Island
Island
An island with a proud history of over 2500 years and heart stirring scenic beauty awaits for your arrival; to greet you – Aayubowan, with the palms clasped together and a gentle bow. In Sri Lanka you surely find amazing diversity of sceneries you will never see in any part of the universe.
Surrounded by gleaming bronze beaches, greenish paddy fields, ruined cities, tremendous mountain ranges, tropical jungles, lively cities and villages, wildlife sanctuaries, waterfalls and the list goes on within a very small piece of land of approximately 65610 square km
History
The culture of the Sri Lankan community became a mixture with the historical civilizations and invasions. The very first legendary record states the arrival of prince Wijaya from North India with his escort of 700 men to Sri Lanka. Nevertheless the earliest records are around 380 BC with the formation of the first capital city of Sri Lanka – Anuradhapura. Subsequently with the invasions of Indian Chola, the realm was shifted to Pollonnaruwa and later to cities as Dambadeniya, Kurunegala, Kotte and Kandy. Then Sri Lankan history encounters the influences of Portuguese, Dutch and British. All in all, it is a fact that the existing Sri Lanka is a reflection of all the historical factors.
Area (km2)
Sri Lanka is located 880 Km north of the equator, off the southern tip of India, and has a maximum length of 432 Km and a maximum width of 224 Km.
Currency
Sri Lanka rupee (Rs). One rupee equals 100 cents. There are coins of 1, 2, 5, and 10 rupees. There are bills of 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5,000 rupees in current usage.
Population
Sri Lanka's population was estimated at 21.4 million in 2017. The country has the slowest growing population in south Asia, estimated at 0.9 percent annually.
Time zone(UTC)
Sri Lanka is located 880 Km north of the equator, off the southern tip of India, and average yearly temperatures range from 28 °C (82.4 °F) to nearly 31 °C (87.8 °F)
Culture
The impact of many cultures such as south Indian, Moorish and British have resulted in the enriched cultural diversity witnessed around the island today.
Economy
Economy of the Sri Lanka has been traditionally based on rice cultivation which is the main food crop in the island as well. Older exports were spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and pepper as smaller exports and even nowadays little coffee, tea and rubber. Apart from the vegetations, peacocks, elephants and gems had been exported due to commercial and cultural dealings to many countries.
General Public
The people of Sri Lanka vary in language, beliefs and culture. The Majority are Sinhalese who are Buddhists. The minority are Tamils most generally Hindus , Moors who follow Islam and a small number of Burgers. It has been a mixed culture as stated above that many Sinhalese and Tamil follow Christianity too.
Hospitality
Although it is in the road to modernization and development the country and its people cherish on the traditions and culture of them and preserve them strongly. The most important fact is which continues to attract travelers to Sri Lanka from abroad is as much as the beauty of the land – the warmth and friendly hospitality of the people like nowhere in the world. It is once again the duty of the visitors to know about the culture and beliefs of the people well, to respect and preserve them.
Thoughtful thoughts to your inbox
