Information
Country: Sri LankaContinent: Asia
Sri Lanka, Asia
Overview
Sri Lanka, officially called the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is a lush island nation in the Indian Ocean, lying just off India’s southeastern shore where warm waves break against golden sand.Once called the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean” and, long ago, “Serendib,” Sri Lanka dazzles with lush green hills, centuries of history, vibrant traditions, and wildlife that stirs the air with sudden bursts of color.Sri Lanka sits between 5° and 10°N and 79° and 82°E, covering about 65,610 square kilometers, with flat coastal plains wrapping around a mountainous heart crowned by Pidurutalagala at 2,524 meters.The climate is tropical, shaped by two monsoons-the wet southwest from May to September and the northeast from December to February.Its wildlife thrives in places like Yala, Udawalawe, and the lush Sinharaja Rainforest.Ancient kingdoms such as Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa once mastered irrigation and city planning, while European powers-Portuguese in 1505, Dutch in 1658, and British in 1796-left lasting marks, including a booming tea, cinnamon, and rubber trade.Independence came on February 4, 1948.Today, the Sinhalese form the majority, joined by Tamils, Moors, Burghers, and others; Sinhala and Tamil are official languages, with English common in business and education.Buddhism dominates, alongside Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity.Tea, rubber, coconuts, and spices still anchor agriculture, while tourism draws visitors to ancient ruins, tea-covered hills, golden beaches, and rich wildlife; textiles and overseas remittances bolster the economy, though debt, inflation, and instability pose challenges.Highlights include the Cultural Triangle-Anuradhapura’s sacred sites, Polonnaruwa’s ruins, Sigiriya’s sheer rock fortress-Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, Nuwara Eliya’s misty plantations, and coasts from Unawatuna to Arugam Bay.Yala offers glimpses of leopards; Minneriya hosts vast elephant gatherings; Galle Fort stands as a UNESCO-protected colonial relic.Meals revolve around rice and curry, bright with coconut sambal, with specialties like hoppers, kottu roti, lamprais, and spicy seafood, all best with a cup of fragrant Ceylon tea.Festivals light the calendar-Vesak’s lanterns, Kandy’s Esala Perahera, Thai Pongal’s harvest feasts, Deepavali’s shimmering lamps.Leopards, elephants, purple-faced langurs, whales off Mirissa, and coral reefs in Hikkaduwa showcase its biodiversity, protected in reserves like Sinharaja and Horton Plains.Yet deforestation, pollution, climate change, and lingering postwar tensions remain concerns.Known for its cinnamon, home to the multi-faith pilgrimage of Adam’s Peak, and proud of a literacy rate topping 92%, Sri Lanka is as complex as it is beautiful.
