| Background: |
Occupied by the
Portuguese in the 16th century and the Dutch in the 17th
century, the island was ceded to the British in 1802. As
Ceylon it became independent in 1948; its name was changed
in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil
separatists erupted in violence in the mid-1980s. Tens of
thousands have died in an ethnic war that continues to
fester. |
| Location: |
Southern Asia,
island in the Indian Ocean, south of India |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
7 00 N, 81 00 E |
| Area: |
total:
65,610 sq km
land: 64,740 sq km
water: 870 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
slightly larger
than West Virginia |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous
zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the
continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
| Climate: |
tropical monsoon;
northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon
(June to October) |
| Terrain: |
mostly low, flat
to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m |
| Natural
resources: |
limestone,
graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower |
| Land
use: |
arable land:
14%
permanent crops: 15%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 32% (1993 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
5,500 sq km (1993
est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
occasional
cyclones and tornadoes |
| Environment
- current issues: |
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 |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life
Conservation |
| Geography
- note: |
strategic
location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes |
| Population: |
19,408,635 (July
2001 est.)
note: since the outbreak of hostilities between
the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s,
several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the
island; as of mid-1999, approximately 66,000 were housed in
133 refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived
outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have
sought refuge in the West |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years:
25.99% (male 2,578,618; female 2,464,928)
15-64 years: 67.39% (male 6,369,881; female
6,708,852)
65 years and over: 6.62% (male 615,253; female
671,103) (2001 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.87% (2001 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
16.58
births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
6.43 deaths/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-1.43 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2001 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001
est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
16.08
deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total
population: 72.09 years
male: 69.58 years
female: 74.73 years (2001 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.95 children
born/woman (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- adult prevalence rate: |
0.07% (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- people living with HIV/AIDS: |
7,500 (1999 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS
- deaths: |
490 (1999 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun:
Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan |
| Ethnic
groups: |
Sinhalese 74%,
Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1% |
| Religions: |
Buddhist 70%,
Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999) |
| Languages: |
Sinhala (official
and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%,
other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government
and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population |
| Literacy: |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.2%
male: 93.4%
female: 87.2% (1995 est.) |
| Country
name: |
conventional
long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri
Lanka
conventional short form: Sri Lanka
former: Serendib, Ceylon |
| Government
type: |
republic |
| Capital: |
Colombo; note -
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital |
| Administrative
divisions: |
8 provinces;
Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western,
Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western; note - North Eastern
province may have been divided in two - Northern and Eastern |
| Independence: |
4 February 1948
(from UK) |
| National
holiday: |
Independence Day,
4 February (1948) |
| Constitution: |
adopted 16 August
1978 |
| Legal
system: |
a highly complex
mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim,
Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
branch: |
chief of
state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike
KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Ratnasiri
WICKRAMANAYAKE (since 10 August 2000) is the prime minister;
in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the
chief of state and the head of the government, this is in
contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles
between the president and the prime minister when both
offices exist
head of government: President Chandrika
Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note -
Ratnasiri WICKRAMANAYAKE (since 10 August 2000) is the prime
minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be
both the chief of state and the head of the government, this
is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the
roles between the president and the prime minister when both
offices exist
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in
consultation with the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote
for a six-year term; election last held 21 December 1999
(next to be held NA December 2005)
election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike
KUMARATUNGA reelected president; percent of vote - Chandrika
Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (PA) 51%, Ranil WICKREMASINGHE (UNP)
42%, other 7% |
| Legislative
branch: |
unicameral
Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on
the basis of a modified proportional representation system
by district to serve six-year terms)
elections: last held 10 October 2000 (next to
be held NA October 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - PA
45.11%, UNP 40.22%, JVP 6%, NUA 2.29%, SU 1.48%, TULF 1.23%,
other 3.67%; seats by party - PA 107, UNP 89, JVP 10, TULF
5, EPDP 4, NUA 4, TELO 3, ACTC 1, SU 1, independent 1 |
| Judicial
branch: |
Supreme Court;
Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by
the president |
| Political
parties and leaders: |
All Ceylon Tamil
Congress or ACTC [Nalliah GURUPAUAN]; Ceylon Workers
Congress or CLDC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party [Raja
COLLURE]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF
[Srimani ATHULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or
EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary
Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRA]; Janatha
Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Tilvan SILVA]; National Unity
Alliance or NUA [leader NA]; People's Alliance or PA [Chandrika
Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; People's Liberation Organization
of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDDATHAN]; Sihala Urumaya or SU
[leader NA]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Chandrika
Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC
[Rauff HAKEEM and Ferial ASHRAFF]; Sri Lanka Progressive
Front or SLPF [leader NA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation
Organization or TELO [SUBRAMANIUM]; Tamil United Liberation
Front or TULF [R. SAMPATHAN]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil
WICKREMASINGHE]; Upcountry People's Front or UPF [P.
CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties,
represented in either parliament or provincial councils |
| Political
pressure groups and leaders: |
Buddhist clergy;
labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE
(insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical
chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement
Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups |
| International
organization participation: |
AsDB, C, CCC, CP,
ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer),
OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTAET, UNU,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic
representation in the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador Warnasena RASAPUTRAM
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 |
| Diplomatic
representation from the US: |
chief of
mission: Ambassador E. Ashley WILLS
embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone: [94] (1) 448007
FAX: [94] (1) 437345 |
| 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 that goes around the entire flag
and extends between the two panels |
| Economy
- overview: |
In 1977, Colombo
abandoned statist economic policies and its import
substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and
export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now
are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and
beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. By
1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared
with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for
63%. GDP grew at an annual average rate of 5.5% throughout
the 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security
situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy
rebounded in 1997-98 with growth of 6.4% and 4.7% - but
slowed to 4.3% in 1999. Growth increased to 5.6% in 2000,
with growth in tourism and exports leading the way. But a
resurgence of civil war between the Sinhalese and the
minority Tamils and a possible slowdown in tourism dampen
prospects for 2001. For the next round of reforms, the
central bank of Sri Lanka recommends that Colombo expand
market mechanisms in nonplantation agriculture, dismantle
the government's monopoly on wheat imports, and promote more
competition in the financial sector. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power
parity - $62.7 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
5.6% (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power
parity - $3,250 (2000 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
21%
industry: 19%
services: 60% (1998) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
22% (1997 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
1.8%
highest 10%: 39.7% (1995-96 est.) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
8.5% (2000 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
6.6 million
(1998) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 45%,
agriculture 38%, industry 17% (1998 est.) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
8.8% (1999 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$3 billion
expenditures: $3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
processing of
rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities;
clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
4% (1999) |
| Electricity
- production: |
6.026 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel:
29.9%
hydro: 70.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999) |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
5.604 billion kWh
(1999) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
0 kWh (1999) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
rice, sugarcane,
grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts;
milk, eggs, hides, beef |
| Exports: |
$5.2 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
textiles and
apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products, petroleum products |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 39%, UK 13%,
Middle East 8%, Germany 5%, Japan 4% (1999) |
| Imports: |
$6.1 billion
(f.o.b., 2000) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and
equipment, textiles, petroleum, foodstuffs |
| Imports
- partners: |
Japan 10%, India
9%, Hong Kong 8%, Singapore 8%, South Korea 6% (1999) |
| Debt
- external: |
$9.9 billion
(2000) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$577 million
(1998) |
| Currency: |
Sri Lankan rupee
(LKR) |
| Exchange
rates: |
Sri Lankan rupees
per US dollar - 83.506 (January 2001), 77.005 (2000), 70.635
(1999), 64.450 (1998), 58.995 (1997), 55.271 (1996) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
494,509 (1998) |
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
228,604 (1999) |
| Telephone
system: |
general
assessment: very inadequate domestic service,
particularly in rural areas; some hope for improvement with
privatization of national telephone company and
encouragement to private investment; good international
service (1999)
domestic: national trunk network consists
mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links
now in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local
loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile
cellular systems; telephone density remains low at 2.6 main
lines per 100 persons (1999)
international: submarine cables to Indonesia
and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian
Ocean) (1999) |
| Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 26, FM 45,
shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios: |
3.85 million
(1997) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
21 (1997) |
| Televisions: |
1.53 million
(1997) |
| Internet
country code: |
.lk |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): |
5 (2000) |
| Internet
users: |
65,000 (2000) |
| Railways: |
total:
1,463 km
broad gauge: 1,404 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (1996) |
| Highways: |
total:
11,285 km
paved: 10,721 km
unpaved: 564 km (1998 est.) |
| Waterways: |
430 km (navigable
by shallow-draft craft) |
| Pipelines: |
crude oil and
petroleum products 62 km (1987) |
| Ports
and harbors: |
Colombo, Galle,
Jaffna, Trincomalee |
| Merchant
marine: |
total:
20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 149,902 GRT/247,852
DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 16, container 1,
petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with paved runways: |
total:
12
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2000 est.) |
| Airports
- with unpaved runways: |
total:
2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy, Air
Force, Police Force |
| Military
manpower - military age: |
18 years of age |
| Military
manpower - availability: |
males age
15-49: 5,304,323 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - fit for military service: |
males age
15-49: 4,119,511 (2001 est.) |
| Military
manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males:
193,522 (2001 est.) |
| Military
expenditures - dollar figure: |
$719 million
(FY98) |
| Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: |
4.2% (FY98) |
| Disputes
- international: |
none |
|
