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Sri Lanka Country Profile

Country Name Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Size 65,610 sq km
Location An island off the south-eastern cost shores of India, 880 km north of the equator, in the Indian Ocean
Capital Sri Jayawardenepura
Commercial Capital Colombo
Government Sri Lanka is a free, independent and sovereign nation with a population of 21,128,773 million. Legislative power is exercised by a Parliament, elected by universal franchise on proportional representation basis. A President, who is also elected by the people, exercises executive power inclusive of defence. Sri Lanka enjoys a multi party system, and the people vote to elect a new government every six years.
Population 21,128,773 million
Population Density 309 people per sq km
Life Expectancy at Birth 74 female, 64 male
Literacy rate 92.5%
Languages Sinhala, Tamil and English are widely spoken throughout Sri Lanka, with the exception of remote villages where it might be Sinhala only or Tamil only.
Ethnic Groups Sinhalese- 74%, Tamil- 18%, Muslim- 7%, Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonist) and others- 1%
Religions Buddhism- 70%, Hinduism- 16%, Christianity- 7%, Islam- 7%
Climate Low Lands Tropical, average 27C
Central Hills cooler, with temperatures dropping to 14C. The south-west monsoon brings rain to the western, southern and central regions from May to July, while the north-eastern monsoon is from December t0 January. Sri Lanka climate is ideal for holiday-makers throughout the year.
GNI per capita USD 1,990
Industries Processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco.
Agriculture Products Rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, meat.
Time zone Sri Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT
International dialing +94
Electricity 230 - 240 volts, 50 cycles AC
Currency Sri Lanka follows decimal currency system in Rupees (Rs.) and cents (Cts.) with 100 cents equal to a rupee. Currency notes are available in the denominations of Rs.10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 & 5000. Coins are issued in values of Cts. 25 and 50 and Rs.1, 2, 5 and 10. The intervention currency continuously will be the US Dollar