Sri Lanka

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

agricultural land:

43.5%;

• arable land 20.7%;
• permanent crops 15.8%;
• permanent pasture 7%

forest:

29.4%

other:

27.1% (2011 est.)

• 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

noun:

Sri Lankan(s)

adjective:

Sri Lankan

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.96 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.86 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.74 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

degree of risk:

high

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease:

dengue fever

water contact disease:

leptospirosis

animal contact disease:

rabies (2016)

conventional long form:

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

conventional short form:

Sri Lanka

local long form:

Shri Lanka Prajatantrika Samajavadi Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu

local short form:

Shri Lanka/Ilankai

former:

Serendib, Ceylon

note: the name means "resplendent island" in Sanskrit

name:

Colombo; note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital

geographic coordinates:

6 55 N, 79 50 E

time difference:

UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• several previous;
• latest adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978;
• amended many times, last in 2015 (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Sri Lanka

dual citizenship recognized:

no, except in cases where the government rules it is to the benefit of Sri Lanka

residency requirement for naturalization:

7 years

chief of state:

• President Maithripala SIRISENA (since 9 January 2015);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government;
• Ranil WICKREMESINGHE (since 9 January 2015) holds the title of prime minister

head of government:

President Maithripala SIRISENA (since 9 January 2015)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by preferential majority popular vote for a 6-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 8 January 2015 (next to be held by January 2021);
• note - the January 2015 election was held nearly 2 years ahead of schedule

election results:

Maithripala SIRISENA elected president; percent of vote - Maithripala SIRISENA (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) 51.3%, Mahinda Percy RAJAPAKSA (Sri Lanka Freedom Party) 47.6%, other 1.1%

description:

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; 196 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote using a preferential method in which voters select 3 candidates in order of preference; remaining 29 seats allocated to other political parties and groups in proportion to share of national vote; members serve 6-year terms)

elections:

last held on 17 August 2015 following President SIRISENA's dissolution of Parliament in late June in an effort to consolidate power and pass reforms (next to be held in 2021)

election results:

• percent of vote by alliance/party - EYJP 45.7%, UPFA 42.4%, JVP 4.9%, TNA 4.6%, SLMC 0.4%, EPDP 0.3% other 1.7%;
• seats by alliance/party EYJP 106, UPFA 95, TNA 16, JVP 6, SLMC 1, EPDP 1

highest court(s):

Supreme Court of the Republic (consists of the chief justice and 10 justices); note - the court has exclusive jurisdiction to review legislation

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice appointed by the president;
• other justices appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice;
• all justices hold office until age 65

subordinate courts:

• Court of Appeals;
• High Courts;
• Magistrate's Courts;
• municipal and primary courts

• Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]
• Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Anura Kumara DISSANAYAKE]
• Jathika Hela Urumaya or JHU [Patali Champika RANAWAKA]
• Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Maithripala SIRISENA]
• Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]
• Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R. SAMPANTHAN]
• United National Front for Good Governance or EYJP (coalition includes UNP)
• United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMESINGHE]
• United People's Freedom Alliance or UPFA (coalition includes SLFP)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Prasad KARIYAWASAM (since 14 July 2014)

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, New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Atul KESHAP (since 21 August 2015); note - also accredited to Maldives

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 maroon 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 Sri Lankan Moors, and maroon the Sinhalese majority;
• 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

• 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

agriculture:

28.4%

industry:

25.7%

services:

45.9% (30 Jun 2015)

lowest 10%:

1.6%

highest 10%:

39.5% (2009)

• 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) (2015)

• government operates 8 TV channels and a radio network;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV subscription services available;
• 35 private TV stations and about 50 radio stations (2012)

number of registered air carriers:

3; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 25

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

4,911,730

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

381,381,300 mt-km (2015)

total:

1,447 km

broad gauge:

1,447 km 1.676-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 79

total:

114,093 km

paved:

16,977 km

unpaved:

97,116 km (2010)

country comparison to the world: 41

total:

21

by type:

bulk carrier 4, cargo 13, chemical tanker 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2

foreign-owned:

8 (Germany 8) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 94

major seaport(s):

Colombo

container port(s) (TEUs):

Colombo (3,651,963)

• 18-22 years of age for voluntary military service;
• no conscription;
• 5-year service obligation (Air Force) (2012)

current situation:

• Sri Lanka is primarily a source and, to a lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• some Sri Lankan adults and children who migrate willingly to the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Afghanistan to work in the construction, garment, and domestic service sectors are subsequently subjected to forced labor or debt bondage (incurred through high recruitment fees or money advances);
• some Sri Lankan women are forced into prostitution in Jordan, Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore, and other countries;
• within Sri Lanka, women and children are subjected to sex trafficking, and children are also forced to beg and work in the agriculture, fireworks, and fish-drying industries;
• a small number of women from Asia, Central Asia, Europe, and the Middle East have been forced into prostitution in Sri Lanka in recent years

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List – Sri Lanka does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• however, it is making significant efforts to do so;
• in 2014, Sri Lanka was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking;
• law enforcement continues to demonstrate a lack of understanding of trafficking crimes and inadequate investigations, relying on trafficking cases to be prosecuted under the procurement statute rather than the trafficking statute, which carries more stringent penalties;
• authorities convicted only one offender under the procurement statue, a decrease from 2013;
• the government approved guidelines for the identification of victims and their referral to protective services but failed to ensure that victims were not jailed and charged for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked;
• no government employees were investigated or prosecuted, despite allegations of complicity (2015)