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05/03/2007 11:48 AMCIA - The World Factbook -- Sri Lanka

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This page was last updated on 17 April, 2007

Legend: Definition Field Listing Rank Order

Introduction Sri Lanka Top of Page



Background: The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably fromnorthern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-thirdcentury 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 (fromabout 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power inthe north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to theBritish in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under Britishrule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changedto Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamilseparatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnicconflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the governmentand Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire inFebruary 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between theLTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but neither side has formallywithdrawn from the cease-fire.

Geography Sri Lanka Top of Page

Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Geographiccoordinates:

7 00 N, 81 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km

Area -comparative:

slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,340 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin



Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon(June to October)

Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

Elevationextremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 13.96% permanent crops: 15.24% other: 70.8% (2005)

Irrigated land: 7,430 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Environment -current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching andurbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution;freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff;waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo

Environment -internationalagreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, HazardousWastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

People Sri Lanka Top of Page

Population: 20,926,315 note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamilseparatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fledthe island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July2007 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.3% (male 2,596,295/female 2,495,949)



15-64 years: 67.9% (male 6,947,310/female 7,259,271) 65 years and over: 7.8% (male 765,507/female 861,983) (2007 est.)

Median age: total: 30 years male: 29.2 years female: 31 years (2007 est.)

Population growthrate:

0.982% (2007 est.)

Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate: 6.01 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.957 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.888 male(s)/female total population: 0.971 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Infant mortalityrate:

total: 19.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

Life expectancy atbirth:

total population: 74.8 years male: 72.81 years female: 76.88 years (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adultprevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - peopleliving withHIV/AIDS:

3,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality: noun: Sri Lankan(s)



adjective: Sri LankanEthnic groups:

Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

Religions: Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10%(2001 census provisional data)

Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%,other 8% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently byabout 10% of the population

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.3% male: 94.8% female: 90% (2003 est.)

Government Sri Lanka Top of Page

Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/IlankaiJananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai former: Serendib, Ceylon

Government type: republic

Capital: name: Colombo geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time) note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)

Administrativedivisions:

8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western,Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western note: in October 2006, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruled voided a presidentialdirective merging the North and Eastern Provinces; many have defended themerger as a prerequisite for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict; aparliamentary decision on the issue is pending



Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 February (1948)

Constitution: adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978

Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Islamic,Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005);note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; RatnasiriWICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the largely ceremonialtitle of prime minister head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the primeminister elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for asecond term); election last held on 17 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of vote -Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basisof a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-yearterms) elections: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010) election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP(no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%, TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%,SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, CommunistParty 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNPdissident 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by thepresident

Political partiesand leaders:

All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [A. VINAYAKAMOORTHY]; CeylonWorkers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party orCP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF



[T.N.S. NANAYAKKARA]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP[Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front orEPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP[Somawansa AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP [TissaVITHARANA]; Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D.GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [EllawalaMETHANANDA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF];People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D.SIDHARTHAN]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA];Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka ProgressiveFront or SLPF [P. Nelson PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization orTELO [Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R.SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V.ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [RanilWICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P.CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, representedin either Parliament or provincial councils

Political pressuregroups and

leaders:

Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE[Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state);radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement AgainstTerrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; Tamil Eela Makkal ViduthalaiPulikal, TMVP or "Karuna group" [Vinayagamurthi MURALITHARAN](paramilitary breakaway from LTTE and fighting against LTTE)

Internationalorganization

participation:

AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS(observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,WTO

Diplomaticrepresentation in

the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Bernard GOONETILLEKE chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028) FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York

Diplomaticrepresentation

from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr. embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500 FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345



Flag description: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal verticalbands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark redrectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf ineach corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag andextends between the two panels

Economy Sri Lanka Top of Page

Economy -overview:

In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its importsubstitution trade policy for more market-oriented policies, export-orientedtrade, and encouragement of foreign investment. Recent changes in government,however, have brought some policy reversals. Currently, the ruling Sri LankaFreedom Party has a more statist economic approach, which seeks to reducepoverty by steering investment to disadvantaged areas, developing small andmedium enterprises, promoting agriculture, and expanding the already enormouscivil service. The government has halted most privatizations. Although sufferinga brutal civil war that began in 1983, Sri Lanka saw GDP growth average 4.5%in the last 10 years with the exception of a recession in 2001. In late December2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property.Growth, partly spurred by reconstruction, reached 5% in 2005 and more than 6%in 2006. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles andapparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, andinsurance and banking. In 2005, plantation crops made up only about 15% ofexports (compared with more than 90% in 1970), while textiles and garmentsaccounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% inthe Middle East. They send home more than $1 billion a year. The struggle bythe Tamil Tigers of the north and east for an independent homeland continues tocast a shadow over the economy.

