Sri Lanka

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaShri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu

republicIndependence 4 February 1948 (from UK)

Sri Lanka as the 2007 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 126 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, UTC+5.5

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

20.93 million July 2007 est. · 17.2m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.982% 2007 est. · 1.11% in 1993

Median ageyears

30 years 2007 est. · 28.7 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

74.8 years 2007 est. · 71.51 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.05 children per woman 2007 est. · 2.3 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

19.45 deaths per 1,000 live births 2007 est. · 31 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$4,700 2006 est. · $440 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

7.4% 2006 est. · 4.5% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom.

Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester.

After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but neither side has formally withdrawn from the cease-fire.

Geography

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

18 fields

Land useshare of 65,610 sq km

arable land 13.96%permanent crops 15.24%other 70.8% (2005)irrigated 7,430 sq km (2003)

Area

65,610sq km

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

Coastline

1,340km

land boundaries: 0 kmterritorial sea: 12 nmcontiguous zone: 24 nmexclusive economic zone: 200 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Highest point

2,524m

Pidurutalagalalowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

7 00 N, 81 00 E

Map references

Asia

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, hydropower

Natural hazards

occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

party to:: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note

strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

People

19 fields

Age structuremale left, female right · (2007 est.)

765,507

65 and over7.8%

861,983

6,947,310

15-6467.9%

7,259,271

2,596,295

0-1424.3%

2,495,949

MaleFemale

Population

20,926,315

growth rate: 0.982% (2007 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 and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2007 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2007 est.)

Birth

17Death

6.01Net migration

-1.16

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2007 est.)74.8

72.81 · 76.88Infant mortality deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)19.45

21.2 · 17.63

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (2001 census)90.7%

92.3% · 89.1%Median age years (2007 est.)30

29.2 · 31

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups

Sinhalese 73.8%Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%Indian Tamil 4.6%Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%other 0.5%unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

Religions

Buddhist 69.1%Muslim 7.6%Hindu 7.1%Christian 6.2%unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.957 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.888 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.971 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.05 children born/woman (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

3,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality

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

Languages

Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population

Government

Republic; President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005); President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.3%

Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%other 1.3%election last held on 17 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011)

Parliament, 225 seats, elected 2 April 2004one dot, one seat

UNP 68SLFP 57JVP 39TNA 22CWC 8JHU 7SLMC 6SLMC dissidents 4Communist Party 2JHU dissidents 2LSSP 2MEP 2NUA 2UPF 2EPDP 1UNP dissident 1

Percent of vote

or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%UNP 37.8%TNA 6.8%JHU 6%SLMC 2%UPF 0.5%EPDP 0.3%other 1%

Country name

conventional long form:: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form:: Sri Lanka
local long form:: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu
local short form:: Shri Lamka/Ilankai
former:: Serendib, Ceylon

Government type

republic

Capital

name:: Colombo
geographic coordinates:: 6 56 N, 79 51 E
time difference:: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)

Administrative divisions

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

note: in October 2006, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruled voided a presidential directive merging the North and Eastern Provinces; many have defended the merger as a prerequisite for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict; a parliamentary decision on the issue is pending

Independence

4 February 1948 (from UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 February (1948)

Constitution

adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978

Legal system

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government;
Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the largely ceremonial title of prime minister
head of government:: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005)
cabinet:: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister
elections:: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011)
election results:: Mahinda RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3%

Legislative branch

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

elections:: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
election results:: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%, TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%, SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%;
seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNP dissident 1

Judicial branch

Supreme Court;
Court of Appeals;
judges for both courts are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders

All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [A. VINAYAKAMOORTHY];
Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN];
Communist Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA];
Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [T.N.S. NANAYAKKARA];
Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA];
Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN];
Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE];
Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP [Tissa VITHARANA];
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D. GUNAWARDENE];
National Heritage Party or JHU [Ellawala METHANANDA];
National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF];
People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN];
Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA];
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM];
Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson PERERA];
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN];
Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R. SAMPANTHAN];
Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE];
United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE];
Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN];
several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial councils

