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Sri
Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean is located to the south
of the Indian subcontinent. It lies between 5O55' and 9O 55' north of the equator and between the eastern longitudes
79O 42' and 81O52'. The total land area is 65,610 sq. km.
Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, is a fascinating city, not only
for its comfortable blend of the east and west, but also for
its cosy mixture of the past and the present. |
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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. Fruits 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. |
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With
a length of 445 km and breadth of 225 km, Sri Lanka
encompasses beautiful tropical beaches, verdant vegetation,
ancient monuments and a thousand delights to please
all taste buds. 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 temperature of the coast rarely falls below 27OC.
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In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures
going down to 16OC at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres.
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. |
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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. |
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Sri
Lanka has a population of 18.5 million of whom the majority
are 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. |
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Sinhala
and Tamil 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 'Dagoba', 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 regarded. Dress in order as to
not show disrespect. |
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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 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. |
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