| Area |
65,525 sq km (25,299 sq miles). |
| Population |
19,007,000 (2002). |
| Capital |
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (official) - population 115,826 (2001) Colombo (commercial) - 642,020 (2001). |
| Climate |
Tropical climate upland areas are cooler and more temperate, and coastal areas are cooled by sea breezes. There are two monsoons, which occur May to July and December and January. |
| Language |
Sinhala, Tamil and English. |
| Religion |
Buddhist majority ( 70 per cent), with Hindu, Christian and Muslim minorities. |
| Time |
GMT + 6
|
| Highlights |
This island has a fabulous selection of stunning coastal scenery, fertile inland areas and ever-friendly people with attractive tropical climate. Offering a thousand miles of palm-lined beaches with crystal clear water and colourful reefs, the island is most certainly one of the Indian Ocean's most attractive locations. Polonnaruwa is the country's medieval capital with superb well-preserved temple ruins and palaces. The Gal Vihare complex is probably the most famous with impressive rock sculptures.
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| Country Facts |
Formally known as 'Ceylon' this teardrop island is located off the southeastern coast of India. Modern day Sri Lanka shows many influences mirroring the island's past colonisation by the Indians, Portuguese, Dutch and British with a diversity of architecture, every day customs, language and agricultural methods evident throughout. The majority of the population from Sinhalese descent (70%) remain Buddhist. |