Sri Lanka, an island in
the Indian Ocean and located south of the Indian subcontinent, is also known
as the Island of Serendipity. Sri Lanka lies between 5° 55' and 9°
55' north of the equator and
between the eastern longitudes 79° 42' and 81° 52'. From North to
South it has a maximum
length of 435 km (270 miles) and at its widest point it measures 225 km. (140
miles), giving
it a land area of 65,600 sq.km. (25,000 sq.miles). This entire stretch encompasses
beautiful tropical beaches,
verdant vegetation, ancient monuments and a thousand delights to please all
tastes.
Sri Lanka has a population of 18.5 million of whom the
majority are Sinhalese. Other ethnic groups are made up of Sri ankan Tamils,
Indian Tamils, Moors, Malays, Burghers (of Portuguese & Dutch descent)
and others .Although a multi-religious country, Buddhists constitute the majority.Other
religious groups are Hindus, Muslims and Christians Sri Lanka's literacy rate
of 88.6% is one of the highest in Asia. Sinhala and Tamil are official languages
in Sri Lanka. English is widely spoken and understood. Place names and sign-boards
on buses and trains are usually in all three languages. Sri Lanka is a land
of eligious freedom and tolerance. Wherever you travel you will come across
a Buddhist Temple or Dagaba, a Hindu Kovil, a Christian Church or a Mosque,
each with its own distinctive architecture. When visiting holy places please
conform to the requirements as regards dress in order not to show disrespect.
In 247 BC the missionary labours of the monk Mahinda converted large groups to Buddhism and this pristine religion found a permanent home in Sri Lanka. The capital survived in Anuradhapura up to the 10th Century, and after several moves to other cities, including Kotte near Colombo, finally moved to the Kandyan hills where the Sinhala Kingdom made its last stand, before its capitulation to the British in 1815. By that time however, two other European nations had left their imprint - in culture, language and religion on the northern and western regions of Sri Lanka. The Portuguese came first, bringing with them the legacy of the Roman Catholic religion and its own culture, which was quickly adopted by the western coastal belt of the country. The Dutch followed, persecuting Catholics and building fortress bound centers on the coastal belt. Many Dutch period buildings still remain along the southwest coast. Sri Lanka gained independence from the British in 1948
The climate of Sri Lanka is typically tropical with an average temperature of 27°C. In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16°C at an altitude of nearly 2,000 metres. Bright, sunny, warm days are the rule and are common even during the height of the monsoon - climatically Sri Lanka has no off season. The south west monsoon brings rain mainly from May to July to the western, southern and central regions of the island, while the north-east monsoon rains occur in the northern and eastern regions in December and January. From sea level to 7000-foot high national parks, the country boasts of myriad geographical and climatic zones. A traveller to this country will never tire of the constantly changing patterns of the countryside. It is easy to imagine, when travelling across Sri Lanka, why Marco Polo called it the finest island of its size in the world! The country is six hours ahead of GMT.
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