Country Information

South Asia.

65,610 sq km (25,332 sq miles).

21,675,648 (2013).

330.4 per sq km.

Colombo.

Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1948.

Sri Lanka is an island off the southeast coast of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is separated from India by the Indian Ocean, in which lies the chain of islands called Adam's Bridge. Sri Lanka has an irregular surface with low-lying coastal plains running inland from the northern and eastern shores. The central and southern areas slope into the hills and mountains ranges of the Central Highlands. The highest peak is Pidurutalagala, which reaches an altitude of 2,524m (8,281ft). The country’s coast consistx mainly of beaches and bays, with rocky cliffs in the northeast and southwest. Due to the southwestern location of the mountain range, precipitation is heavily weighted towards this area, with the the northern and eastern parts fall in the rain shadow of the Central Highlands. The wettest parts of the country in the south and west receive around 4000mm of rainfall annually. There are two major national parks, in the northwest and southeast, designated as such to protect the immense biodiversity of the country’s wildlife.

The major languages spoken are Sinhala and Tamil. English is spoken by around 10% of the population, and a further small minority speak Portuguese Creole, a hangover from colonial times.

The majority of the Sinhalese population practises Buddhism (70%). Minority religions include Hinduism (almost exclusively practised by the Tamil population), Christianity, with the majority denomination being Roman Catholic (around 6% of the population as opposed to 0.8% who are Anglicans) and Islam (practised by around 10% of the population).

GMT + 5.5.

Shaking hands is the normal manner of greeting. It is customary to be offered tea when visiting and considered impolite to refuse. Punctuality is always appreciated, although it may not be reciprocated. If visiting someone's home, or place of business, bring a small token, such as a souvenir from home. Informal, Western dress is suitable, except when visiting Buddhist temples, where modest clothing should be worn (eg no bare legs and upper arms). Visitors should be decently clothed when visiting any place of worship, and shoes and hats must be removed. Jackets and ties are not required by men in the evenings except for formal functions when lightweight suits should be worn.

230 volts AC, 50Hz. Round and square three-pin plugs are used.

Prime Minister D M Jayaratne since 2010.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa since 2005.

A long-awaited deal between Sri Lanka’s government and the rebel Tamil Tigers was finally concluded in early 2002, and initially it held. However, many issues remained to be resolved. All this was not helped by a serious feud between President Karamatunga and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, which led in November 2003 to suspension of parliament and the dismissal of three ministers. Wickremesinghe was ousted at the assembly elections, with Mahinda Rajapakse becoming prime minister.

However, the political turbulence catalysed a resurgence in Tamil Tiger activity in 2004. In February 2006, the government and rebels reaffirmed their respect for the 2002 ceasefire. However, within months the fighting had intensified. Peace talks in October 2006 came to nothing.

Rajapakse won narrowly in 2005 presidential elections which saw an almost total boycott in the Tamil areas. In January 2007 the government achieved a long-awaited parliamentary majority when 25 opposition MPs defected to the president’s party.