Sri Lanka

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

• deforestation;
• soil erosion;
• wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization;
• coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution;
• coral reef destruction;
• 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

• strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes;
• Adam's Bridge is a chain of limestone shoals between the southeastern coast of India and the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka;
• geological evidence suggests that this 50-km long Bridge once connected India and Sri Lanka;
• ancient records seem to indicate that a foot passage was possible between the two land masses until the 15th century when the land bridge broke up in a cyclone

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:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.97 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.86 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.73 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate (2020)

vectorborne diseases:

dengue fever

water contact diseases:

leptospirosis

animal contact diseases:

rabies

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

etymology:

the name means "resplendent island" in Sanskrit

name:

Colombo (commercial capital); Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (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)

etymology:

• Colombo may derive from the Sinhala "kolon thota," meaning "port on the river" (referring to the Kelani River that empties into the Indian Ocean at Colombo);
• alternatively, the name may derive from the Sinhala "kola amba thota" meaning "harbor with mango trees";
• it is also possible that the Portuguese named the city after Christopher COLUMBUS, who lived in Portugal for many years (as Cristovao COLOMBO) before discovering the Americas for the Spanish crown in 1492 - not long before the Portuguese made their way to Sri Lanka in 1505;
• Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte translates as "Resplendent City of Growing Victory" in Sinhala

history:

several previous; latest adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978

amendments:

• proposed by Parliament;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of its total membership, certification by the president of the republic or the Parliament speaker, and in some cases approval in a referendum by absolute majority of valid votes;
• amended many times, last in 2020

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 Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA (since 18 November 2019);
• note - the president is both chief of state and head of government;
• Prime Minister Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 21 November 2019)

head of government:

President Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA (since 18 November 2019)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by preferential majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 16 November 2019 (next to be held in 2024);
• prime minister appointed by the president from among members of Parliament for a 5-year term)

election results:

Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of vote - Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA (SLPP) 52.2%, Sajith PREMADASA (UNP) 42%, other 5.8%

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 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 17 August 2015 (next originally scheduled for 25 April 2020 but postponed to due to the COVID-19 pandemic)

election results:

• percent of vote by coalition/party - SLFPA 59.1%, SJB 23.9%, JVP 3.8%, TNA 2.8%, UNP 2.2%, TNPF 0.6%, EPDP 0.5%, other 7.1%;
• seats by coalition/party - SLFPA 145, SJB 54, TNA 10, JVP 3, other 13;
• composition - NA

highest courts:

Supreme Court of the Republic (consists of the chief justice and 9 justices); note - the court has exclusive jurisdiction to review legislation

judge selection and term of office:

• chief justice nominated by the Constitutional Council (CC), a 9-member high-level advisory body, and appointed by the president;
• other justices nominated by the CC and appointed by the president on the advice of the chief justice;
• all justices can serve until age 65

subordinate courts:

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

chief of mission:

Ambassador E. Rodney M. PERERA (since 8 July 2019)

chancery:

3025 Whitehaven Street 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 Alaina B. TEPLITZ (since 1 November 2018); note - also accredited to Maldives

telephone:

[94] (11) 249-8500

embassy:

210 Galle Road, Colombo 03

mailing address:

P. O. Box 106, Colombo

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

Fitch rating:

CCC (2020)

Moody's rating:

Caa1 (2020)

Standard & Poors rating: CCC+ (2020)

• 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:

27%

industry:

26%

services:

47% (31 December 2016)

lowest 10%:

3%

highest 10%:

32.2% (2012 est.)

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

• government operates 5 TV channels and 19 radio channels;
• multi-channel satellite and cable TV subscription services available;
• 25 private TV stations and about 43 radio stations;
• 6 non-profit TV stations and 4 radio stations

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 34

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

5,882,376 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

436.2 million mt-km (2018)

total:

1,562 km (2016)

broad gauge:

1,562 km 1.676-m gauge (2016)

total:

114,093 km (2010)

paved:

16,977 km (2010)

unpaved:

97,116 km (2010)

total:

97

by type:

bulk carrier 8, container ship 1, general cargo 17, oil tanker 13, other 58 (2019)

major seaport(s):

Colombo

container port(s) (TEUs):

Colombo (6,209,000) (2017)

• Sri Lanka Army (includes
  • National Guard and the Volunteer Force),
  • Sri Lanka Navy (includes Marine Corps),
  • Sri Lanka Air Force,
  • Sri Lanka Coast Guard
  ;
• Civil Security Department (Home Guard);
• Sri Lanka National Police: Special Task Force (counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency) (2019)

• the Sri Lankan military inventory consists mostly of Chinese and Russian-origin equipment, as well as smaller amounts from Israel, the UK, and the US;
• since 2000, China, India, Israel, and the US have been the leading suppliers of arms to Sri Lanka (2019 est.)

• 110 Central African Republic (MINUSCA);
• 140 Lebanon (UNIFIL);
• 240 Mali (MINUSMA);
• 170 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2020)

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 statute, 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)