Tourism Hotline: 1912

Sri Lanka at a Glance

Set in the Indian Ocean in South Asia, the tropical island nation of Sri Lanka has a history dating back to the birth of time.  It is a place where the original soul of Buddhism still flourishes and where nature’s beauty remains abundant and unspoilt.

Few places in the world can offer the traveller such a remarkable combination of stunning landscapes, pristine beaches, captivating cultural heritage and unique experiences within such a compact location.  Within a mere area of  65,610 kilometres lie 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 1,330 kilometres of coastline - much of it pristine beach - 15 national parks showcasing an abundance of wildlife, nearly 500,000 acres of lush tea estates, 250 acres of botanical gardens, 350 waterfalls, 25,000 water bodies, to a culture that extends back to over 2,500 years.

This is an island of magical proportions, once known as Serendib, Taprobane, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, and Ceylon. Discover refreshingly Sri Lanka!
 

 

Official Name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Government Type: Republic
Location: Latitude 5° 55. to 9° 50. north, Longitude 79° 42. to 81° 52., 650km north of the equator
Dimensions: 430km North to South, 225km East to West
Coastline: 1,340km
Area: 65,525km
Currency (code): Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
Independence: 4 February 1948
Administrative Capital: Sri Jayewardenepura
Commercial Capital: Colombo
Administrative Divisions: Provinces-9, Provincial secreterial Divisions-331,Provincial Councils-271,Districts-25,Municipal Councils-23,Grama Niladhari divisions- 14,021,Villages-36822
Terrain: Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Highest Mountain: Pidurutalagala, 2,524m
Highest Waterfall: Bambarakanda, 263m
National Flower The Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata).
National Parks and Nature Reserves Area: 8,000sq.km
Population: 20,359,439
Population Growth Rate: 0.75%
Population Density: 325 people per sq Km
Life Expectancy at Birth 78.6-Female,72-Male
Literacy Rate : Female 90.8,Male 92.77
Ethnic Groups: Sinhala (74.9%), Sri Lanka Tamil (11.2%) , Moor (9.3%) , Indian Tamil (4.1%) (2012 census)
Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%
Note: English (a link language commonly) is used in government and spoken competently by about 10% of the population
Religion: 70.1% of Sri Lankans were Theravada Buddhists, 12.6% were Hindus, 9.7% were Muslims (mainly Sunni), 6.2% Roman Catholic, 1.4 other Christians and 0.05% others.(2012 Census)
Time Zone: Sri Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT. (Allowance should be made for summer-time changes in Europe.)
International Dialing: +94
Electricity: 230 . 240 volts, 50 cycles AC. If you travel with a laptop computer bring a stabilizer
Economy: Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, insurance and banking. In 2006, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (90% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% of them in the Middle East. They send home more than US$1 billion a year.
Labour Force Labour population-52.3%,25.3%-Agricultural Sector,27.6%-Industry Sector,47.1%-Service Sector,Unemployement rate-4.8%
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.
Exports: Textiles and apparel; tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
Imports: Main import commodities are textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment: $10.61 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.). Percentage of main commodities from main import partners: India 19.6%, China 10.5%, Singapore 8.8%, Iran 5.7%, Malaysia 5.1%, Hong Kong 4.2%, Japan 4.1% (2006)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): Purchasing power parity 50.3 LCU per international dollars(2018),Official exchange rate 162.5 LCU per US dollars(2018),Real growth rate: 2.3% (2019) Per capita $3,741, composition by sector-Agriculture-7%,Industry-26.4%,Services-57.4%(2019)
Gross National Product (GNP): Sri Lanka is placed in 76th place in GNP figures of the world.s nations with LKR.9,608 296 Million(2020)
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

 

 


Sri Lanka Rising

With the end of the three decade long war Sri Lanka is seeing a sudden burst in infrastructure development and a of a new Sri Lanka rising.

Today post-war Sri Lanka is seeing a rapid and wide spread infrastructure development within rural and urban areas as never seen in the country before.

The island-wide road development program is at the center of this effort.

The improved connectivity enabled by road development, particularly rural roads, generates significant economic and social returns. It is having a transformative impact on the lives of people around the country. The completion of the highway network (commencing with the Southern Highway, Katunayake Expressway and Colombo Ring Road) will bring about significant cost-savings that will boost the competitiveness of the economy.

The rural electrification program has now extended power to 91% of the country’s households. It is bringing considerable benefits, particularly to poor and vulnerable households (not least through the improved environment for children’s studies). The completion of the much delayed Norochcholai coal power station has helped to avoid power cuts or recourse to hiring exceedingly expensive barges for thermal generation.

The rehabilitation of the railway network and rolling stock, combined with the road development, will increase mobility and help to contain transport costs which are an important determinant of an economy’s competitiveness.

Port and airport development is also creating the potential for Sri Lanka to become a key transport and tourist/transit hub for Asia. The completion of the Hambantota Port and the Colombo Southport Expansion will increase the capacity to take advantage of the country’s strategic location on the major international shipping lanes.

Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport

Night View Of Colombo

Colombo City Beautification

The growth of Indian trade and China’s appetite for natural resources from the Middle East and Africa creates the conditions for rapid expansion of activity in this sector. The second international airport at Mattala increases the potential for handling increased tourist arrivals and positioning Sri Lanka as a transit hub.

Today Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike International Airport (is the busiest airport in the country with more than 6 million passengers per year, Hambantota International airport in Mattala was declared opened in March, 2013 when Sri Lanka is celebrating a century in aviation.The domestic airports are scattered around the country in Ampara, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Ratmalana, Jaffna, Trincomalee andWirawila creating an extensive network of domestic air travelling.

Commercial ports of Sri Lanka include Colombo, Hambanthota, Galle, Trincomalee, Kankesanturai and Point Pedro. Although the port of Colombo is the premier port in the country the present government policy for the development of regional ports in the country is seeing rapid development of Point Pedro, Kankesanturai, Trincomalee,Galle and Hambanthota ports.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka is fast gaining popularity in the MICE tourism industry, with 11% of the total visitors coming into the country representing the segment, while the industry anticipates the arrival of 240,000 MICE tourists by 2016, which is nearly 10% of the 2.5 million tourist target.With more than one million tourist arrivals in 2012 the Sri Lankan tourism service providers has set a target of 22,500 rooms in the next five years when tourist arrivals are expected to reach 2.5 million.

Some of the major hotel development projects currently underway in Sri Lanka include Shangri-La Colombo and Hambanthota, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Colombo, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts Colombo and SonevaAhungalla among others, which are planning to open for business between years 2013-2015.

 

 

 

 

With Endless beaches, timeless ruins, welcoming people, herds of elephants, killer surf, cheap prices, fun trains, famous tea, flavorful food, newly gained peace and improved infrastructure Sri Lanka had been repeatedly named the next tourist destination worth all the investments.

Fuelled by piles and piles ofcompliments as the best tourist destination in the world and with years of war behind it for good, Sri Lanka is rising and its time you dropped in.

Highways

Hambantota Port

Pathways and jogging tracks



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