Sri
Lanka!
Let us help you get to
know this incredible country.
Background:
The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka some centuries B.C.,
probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced early on, and a
great civilization developed at
the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa 
1000
A.D.) 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 an
ethnic conflict that continues. After two decades of
fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
formalized the cease-fire in February 2002, with Norway brokering peace
negotiations.
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:
19,905,165
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; as of yearend 2000, approximately 65,000 were housed in 131
refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian
camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West
(July 2004 est.)
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 24.8%
(male 2,526,143; female 2,414,876)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 6,589,438; female 6,976,487)
65 years and over: 7% (male 655,636; female 742,585)
(2004 est.)
Religious
affiliation:
Buddhist 70%, Hindu
15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)
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
Economy:
In 1977, Sri Lanka
abandoned non-productive policies and its import
trade policy for market-oriented policies and
export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food
processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages,
telecommunications, insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation
crops made up only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while
textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average annual
rate of 5.5% in the early 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating
security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy
rebounded in 1997-2000 with average growth of 5.3%, but 2001 saw the
first contraction in the country's history, -1.4%, due to a combination
of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and
continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to 4.0% in 2002 and 5.2% in
2003. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East.
They send home about $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil
Tigers of the north and east for a largely independent homeland
continues to cast a shadow over the economy.
Major Industries:
rubber processing, tea,
coconuts, and other agricultural commodities;
clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco
Agriculture:
rice, sugarcane,
grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs,
hides, beef
Exports: textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds,
coconut products, petroleum products
Export Partners: US 34.6%, UK 12.5%, India 4.8%, Germany
4.5% (2003)
Import
Partners:
India 16.1%, Hong Kong
8.4%, Singapore 7.8%, Japan 6.7%, China 4.9%,
South Korea 4.2%, Taiwan 4.2%, UK 4.1%, Malaysia 4% (2003)
Natural
Hazzards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Environmental
Issues:
deforestation; soil
erosion; wildlife populations threatened by
poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities
and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by
industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in
Colombo
HIV/AIDS: People with
AIDS: 4,800 (2001 est.)
