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Background
The Aryans arrived in Sri Lanka late in
the 6th century B.C. from northern India. Buddhism was introduced
beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great
civilization developed at the cities of
Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D.
1000) and
Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to
1200). In the 14th century, a South Indian dynasty seized power in
the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the
Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century,
the island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony
in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it
became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in
1972.
Geographically, Sri Lanka is an island
situated in the Indian Ocean, at the base of the Indian
Sub-Continent, 880 km north of the equator. Sri Lanka has a pleasant
tropical climate. The average temperature of the low lands ranges
between 25-30 degrees Celsius. It is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious
country with a diverse and rich culture with a total population of
19 million.
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Literacy
Percent
Male:
92.3%
Female: 89.1% (2001 census)
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Capital
Colombo
(Administrative)
Sri Jayawardenapura
Kotte (Legislative) |
Language
Sinhala,
Tamil, English |
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Area
Total: 65,610 sq km
Land: 64,740 sq km
Water: 870 sq km |
Climate
Pleasant
tropical climate.
Tropical monsoon,
northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest
monsoon (June to October)
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GDP per Capita
U.S. $4,700 |
Currency
Sri Lankan
Rupees (Rs) |
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Ethnic Groups
Sinhalese
73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri
Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001
census provisional data) |
Religion
Buddhist
69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%,
unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) |
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Agriculture - products
Rice, sugarcane,
grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber,
coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish
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Legal System
Mixture
of English Common Law, Roman-Dutch, Islamic,
Sinhalese, and Customary Law
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Find more facts about Sri
Lanka |
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