Sri Lanka

republicIndependence 4 February 1948 (from UK)

Sri Lanka as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 99 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalColombo

Position7 00 N, 81 00 E

Area65,610 sq km

LocationSouthern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Populationas each edition published it

18.72 million July 1997 est. · 17.2m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.14% 1997 est. · 1.11% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 28.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

72.42 years 1997 est. · 71.51 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.15 children per woman 1997 est. · 2.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

16.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 31 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$3,760 1996 est. · $440 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3.7% 1996 est. · 4.5% in 1993

Geography

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

18 fields

Area

65,610sq km

land: 64,740 sq kmwater: 870 sq kmslightly larger than West Virginia

Coastline

1,340km

land boundaries: 0 kmcontiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

2,524m

Pidurutalagalalowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Irrigated land

5,500sq km

(1993 est.)

Location

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Climate

tropical monsoon;
northeast monsoon (December to March);
southwest monsoon (June to October)

Terrain

mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

Natural resources

limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay

Land use

arable land:: 14%
permanent crops:: 15%
permanent pastures :: 7%
forests and woodland:: 32%
other:: 32% (1993 est.)

Environment - current issues

deforestation;
soil erosion;
wildlife populations threatened by poaching;
coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution;
freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified:: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note

strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

People

15 fields

Population

18,721,178

(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 1.14% (1997 est.)

Note

note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of late 1996, 63,068 were housed in refugee camps in south India, another 30,000-40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought political asylum in the West

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth

18.64Death

5.9Net migration

-1.37

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1997 est.)72.42

69.75 · 75.23

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1995 est.)90.2%

93.4% · 87.2%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Religions

Buddhist 69%Hindu 15%Christian 8%Muslim 8%

Age structure

0-14 years:: 28% (male 2,698,852; female 2,581,476) 15-64 years : 66% (male 6,019,140; female 6,266,311)
65 years and over:: 6% (male 565,671; female 589,728) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

16.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.15 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective:: Sri Lankan

Ethnic groups

Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%

Languages

Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken by about 10% of the population

Government

Republic; President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994)

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

62%

Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%other 1%

Parliament, 225 seats, elected 16 August 1994one dot, one seat

PA 105UNP 94EPDP 9SLMC 7TULF 5PLOTE 3SLPF 1UPF 1

Percent of vote

PA 49.0%UNP 44.0%SLMC 1.8%TULF 1.7%SLPF 1.1%EPDP 0.3%UPF 0.3%PLOTE 0.1%other 1.7%

Country name

conventional long form :: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form:: Sri Lanka
former:: Ceylon

Data code

Government type

republic

National capital

Colombo

Administrative divisions

8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western

Independence

4 February 1948 (from UK)

National holiday

Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)

Constitution

adopted 16 August 1978

Legal system

a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994);
note - Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister;
in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist
head of government:: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994);
note - Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister;
in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister
elections :: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000)
election results :: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA elected president;
percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%, other 1%

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system to serve six-year terms)

elections:: last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000)
election results:: percent of vote by party - PA 49.0%, UNP 44.0%, SLMC 1.8%, TULF 1.7%, SLPF 1.1%, EPDP 0.3%, UPF 0.3%, PLOTE 0.1%, other 1.7%;
seats by party - PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3, SLPF 1, UPF 1

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission; Court of Appeals

Political parties and leaders

All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), C. G. Kumar PONNAMBALAM;
Ceylon Workers Congress (CLDC), S. THONDAMAN;
Communist Party, K. P. SILVA;
Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N. SHANMUGATHASAN;
Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF), leader NA;
Democratic United National Front (DUNF), G. M. PREMACHANDRA;
Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas DEVANANDA;
Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRL), Suresh PREMACHANDRAN;
Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS), Shankar RAJI;
Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite (LSSP, or Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Colin R. DE SILVA;
Liberal Party (LP), Chanaka AMARATUNGA;
New Socialist Party (NSSP, or Nava Sama Samaja Party), Vasudeva NANAYAKKARA;
People's Alliance (PA), Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA;
People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Dharmalingam SIDARTHAN;
People's United Front (MEP, or Mahajana Eksath Peramuna), Dinesh GUNAWARDENE;
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE;
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), M. H. M. ASHRAFF;
Sri Lanka People's Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka Mahajana Party), Ossie ABEYGUNASEKERA;
Sri Lanka Progressive Front (SLPF), leader NA;
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), leader NA;
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), M. SIVASITHAMBARAM;
United National Party (UNP), Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGA;
Upcountry People's Front (UPF), leader NA;
several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either parliament or provincial councils

note: the United Socialist Alliance (USA), which was formed in 1987 and included the NSSP, LSSP, SLMP, CP/M, and CP/B, was defunct as of 1993, following the formation of the People's Alliance Party (PA)

