Sri Lanka

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

total:

12.61 cu km/yr (2%/2%/95%)

per capita:

608 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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

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

at birth:

1.044 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.86 male(s)/female

total population:

0.97 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease:

dengue fever and chikungunya

water contact disease:

leptospirosis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2009)

noun:

Sri Lankan(s)

adjective:

Sri Lankan

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

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)

chief of state:

• President Mahinda Percy RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government;
• Dissanayake Mudiyanselage JAYARATNE holds the largely ceremonial title of prime minister (since 21 April 2010)

head of government:

President Mahinda Percy RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (two-term limit); election last held on 26 January 2010 (next to be held in 2016)

election results:

Mahinda RAJAPAKSA reelected president for second term; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 57.88%, Sarath FONSEKA 40.15%, other 1.97%

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

Coalitions and leaders:

• Democratic National Alliance led by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE];
• Tamil National Alliance led by Illandai Tamil Arasu Kachchi [R. SAMPANTHAN];
• United National Front led by United National Party [Ranil WICKREMESINGHE];
• United People's Freedom Alliance led by Sri Lanka Freedom Party [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA]

• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [P. SIVAPARAN, Chief of International Secretariat; V. RUDRAKUMARAN, legal advisor];
• note - this insurgent group suffered military defeat in May 2009;
• some cadres remain scattered throughout country;

other:

• Buddhist clergy;
• labor unions;
• radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism;
• Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jaliya Chitran WICKRAMASURIYA

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Patricia A. BUTENIS

embassy:

210 Galle Road, Colombo 3

mailing address:

P. O. Box 106, Colombo

telephone:

[94] (11) 249-8500

FAX:

[94] (11) 243-7345

• yellow with two panels;
• the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange;
• the other larger panel depicts a yellow lion holding a sword on a dark red rectangular field that also displays a yellow bo leaf in each corner;
• the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels;
• the lion represents Sinhalese ethnicity, the strength of the nation, and bravery;
• the sword demonstrates the sovereignty of the nation;
• the four bo leaves - symbolizing Buddhism and its influence on the country - stand for the four virtues of kindness, friendliness, happiness, and equanimity;
• orange signifies Sri Lankan Tamils, green the Sri Lankan Moors;
• dark red represents the European Burghers, but also refers to the rich colonial background of the country;
• yellow denotes other ethnic groups;
• also referred to as the Lion Flag

name:

"Sri Lanka Matha" (Mother Sri Lanka)

lyrics/music:

Ananda SAMARKONE

note: adopted 1951

agriculture:

32.7%

industry:

26.3%

services:

41% (December 2008 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.1%

highest 10%:

39.7% (2004)

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

• processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities;
• telecommunications, insurance, banking;
• tourism, shipping;
• clothing, textiles;
• cement, petroleum refining, information technology services, construction

• textiles and apparel, tea and spices;
• rubber manufactures;
• precious stones;
• coconut products, fish

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 fixed wireless local loops have been installed;
• competition is strong in mobile cellular systems and mobile cellular subscribership is increasing

international:

• country code - 94;
• the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, Australia, Middle East, Europe, US;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

• government operates 2 television channels and a radio network;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV subscription services are obtainable;
• 8 private TV stations and about a dozen private radio stations in operation (2008)

total:

1,449 km

country comparison to the world: 82

broad gauge:

1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2007)

males age 16-49:

5,493,050

females age 16-49:

5,622,632 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

4,518,582

females age 16-49:

4,701,942 (2010 est.)

male:

172,081

female:

166,358 (2010 est.)

current situation:

• Sri Lanka is a source and destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation;
• Sri Lankan men and women migrate willingly to the Persian Gulf, Middle East, and East Asia to work as construction workers, domestic servants, or garment factory workers, where some find themselves in situations of involuntary servitude when faced with restrictions on movement, withholding of passports, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and debt bondage;
• children are trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation and, less frequently, for forced labor

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - for a fourth consecutive year, Sri Lanka is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of human trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement;
• the government failed to arrest, prosecute, or convict any person for trafficking offenses and continued to punish some victims of trafficking for crimes committed as a result of being trafficked;
• Sri Lanka has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)