Political pressure groups and leaders

Buddhist clergy;
labor unions;
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state);
radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism;
Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups;
Tamil Eela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, TMVP or "Karuna group" [Vinayagamurthi MURALITHARAN] (paramilitary breakaway from LTTE and fighting against LTTE)

International organization participation

AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Bernard GOONETILLEKE
chancery:: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)
FAX:: [1] (202) 232-7181
consulate(s) general:: Los Angeles
consulate(s):: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr.
embassy:: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address:: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone:: [94] (11) 249-8500
FAX:: [94] (11) 243-7345

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 around the entire flag and extends between the two panels

Economy

In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for more market-oriented policies, export-oriented trade, and encouragement of foreign investment.

46 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$95.46billion

(2006 est.)official exchange rate: $27.4 billion (2006 est.)

GDP per capita, PPP

$4,700

(2006 est.)

Real growth rate

7.4%

(2006 est.)industrial production growth: 6.2% (2006 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

13.7%

(2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2006 est.)

agriculture 16.5%industry 27.1%services 56.5% (2006 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

27.6%

9.3%

India

19.6%

11.3%

China

10.5%

Singapore

8.7%

Iran

5.7%

Malaysia

5.1%

4.7%

Belgium

Hong Kong

4.2%

Japan

4.1%

Exports $7.172 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)Imports $9.378 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)(2006)

Budget

Revenues

$4.883 billionExpenditures

$6.827 billion (2006 est.)

Electricity

Electricity production

8.411 billion (2005)Electricity consumption

7.072 billion (2005)

Economy - overview

In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for more market-oriented policies, export-oriented trade, and encouragement of foreign investment. Recent changes in government, however, have brought some policy reversals. Currently, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party has a more statist economic approach, which seeks to reduce poverty by steering investment to disadvantaged areas, developing small and medium enterprises, promoting agriculture, and expanding the already enormous civil service.

The government has halted most privatizations. Although suffering a brutal civil war that began in 1983, Sri Lanka saw GDP growth average 4.5% in the last 10 years with the exception of a recession in 2001. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property.

Growth, partly spurred by reconstruction, reached 5% in 2005 and more than 6% in 2006. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2005, plantation crops made up only about 15% of exports (compared with more than 90% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East.

They send home more than $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for an independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy.

Labor force

7.602 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture:: 34.3%
industry:: 25.3%
services:: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

7.6% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

22% (2002 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

50 (FY03/04)

Investment (gross fixed)

28.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

Public debt

93% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts;
milk, eggs, hides, beef;
fish

Industries

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

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

82,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Current account balance

$-1.046 billion (2006 est.)

Exports

$7.172 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

textiles and apparel, tea and spices;
diamonds, emeralds, rubies;
coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish

Imports

$9.378 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment

Economic aid - recipient

$1.189 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.948 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$12.16 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares

$7.769 billion (2006)

Currency (code)

Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

Exchange rates

Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Mobile cellular

5.959 million

(2007)

Internet users

6,198

(2007)

Fixed lines

2.087 million

(2007) · country code .lk

Telephone system

general assessment:: telephone services have improved significantly and are available in most parts of the country
domestic:: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay;
fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and 2 fixed wireless local loops have been installed;
competition is strong in mobile cellular systems and mobile cellular subscribership is increasing;
telephone density remains low
international:: country code - 94;
submarine cables to Indonesia, Djibouti, India and Maldives;
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

34 (station types NA) (2006)

Television broadcast stations

14 (2006)

Internet users

428,000 (2006)

Transportation

8 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

over 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

Paved 14Unpaved 4

Networkskm

Roadways

97,287Railways

1,449Waterways

160 (2006)

Roadways: paved: 78,802 km · unpaved: 18,485 km (2003) · Railways: broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2006) · Waterways: (primarily on rivers in southwest)