Area
65,525 sq kilometres or 25,299 sq miles.
Population
16,864,544 (official estimate in 2001).
Density
286 per sq kilometre.
Capitals
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the official; Colombo
is the commercial.
Population
2,234,289 (est.2001).
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is only 10 kilometres or 6 miles from Colombo.
Geography
Lies off the southeast coast of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka is disconnected from India by the Indian Ocean. It has an uneven surface of low-lying coastal plains running inland from the northern and eastern shores. The southern and central parts of Sri Lanka
slope up the hills and mountains. The highest summit is Pidurutalagala
(2,524 metres or 8,281 feet).
Government
Sri Lanka gained independence from the UK in 1948.
Head
of State: President Chandrika Kumaratunga since 1994.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
since 2001.
Languages
Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Religions
A Buddhist majority, with Hindu, Christian and Muslim minorities.
Time
GMT + 6 hours.
Electricity
230/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Round three-pin plugs, with bayonet lamp
fittings. |
