Facts and Figures of Sri Lanka
Official name:
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka's
Government type:
Republic
Location:
Latitude 5° 55. to 9° 50. north, longitude 79° 42. to 81° 52., 650km north of the equator's
Dimensions:
430km north to south, 225km east to westbound
Coastline:
1,340km
Currency :
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Independence:
4 February 1948
Administrative capital:
Sri Jayewardenepura
Commercial capital:
Colombo
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western, Eastern Province.
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
Terrain:
Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Highest mountain:
Pidurutalagala, 2,524m
Highest waterfall:
Bambarakanda, 263m
National Flower:
The Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata)
National parks and nature reserves area:
8,000sq.km
Population:
21,128,773
Population Density:
309 people per sq Km
Life Expectancy at Birth:
74 Female, 64 Male
Literacy rate :
Female 87.9 Male 92.5
Ethnic groups:
Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10%
Languages:
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8% Note: English (a link language commonly) is used in government and spoken competently by about 10% of the populations
Religion:
Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10%
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.)
International dialing:
+94 or 0094
Electricity:
230 . 240 volts, 50 cycles AC. If you travel with a laptop computer bring a stabilizers
Economy:
Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2006, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (90% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% of them in the Middle East. They send home more than US$1 billion a year.
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