Political pressure groups and leaders

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil separatist groups;
other radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups;
Buddhist clergy;
Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups;
labor unions

International organization participation

AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Geetha DE SILVA
chancery :: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 483-4025 through 4028

FAX

[1] (202) 232-7181; consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador A. Peter BURLEIGH
embassy:: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address :: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone:: [94] (1) 448007

FAX

[94] (1) 437345, 446013

Flag description

yellow with two panels;
the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange;
the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner;
the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels

Economy

Industry - dominated by the fast-growing apparel | industry - has surpassed agriculture as the main source of export | earnings.

22 fields

Real growth rate

3.7%

(1996 est.)industrial production growth: 6.2% (1996 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

15.9%

(1996)

Unemployment rate

13.1%

(1994)

Labor force

6.2million

(1994)by occupation: agriculture 42%, services 40%, industry 18% (1994)

GDP - composition by sector(1994)

agriculture 23.8%industry 24.7%services 51.5% (1994)

Budget

Revenues

$3 billionExpenditures

$4.2 billion (1997)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $1 billion

Economy - overview

Industry - dominated by the fast-growing apparel industry - has surpassed agriculture as the main source of export earnings. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth accelerated in 1991-95 as domestic conditions began to improve and conditions for foreign investment brightened.

In 1996, however, a drought, slow economic reform, and civil war exacted a heavy economic toll. Insufficient monsoon rains caused power cuts that hurt industrial and agricultural production, and the stepped-up Tamil insurgency reduced foreign investment and tourism - two key sources of foreign exchange.

Meanwhile, Colombo's counterinsurgency efforts caused defense expenditures to overshoot budget targets by 42%. In 1997, agricultural production should recover from the effects of last year's drought, but industry will still be hampered by high real interest rates, slow improvement in foreign investment inflows, and stalled progress on privatization.

The government's main challenge this year will be to curb defense and social welfare spending to cut the budget deficit as a percentage of GDP in half by 1998, as stipulated in its deficit reduction program.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $69.7 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,760 (1996 est.)

Industries

processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco

Electricity - capacity

1.56 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production

4.33 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

236 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products

rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, meat

Exports

total value:: $4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities:: textiles and apparel, tea, petroleum products, diamonds, other gems, rubber products (1994)
partners :: US 34.8%, UK 8.9%, Germany 6.9%, Belgium-Luxembourg 5.9% (1994)

Imports

total value:: $5 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
commodities:: textiles, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, petroleum, building materials, sugar (1994)
partners:: Japan 11.0%, India 8.5%, South Korea 6.8%, Hong Kong 6.6%, Taiwan 5.2%, Singapore 4.9% (1994)

Debt - external

$9.6 billion (1995)

Economic aid

recipient : ODA, $602 million (1995 est.)

Currency

1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1 - 56.921 (January 1997), 55.271 (1996), 51.252 (1995), 49.415 (1994), 48.322 (1993), 43.830 (1992)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

175,000

(1991 est.)

Telephone system

very inadequate domestic service, good international service

domestic:: NA
international:: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0

Radios

3.525 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

Televisions

865,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

9 fields

Merchant marine, 26 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1996 est.)

bulk 2cargo 13container 1oil tanker 2refrigerated cargo 8

Networkskm

Highways

98,642Railways

1,484Waterways

430

Highways: paved: 37,484 km · unpaved: 61,158 km (1993 est.) · Railways: broad gauge: 1,459 km 1.676-m gauge · narrow gauge: 25 km 0.762-m gauge (1995) · Waterways: ; navigable by shallow-draft craft