31/08/2013
"Ceylon" redirects here. For the time period of 1948–1972, see Dominion of Ceylon. For other uses, see Ceylon (disambiguation).
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
ශ්රී ලංකා ප්රජාතාන්ත්රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජය
இலங்கை சனநாயக சோசலிசக் குடியரசு
Flag Emblem
Anthem: Sri Lanka Matha
Mother Sri Lanka
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Capital Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte
(Administrative)
Colombo
(Commercial)
6°54′N 79°54′E
Largest city Colombo
Official languages
Sinhala
Tamil
Recognized English
Demonym Sri Lankan
Government Unitary semi-presidential
democratic socialist
constitutional republic
- President Mahinda Rajapaksa
- Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne
- Speaker of the Parliament Chamal Rajapaksa
- Chief Justice Mohan Peiris[1]
Legislature Parliament
Independence from the United Kingdom
- Dominion 4 February 1948
- Republic 22 May 1972
- Current constitution 7 September 1978
Area
- Total 65,610 km2 (122nd)
25,332 sq mi
- Water (%) 4.4
Population
- 2012 census 20,277,597[2] (57th)
- Density 323/km2 (40th)
836.6/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2012 estimate
- Total $127 billion[3] (64th)
- Per capita $6,135[3] (111th)
GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate
- Total $64.914 billion[3] (68th)
- Per capita $3,139[3] (123rd)
Gini (2010) 36.4[4]
medium
HDI (2012) Increase 0.715[5]
high · 92nd
Currency Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Time zone SLST (UTC+5:30)
Date format dd/mm/yyyy (AD)
Drives on the left
Calling code +94
ISO 3166 code LK
Internet TLD
.lk
.ලංකා
.இலங்கை
Sri Lanka (/sriːˈlɑːŋkə/, /sriːˈlæŋkə/ or Listeni/ʃriː ˈlɑːŋkə/;[6][7] Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාව, śrī laṃkāva, Tamil: இலங்கை, ilaṅkai), officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon (/sɨˈlɒn/, /seɪˈlɒn/, or /siːˈlɒn/), Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest.
Sri Lanka has a documented history that spans over 3000 years.[8] Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road[9] through to World War II.[10] Sri Lanka is a diverse country home to many religions, ethnicities and languages.[11] It is the land of the Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Moors, Indian Tamils, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda.[12] Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings were composed on the island.[13] The country's recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war which decisively but controversially[14] ended in a military victory in 2009.[15]
Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state governed by a presidential system. The capital, Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, is a suburb of the largest city, Colombo. An important producer of tea, coffee, gemstones, coconuts, rubber and the native cinnamon,[16] Sri Lanka has been called the tear drop of India because of its shape and location and is known as "the Pearl of the Indian Ocean" because of its natural beauty. It is also known as "the nation of smiling people".[17] The island contains tropical forests and diverse landscapes with high biodiversity.
The country has had a long history of international engagement, being a founding member of SAARC and a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the G77 and the Non-Aligned Movement. It is also the only country in South Asia that is currently rated 'high' on the Human Development Index.[5]
