Fact File
- Country Name
- Sri Lanka
- Size
- 65,525 sq km
- Location
- An island off the south-eastern costal shores of India, 880 km north of the equator, in the Indian Ocean.
- Capital
- Sri Jayawardenapura
- Commercial Capital
- Colombo
- Government
- Sri Lanka is a free, independent and a sovereign nation with a population of 20,926,315 (July 2007 est.). Legislative power is exercised by the Parliament elected by universal franchise on proportional representation basis. The President, is elected by the people to 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.
- National Flag
- The National Flag of Sri Lanka is the Lion Flag. A Lion bearing a sword in its right hand is depicted in gold on a red background with a yellow border with four Bo leaves pointing inwards in the four corners of the flag. Two vertical bands of green and orange at the left end represent the minority ethnic groups. It is an adaptation of the standard of Sri Wickramarajasinghe, the last King of Sri Lanka.
- National Anthem
- "Sri Lanka Matha" composed by late Ananda Samarakoon.
- National Flower
- The Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata).
- Population
- 20,926,315
- Population Density
- 309 people per sq km
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- 74 for female, 64 for male
- Literacy rate
- 91.8%
- 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 per cent; Tamil- 18 per cent; Muslim -7 per cent; Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonists) and others- 1 per cent.
- Religions
- Buddhism- 70 per cent; Hinduism- 16 per cent; Christianity- 7 per cent; Islam-7 per cent.
- 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 to January. Sri Lanka climate is ideal for holiday-makers throughout the year.
- Annual per capita GNP
- US$870
- Industries
- Processing of rubber, tea, coconut and other agricultural commodities, clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textile and tobacco.
- Agriculture – Products
- Rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices, tea, rubber, coconut, milk, eggs, hides and meat.
- Currency
- Sri Lanka follows the decimal currency system in Rupees (Rs.) and cents (Cts.) with 100 cents that equals to a rupee. Currency notes are available in the denominations of Rs.10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 & 2000. Coins are issued in values of Cts. 25 and 50 and Rs.1, 2, 5 and 10. The foreign exchange currency is the US Dollar.
- Visa
- Residents from permitted countries are issued visas on arrival. Consult your local Sri Lanka embassy, consulate, tourist office or your travel agent for more details.
- Working Days
- Five working days (Monday to Friday)
- Business Hours
- Government offices are open for business from 9.00 am. -5.00 pm from Monday to Friday.
- Banks
- Open for business from 9.00 am. to 1.00 pm. or 3.00 pm from Monday to Saturday
- Post Office
- Open for business from 8.30 am- 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday and from 8.30 am – 1.00 pm on Saturday.
- The Central Mail Exchange, located at D.R.Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo 10, (Telephone: 2326203) is open 24-hours for business.