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Capital Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte[1][2]

6°54′N 79°54′E

Largest city Colombo

Official language(s) Sinhala

Tamil

Demonym Sri Lankan

Government Unitary republic Democratic Socialist

Semi-presidential system

- President Mahinda Rajapaksa

- Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne

- Speaker of the House Chamal Rajapaksa

- Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake

Independence from the United Kingdom

- Dominion (Self rule) February 4, 1948

- Republic May 22, 1972

Area

- Total 65,610 km2 (122nd)

25,332 sq mi

- Water (%) 4.4

Population

- 2010 estimate 20,238,000[3] (56th)

- Mid 2010 census 20,653,000[4]

- Density 308.5/km2 (35th)

798.9/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2010 estimate

- Total $106.5 billion[5] (65th)

- Per capita $5,220[5]

GDP (nominal) 2010 estimate

- Total $49.68 billion[5] (73rd)

- Per capita $2,435[5]

Gini (2010) 36[6] (medium)

HDI (2011) increase0.691[7] (medium) (97th)

Currency Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)

Time zone Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30)

- Summer (DST) not observed (UTC)

Date formats yyyy/mm/dd (AD)

Drives on the left

ISO 3166 code LK

Internet TLD .lk, .ලංකා, .இலங்கை

Calling code 94

Sri Lanka officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Listeni/ʃriː ˈlɑːŋkə/, /sriːˈlɑːŋkə/, or /sriːˈlæŋkə/;[8][9] Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Tamil: இலங்கை) is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon (play /sɨˈlɒn/, /seɪˈlɒn/, or /siːˈlɒn/), Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives.

As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia.[10] It was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road.[11] Sri Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times and is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia along with Ladakh, Bhutan and the Chittagong hill tracts.[12] The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people.[13]

Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state which is governed by a semi-presidential system with its official seat of government in Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, the capital. The country is famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts, rubber and cinnamon, the last of which is native to the country.[14] The natural beauty of Sri Lanka has led to the title The Pearl of the Indian Ocean.[15] The island is laden with lush tropical forests, white beaches and diverse landscapes with rich biodiversity. The country lays claim to a long and colorful history of over three thousand years, having one of the longest documented histories in the world.[16] Sri Lanka's rich culture can be attributed to the many different communities on the island.[17]

Sri Lanka is a founding member state of SAARC and a member United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, G77 and Non-Aligned Movement. As of 2010, Sri Lanka was one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Its stock exchange was Asia's best performing stock market during 2009 and 2010.[18]

Contents

[hide]

1 Etymology

2 History

2.1 Pre-historic Sri Lanka

2.2 Ancient Sri Lanka

2.3 Medieval Sri Lanka

2.4 Early modern Sri Lanka

2.5 Modern Sri Lanka

2.5.1 Sri Lanka under the British rule

2.5.2 Post independence Sri Lanka

3 Geography

3.1 Flora and fauna

4 Politics

4.1 Government

4.2 Administrative divisions

5 Foreign relations and military

6 Economy

7 Demographics

8 Culture

8.1 Food and festivals

8.2 Visual, literary and performing arts

8.3 Education

8.4 Human rights and media

8.5 Sports

9 See also

10 References

11 Further reading

12 External links

[edit] Etymology

Main article: Names of Sri Lanka

In ancient times, Sri Lanka was known by a variety of names: Known in India as Lanka or Singhala, ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane[19] play /təˈprɒbəniː/ and Arabs referred to it as Serendib (the origin of the word "serendipity").[20] Ceilão was the name given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese when they arrived in 1505,[21] which was transliterated into English as Ceylon.[22] As a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon, and achieved independence under the name Dominion of Ceylon in 1948.

In Sinhala the country is known as ශ්‍රී ලංකා śrī laṃkā, IPA: [ʃɾiːˈlaŋkaː], and the island itself as ලංකාව laṃkāva, IPA: [laŋˈkaːʋə]. In Tamil they are both இலங்கை ilaṅkai, IPA: [iˈlaŋɡai]. The name derives from the Sanskrit श्री लंका śrī (venerable) and lankā (island),[23] the name of the island in the ancient Indian epics Mahabharata and the Ramayana. In 1972, the official name of the country was changed to "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka". In 1978 it was changed to the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka".[24] The name Ceylon is still in use in the names of a number of organisations; in 2011, the Sri Lankan government announced a plan to rename all of those for which it is responsible.[25]

[edit] History

Main article: History of Sri Lanka

[edit] Pre-historic Sri Lanka

Main article: Prehistory of Sri Lanka

The pre-history of Sri Lanka dates back over 125,000 years Before Present (BP) and possibly even as early as 500,000 BP.[26] The era spans the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and early Iron ages. Among the Paleolithic (Homo Erectus) human settlements discovered in Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala (named after the Chinese traveler monk Fa-Hsien), which dates back to 37,000 BP,[27] Batadombalena (28,500 BP)[28] and Belilena (12,000 BP) are the most important. The remains of Balangoda Man, an anatomically modern human, found inside these caves,[29] suggests that they may have engaged in agriculture and kept domestic dogs for driving game.[30]

Frescos on the Sigiriya rock fortress in Matale District, 5th century

This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text.

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

vagitables srilanka

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