Sri Lanka is a Democratic, Socialist Republic, a member of the United Nations, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ( SAARC ). Sri Lanka, geographically is situated between 5 & 8 degrees north of the equater whilst the 80 degree east longitude passes through Colombo. It has a population of over 20 million people and lies at the southern tip of Indian sub continent.
Sri Lanka, being slightly larger than West Virginia, covers 65,610 sq km. ( Land - 64, 740 sq km; water - 870 sq km ). 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 metres, surrounded by broad plains. Palm fringed beaches surround the island and the sea temperature rarely falls below 27°C. Here are some useful statistics. Arable land :- 13.96%, permanant crops :- 15.24%, irrigated land :- 7,430 sq km.
Sri Lanka has tropical climate. Two monsoons coming from South-East ( December to March ) and South-West ( June to October ) brings rain all parts of the country.
Government type : The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a free, independent and sovereign nation. A system of administration through provincial councils was introduced in 1988. Legislative power is exercised by the Parliament, elected by universal franchise on a proportional representation basis. Executive power of the people, including defence, is exercised by the President, who is also elected by the people.
Chief of State : President Mahinda Rajapaksha ( D. M. Jayaratna holds Premiership which is a largely ceremonial title ).
Leader of Opposition : Ranil Wickramasingha.
Capital : Colombo ( note: Legislative capital is Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte ).
Administrative Divisions : 08 Provinces ( namely, Western, Southern, North, Eastern, Central, North Central, Uva, Sabaragamuwa, North Western ).
To view administrative provisions, districts & main cities : click here
Population of Sri Lanka is 21,324,791 and their age structure is as follows.
0 - 14 years : 23.9% ( male 2,594,815 & female 2,493,002 )
15 - 64 years : 68% ( male 7,089,307 & female 7,418,123 )
65 years and over : 8.1% ( male 803,172 & female 926,372 ). Popoulation growth rate is 0.904% while birth rate & death rate are 16.63 births/1000 population & 6.07 deaths/1000 population respectively. Net migration rate and sex ratio are -1.09 migrants/1000 population & 0.97 male/female respectively ( for total population ).
Infant mortality rate
total : 18.57 deaths/1000 live births ;
male : 20.33 deaths/1000 live births ;
female : 16.73 deaths/1000 live births.
Life expectancy at birth
Total population : 75.14 years
male : 73.08 years
female : 77.28 years.
People living with HIV/AIDS : Nearly 3,800
HIV/AIDS - Deaths : Nearly 200
Literacy Total population : 90.7%
male : 92.3%
female : 89.1%
Religions
Buddhists 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7%.
Languages Sinhala ( official and national language ) 74%, Tamil ( national language ) 18%, others 8%. ( note : English is widely used ).
ECONOMY
Economy of Sri Lanka has traditionally been based on agriculture, which now contributes less than 20% to gross domestic product ( GDP ). Emphasis is on tea & rubber. Coconut is no longer considered a major export crop. Cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, colves, nutmeg, citronella, tobacco and cocoa are also exported. And also, Sri Lanka is also a major exporter of precious and semi-precious stones.Remittances from Sri lankans working abroad, mainly in the Middle East contribute significantly to the economy.
Currency : Sri Lankan rupee ( LKR ) GDP ( purchasing power parity ) : $ 96.46 billion GDP ( per capita ) : $ 4,500 GDP ( by sector ) : agriculture ( 12.8% ), industry ( 29.2% ), services ( 58% ). Labour force : 8.1 million Labour force ( by occupation ) : agriculture 32.7%, industry 26.3%, services 41% Unemployment rate : 5.9% Population below poverty line : Approximately 15.2% Inflation rate ( consumer prises ) : 6.9% Exports ( partners ) : US 22.1%, UK 12.1%, Germany 5.2%, Belgium 4.9%, Italy 4.8%, India 4.5% Imports ( partners ) : India 18.9%, China 12.4%, Iran 7.7%, Singapore 7.5%, South Korea 4.8% Reserves of foreign exchange : $5.2 billion Oil consumption : 89,000 bbl/day ( world rank-80 ) Electricity : 230v 50Hz
To get an idea of ethnic composition of Sri Lankaclick here
