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GEOGRAPHY & BACKGROUND

In 1972, the official name of the nation that governs the island was changed to "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka". In 1978 it was changed to "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka". Prior to 1972, Sri Lanka was known by a variety of names; ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane, Arabs referred to it as Serendib, but the best known is Ceylon. "Sri Lanka" (originally Sanskrit) is translated as "venerable Lanka", "sri" meaning "venerable" and "la?ka" being the ancient name of the island as attested in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

The island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

According to Hindu mythology, a land bridge to the Indian mainland, known as Rama's Bridge, was constructed during the time of Rama. Often referred to as Adam's Bridge, it now amounts to only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. According to temple records, this natural causeway was formerly complete, but was breached by a violent storm (probably a cyclone) in 1480.

The pear-shaped island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. Amongst these are Sri Pada and the highest point Pidurutalagala (also known as Mt Pedro), at 2,524 meters (8,281 ft). The Mahaweli ganga (Mahaweli river) and other major rivers provide fresh water.

At its maximum, Sri Lanka is 435KM / 235 miles long (North to South) and 225KM / 140 miles wide (East to West).

The climate is tropical, characterized by monsoons: the northeast monsoon lasts from December to March, the southwest June to October. The lowest gravitational field on Earth lies just off the coast of Sri Lanka.

Mosque in GalleSri Lanka has the world's 53rd largest population. The Sri Lankan population has not been growing as quickly as many other Asian countries but has kept a steady pace for the last 20 years. The precise population is unclear (between 16 and 20 million) because many people have been displaced as a result of the ethnic conflict and the tsunami. The population growth rate is 0.79% compared to 1.4% in India and 2.03% in Pakistan. Sri Lanka has a birth rate of 15.63 birth per 1,000 people and a death rate of 6.49 deaths per 1,000 people. Population density is greatest in the western part of the country, particularly around the largest city, Colombo.

Ethnic identities in Sri Lanka generally do not represent the genetic heritage. Assimilation and intermixing has produced a group of people who are only marginally different from each other irrespective of ethnic boundaries. About 74% of Sri Lankans are Sinhalese. Sri Lankan Tamils constitute 18%, and though scattered evenly throughout the country, form a large proportion in the north, east and central provinces. Tamils comprise two communities: Native Tamils and immigrants from India (who arrived during the late colonial period) called “Indian Origin" (or "estate") Tamils. There is a large population of Moors (Muslims of Arab descent), living in all parts of the island, but forming a large percentage of the population living in the Eastern Province. There are smaller ethnic groups such as the Burghers (of mixed European descent) and Malay people. There is also a small population of the indigenous inhabitants of the island called Wanniyala-Aetto or Veddahs.

Both Sinhala and Tamil are official languages. English, the link language in the present constitution, is spoken competently by about 10% of the population, and is widely understood. All three languages are used in education, business and administration.

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