Sri Lanka

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

republicIndependence 4 February 1948 (from UK)

Sri Lanka as the 1998 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

18.93 million July 1998 est. · 17.2m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.12% 1998 est. · 1.11% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 28.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

72.55 years 1998 est. · 71.51 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.12 children per woman 1998 est. · 2.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

16.33 deaths per 1,000 live births 1998 est. · 31 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$3,800 1997 est. · $440 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

6% 1997 est. · 4.5% in 1993

Geography

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

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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

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Population

18,933,558

(July 1998 est.)growth rate: 1.12% (1998 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(1998 est.)

Birth

18.4Death

5.96Net migration

-1.25

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1998 est.)72.55

69.82 · 75.41

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 2,673,194; female 2,556,926)
15-64 years:: 66% (male 6,126,759; female 6,385,450)
65 years and over:: 6% (male 579,329; female 611,900) (July 1998 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.95 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate

16.33 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.12 children born/woman (1998 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)

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Presidential electionpercent of vote

62%

Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%other 1%election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000)

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 (Lalith) Front (DUNLF), Srimani ATHULATHMUDALI;
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;
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), Somawansa AMERASINGHE;
Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite (LSSP, or Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Batty WEERAKOON;
Liberal Party (LP), Rajira WIJESINGHE;
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), Uma MAHESWARAN;
People's United Front (MEP, or Mahajana Eksath Peramuna), Dinesh GUNAWARDENE;
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA;
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), M. H. M. ASHRAFF;
Sri Lanka People's Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka Mahajana Party), Y. P. DE SILVA;
Sri Lanka Progressive Front (SLPF), Ariya BULEGODA;
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), M. K. SIVAJILINGHAM;
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), M. SIVASITHAMBARAM;
United National Party (UNP), Ranil WICHREMESINGHE;
Upcountry People's Front (UPF), Periyasamy CHANDRASEKARAN;
Desha Vimukthi Janatha Party (DVJP), P.M. Podi APPUHAMY;
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);
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 Warnasena RASAPUTRAM
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 Shaun E. DONNELLY
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

At independence in 1948, plantations growing tea, | rubber, or coconuts and paddies growing rice for subsistence dominated | Sri Lanka's economy, and, as late as 1970, plantation crops accounted | for 93% of exports.

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GDP, purchasing power parity

-$72.1billion

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

-$3,800

purchasing power parity · (1997 est.)

Real growth rate

(1997 est.)industrial production growth: 6.5% (1996 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

9.6%

(1997)

GDP-composition by sector(1996)

agriculture 18.4%industry 18%services 63.6% (1996)

Budget

Revenues

$3 billionExpenditures

$4.2 billion (1997 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $1 billion

Fixed lines

352,681

(1997 est.); note-in addition, there are 114,888 mobile telephones (1997 est.)

Economy-overview

At independence in 1948, plantations growing tea, rubber, or coconuts and paddies growing rice for subsistence dominated Sri Lanka's economy, and, as late as 1970, plantation crops accounted for 93% of exports. In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade.

Sri Lanka's most dynamic industries now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports, while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an annual average rate of 5.5% throughout the 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996.

The economy rebounded in second half 1996, however, and continued to perform well in 1997 with growth of 6%. Sustained economic growth, coupled with population growth of only 1.1%, has pushed Sri Lanka from the ranks of the poorest countries in the world up to the threshold of the middle income countries.

For the next round of reforms, the central bank of Sri Lanka recommends that Colombo expand market mechanisms in nonplantation agriculture, dismantle the government's monopoly on wheat imports, and promote more competition in the financial sector. A continuing cloud over the economy is the fighting between the Sinhalese and the minority Tamils, which has cost 50,000 lives in the past 14 years.

Labor force

total:: 6.2 million (1997)
by occupation:: services 46%, agriculture 37%, industry 17% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate

11% (1997 est.)

Industries

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

Electricity-capacity

1.557 million kW (1997 est.)

Electricity-production

4.86 billion kWh (1997 est.)

Electricity-consumption per capita

220 kWh (1997 est.)

Agriculture-products

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

Exports

total value:: $4.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities:: textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds and other gems, rubber products, petroleum products (1995)
partners:: US 34%, UK 9.5%, Japan 6.2%, Germany 5.8%, Belgium-Luxembourg 5.3% (1996)

Imports

total value:: $5.4 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities:: machinery and equipment, textiles, transport equipment, petroleum, building materials, sugar, wheat (1996)
partners:: India 10.4%, Japan 9.1%, South Korea 6.5%, Hong Kong 6.5%, Taiwan 5.3% (1996)

Debt-external

$9.4 billion (1996)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $620 million (1996 est.)

Currency

1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1-61.479 (January 1998), 58.995 (1997), 55.271 (1996), 51.252 (1995), 49.415 (1994), 48.322 (1993)

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

Telephone system

very inadequate domestic service, but expanding with the entry of two wireless loop operators and privatization of national telephone company; 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

3.6 million (1996 est.)

Television broadcast stations

Televisions

1.6 million (1996 est.)

Transportation

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Merchant marine, 24 ships by typeone square, one ship · (1997 est.)

bulk 2cargo 13container 1oil tanker 2refrigerated cargo 6

Networkskm

Highways

99,200Railways

1,501Waterways

430

Highways: paved: 39,680 km · unpaved: 59,520 km (1996 est.) · Railways: broad gauge: 1,442 km 1.676-m gauge · narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (1995) · Waterways: ; navigable by shallow-draft craft