GDP (purchasingpower parity):

$93.33 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (officialexchange rate):

$27.4 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growthrate:

6.3% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita(PPP):

$4,600 (2006 est.)

GDP - compositionby sector:

agriculture: 17.3% industry: 27.3% services: 55.3% (2006 est.)



Labor force: 7.5 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - byoccupation:

agriculture: 34.3% industry: 25.3% services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.)

Unemploymentrate:

7.6% (2006 est.)

Population belowpoverty line:

22% (2002 est.)

Household incomeor consumption bypercentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 39.7% (FY03/04)

Distribution offamily income -

Gini index:

50 (FY03/04)

Inflation rate(consumer prices):

12.1% (2006 est.)

Investment (grossfixed):

28.2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget: revenues: $5.61 billion expenditures: $8.39 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.8 billion (FY07est.)

Public debt: 89.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture -products:

rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs,hides, beef; fish

Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities;telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleumrefining

Industrialproduction growth

rate:

6.2% (2006 est.)

Electricity -production:

8.766 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity -consumption:



consumption: 8.17 billion kWh (2005)Electricity -

exports:

0 kWh (2005)Electricity -

imports:

0 kWh (2005)Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2006 est.)Oil - consumption:

82,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)Oil - exports:

NA bbl/dayOil - imports:

NA bbl/dayNatural gas -

production:

0 cu m (2006 est.)Natural gas -

consumption:

0 cu m (2006 est.)Current account

balance:

$-1.118 billion (2006 est.)Exports:

$7.076 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)Exports -

commodities:

textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconutproducts, rubber manufactures, fish

Exports - partners: US 31.1%, UK 12.2%, India 8.9%, Germany 4.3% (2005)

Imports: $9.655 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports -commodities:

textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery andtransportation equipment

Imports - partners: India 20.7%, Singapore 8.3%, Hong Kong 7.3%, China 7.1%, Iran 5.9%,Malaysia 4.4%, Japan 4.3% (2005)

Reserves offoreign exchange

and gold:

$2.81 billion (2006 est.)



Debt - external: $12.23 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid -recipient:

$808 million (2005)

Currency (code): Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194(2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Sri Lanka Top of Page

Telephones - mainlines in use:

1.51 million (2006)

Telephones -mobile cellular:

4.284 million (2006)

Telephone system: general assessment: telephone services have improved significantly and areavailable in most parts of the country domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radiorelay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and 2 fixed wireless localloops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems andmobile cellular subscribership is increasing; telephone density remains low(2006) international: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia, Djibouti, Indiaand Maldives; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcaststations:

34 (station types NA) (2006)

Televisionbroadcast stations:

14 (2006)

Internet countrycode:

.lk

Internet hosts: 6,526 (2006)

Internet users: 280,000 (2005)

Transportation Sri Lanka Top of Page



Airports: 16 (2006)

Airports - withpaved runways:

total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2006)

Airports - withunpaved runways:

total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Railways: total: 1,449 km broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2005)

Roadways: total: 97,287 km paved: 78,802 km unpaved: 18,485 km (2003)

Waterways: 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2005)

Merchant marine: total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 144,066 GRT/196,418 DWT by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, container 2, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 7 (Germany 5, UAE 2) registered in other countries: 5 (Panama 5) (2006)

Ports andterminals:

Colombo, Galle

Military Sri Lanka Top of Page

Military branches: Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lankan Air Force (2006)

Military serviceage and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Manpoweravailable for

military service:

males age 18-49: 4,933,217 females age 18-49: 5,153,597 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit formilitary service:

males age 18-49: 3,789,627 females age 18-49: 4,281,043 (2005 est.)

Manpowerreaching military



reaching militaryservice age

annually:

males age 18-49: 174,049 females age 18-49: 167,201 (2005 est.)

Militaryexpenditures -

percent of GDP:

3.3% (2006 est.)

TransnationalIssues Sri Lanka Top of Page

Disputes -international:

none

Refugees andinternally

displaced persons:

IDPs: 500,000-600,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to long-term Tamil conflict renewed in 2006) (2006)

This page was last updated on 17 April, 2007

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CIA - The World Factbook -- Sri Lankaalliance.la.asu.edu/mywonderfulworld/GeoMath/Hearmenow/CIAFactbo… · The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th ... Sinhalese, and customary