Beautiful and Amazing Sri Lanka, “The pearl of the Indian oceanâ€Â
Sri Lanka has a documented history of over 2,000 years, mainly due to ancient historic scriptures like Mahawamsa, and with the first stone objects dating back to 500,000 BC. Several centuries of intermittent foreign influence has transformed Sri Lankan culture to its present form. Nevertheless, the ancient traditions and festivals are still celebrated on the island, together with other minorities that make up the Sri Lankan identity. The architecture of Sri Lanka displays a rich variety of architectural forms and styles. Many forms of Sri Lankan arts and crafts take inspiration from the Island’s long and lasting culture. One of the most notable aspects of Sri Lankan art are caves and temple paintings. The culture of Sri Lanka mixes modern elements with traditional aspects and much of the modernization of the tourist industry is now taking place in the country. Sri Lanka is considered as an increasingly popular destination for international tourists. It offers many wonderful things for tourists such as Diversity, World heritage sites, pristine beaches, favorable climate, rich cultural heritage, national parks, wildlife, amazing gardens, attractive waterfalls, beautiful rivers, vast range of cuisine, foods, adventures, festivals and bliss of Ayurveda, forests, various flora and fauna and many more.
Travel and explore the unseen in the country where hospitality is a personalized art.
Highlights of Sri Lanka
08 World heritage sites
Over 20 breathtaking beaches, some which are world
famous and some ideal for surfing
More than 09 National wild life parks
92 species of mammals over 440 species of birds,
242 species of butterflies,
190 reptiles (90 species of snakes), 102 species
of amphibian and 107 species of fish and 90 species of fresh fish)
05 birds sanctuaries close to Colombo
04 nature reserves and botanical gardens
Locations for whale and dolphin spotting
over 100 water falls
A colonial heritage
Adventure tourism (Camping, Windsurfing, Diving,
Snokerlling, White water rafting, Canoeing, Treking, Cross country cycling
etc)
A capital city that has attractions for both young
and old shopping for the traditional tourist night clubs, Bars, Fine
restaurants and pubs for young at heart beautiful tea plantations that
produce the best Tea in the world.
Choose the destination that you prefer
from the variety of choices instore for you!
Popular Interests
Beaches and the Coast
Animal Sanctuaries and Wildlife
Historic and Archeological Sites
UNESCO Heritage Sites
Nature
Hikes and Treks
Adventure
Read more about Sri Lanka?
Government Type
Republic
Area
Area
65,525km
Adminstrative capital
Sri Jayawardenepura
Climate
Typically tropical, with a northeast monsoon (December to March) bringing unsettled weather to the north and east, and a southwest monsoon (June to October) bringing bad weather to the south and west
Highest waterfall
Bambarakanda, 263m
Life Expectancy at Birth
72.0% Male, 78.6% Female
Population
20,359,439 (2012 Census)
Ethnic Groups
74.9% Sinhalese
11.2% Sri Lankan Tamil
9.3% Sri Lankan Moor
4.1% Indian Tamil
0.2% Burgher
0.2% Malay
0.1% other groups
(2012 census)
Electricity
230 . 240 volts, 50 cycles AC. If you travel with a laptop computer bring a stabilizer
Agriculture & Products
Rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconutsm milk, eggs, hides, beef, fish
Religion
70.1% Buddhist
12.6% Hindu
9.7% Islam
6.2% Roman Catholic
1.4% Other Christians
(2012 census)
Languages
74 % Sinhala (official and national language)
18% Tamil (national language)
8% other languages
Note: English (a link language commonly) is used in government and spoken competently by about 10% of the population
Time Zone
Sri Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT. (Allowance should be made for summer-time changes in Europe.)
Industries
Processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining.
Flag Description
Yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
Official Name
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Coastline
1,340km
Administrative Divisions
09 provincesCentral, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western, Eastern Province.
Independence
4 February 1948
Population Growth Rate
0.7 % (2012 Census)
Literacy rate
96.8% Males
94.6% Females
Exports
Textiles and apparel; tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
International Dialling
+94
Highest Mountain
Pidurutalagala, 2,524m
National parks and nature reserves area
8,000sq.km
Population Density
325 people per sq km (2012 Census)
Location
Sri Lanka is located between latitudes 5°55′ and 9°51′ N and longitudes 79°41′ and 81°53′ E
Currency
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Commercial Capital
Colombo
Terrain
Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
National Flower
The Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata)
Labour Force
27.1% of the labour population is employed in agriculture, 26.4% in industry and 46.5% in services: (2016 Annual Labour Force Survey) The unemployment rate is 4.4% (2016 est.)
