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Sri Lanka Overview |
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Interesting Facts about Sri Lanka |
Google Map of Sri Lanka |
| Learn about the geography, history, people, climate, government, economy, politics, military, and other aspects of Sri Lanka. We have nine pages of interesting Sri Lanka facts & figures: on everything from transportation and communications systems to natural hazards to transitional issues facing .Sri Lanka. When you hear another country being discussed on the news, visit WorldCountries.info and gets the facts. |
| Area |
total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km |
| Climate |
tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) |
| Population |
20,926,315 note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages |
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population |
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Feature Articles about Sri Lanka |
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| Source:
CIA World Factbook |
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CIA World Factbook Description of Sri Lanka |
| The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably 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. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but neither side has formally withdrawn from the cease-fire. |
| Source:
CIA World Factbook |
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| Sri Lanka |
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Source:
CIA World Factbook |
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