Cloves. Fruit and vegetables, native to both tropical and temperate regions, grow well in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is also a major exporter of precious and semi-precious stones. Within the last few years remittances from Sri Lankans employed abroad have contributed a large share towards foreign exchange.
The last three decades have seen tourism emerge as an important industry. There has also been a rapid growth in manufacturing industries which offer a wide range of export goods such as petroleum products, leather goods, ready made garments and electronic equipment.
DEMOGRAPHY
Sri Lanka has a population of 18.5 million of whom the majority is Sinhalese (74%). Other ethnic groups are made up of Sri Lankan Tamils (12.6%), Indian Tamils (5.5%), Moors, Malays, Burghers (of Portuguese & Dutch descent) and others (7.9%). Although Sri Lanka is a multi-religious country, Buddhists constitute the majority with 69.3%.
Other religious groups are Hindus 15.5%, Muslims 7.6% and Christians 7.5%. Sri Lanka’s literacy rate of 88.6% is one of the highest in Asia.
CLIMATE & SEASONS
In the lowlands the climate is typically tropical with an average temperature of 27°C in Colombo. In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16°C at an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters. Bright, sunny warm days are the rule and are common even during the height of the monsoon - climatically Sri Lanka has no off season. The south west monsoon brings rain mainly from May to July to the western, southern and central regions of the island, while the north-east monsoon rains occur in the northern and eastern regions in December and January.
Temperature Chart | City | January - April | May - August | September - December | | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | | Colombo | 30°C | 22°C | 30°C | 24°C | 29°C | 22°C | | Kandy | 31°C | 17°C | 29°C | 21°C | 28°C | 18°C | | Nuwara Eliya | 21°C | 14°C | 18°C | 16°C | 18°C | 15°C | | Trincomalee | 32°C | 24°C | 33°C | 25°C | 33°C | 23°C |
LANGUAGE & RELIGION
Sinhala, Tamil and English are official languages in Sri Lanka. Sinhala, a language of Indo-Aryan origin is the language of the majority. English is widely spoken and understood. Place names and sign-boards on buses and trains are usually in all three languages.
Sri Lanka is a land of religious freedom and tolerance. Wherever you travel you will come across a Buddhist Temple or Dagaba, a Hindu Kovil, a Christian Church or a Mosque, each with its own distinctive architecture. When visiting holy places please conform to the requirements as regards dress in order not to show disrespect.
SRI LANKA CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD HERITAGE: BUDDHISM: BUDDHA’S PATH TO FREEDOM
Buddhism is the main religion of Sri Lanka where it was officially introduced in the third century B.C. during the reign of King Devanam Piyatissa by Venerable Mahinda who was son of Emperor Asoka of India. No sooner than it was introduced here the new teaching caught up with the inhabitants of the country so rapidly that within a few months’ time the entire country became Buddhist. In Sri Lanka it has found its most congenial permanent home.
Buddhism is the practical system of psychological and philosophical ethics taught to humanity by the Indian prince Siddhartha Gauthama in the 6th century B.C. He was born on the full – moon day of May in the year 623 B.C. as the son of Suddhodana, a provincial ruler of the kingdom of Kapilavastu in Central India. His teaching has today become a world religion providing inspiration and guidance to nearly one fourth of the world population. He lived the house – hold life for twenty-nine years, the last thirteen years of which constituted his married life with princes Yasodhara. As a royal prince born with the silver spoon in the month he led a luxurious life. However, he had been a very contemplative person from his young days and this nature of his did not make him happy amidst his royal luxury.
To him such enjoyment did not make any appeal because he saw that it was fleeting and temporary and as such, in the ultimate analysis, life is painful. All so-called pleasures are delusive. Amidst comfort and prosperity he realized the University of Sorrow inherent in human existence. Despite all the efforts of man to achieve happiness in this world, human suffering stares in the face of all living beings. Search after worldly pleasures available to him and donning the simple garb of an ascetic, alone and penniless, he wandered forth from home to homelessness in search of Truth and Peace, which to him appeared as an attainable objective.
Initially, he went to all the distinguished teachers at the time all of whom failed to meet his demands. He was determined to find it for himself. This was followed by six years of painful austerities which too proved futile. However, by directing the searchlight inward, followed by a severe mental and an emotional struggle, he ultimately achieved his cherished goal on the full moon day of May 588 B.C. under the Bodhi Tree at Buddhagaya in India.
(Associate Editor Buddhist Publication Society)
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