Countries of the World
HELLO , VISIT SRI LANKA


Do you know there is a pretty island situated in the Indian ocean. It is named Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. We can talk about this country under some topics. They are,
Land and Resources
The people of Sri Lanka
Culture
Economy
History


There are 88 species of mammals in Sri Lanka. The Asian elephant, Cheetah, leopard and several species of monkeys are among them. And there are 144 species of reptiles. Some of them are Cobra, Viper, Python and tortoises. There are 100 identified species of frogs and 400 species of birds.


The rivers of Sri Lanka originate in the central highlands. From there they descend to the plains and empty in to the sea. The longest river of Sri Lanka is Mahaweli river is about 205 miles. Sri Lanka has no natural lakes.
Sri Lanka has a tropical climate. The monsoons bring two distinct periods of heavy rainfall. From May to October southwest monsoons bring rainfall. From December to March northwest monsoons bring rainfall.
Natural vegetation of Sri Lanka varies according to climate zone and elevation. Dense evergreen rain forests are found in southwestern lowlands. There are many varieties of palm, coconut, betel and palmyrah.


Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka. The country's administrative capital is Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte. Kandy was the capital of Sinhalese kingdom until it was annexed by the British.
Schooling compulsory for children from 5. Government provides free text books for children. Sri Lanka has 13 universities.
The principle ethnic group is Sinhalese. And there are Tamil, Muslims, Malay and others. Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages of Sri Lanka. Sinhala also known as Sinhalese and Indo-Aryan language. English, the official language from 1833 to 1958 continues to be widely used and serves as the 'link' language between Sinhala and Tamil.
Buddhism and Hinduism were introduced from India. Most of the Sinhalese are Buddhists. Tamils are Hindus. And also there are Muslims and Christians.


Sri Lankans have shared a long history with the people and cultures of the India. In ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa contain some of Sri Lanka's most renowned architectural treasures. Some of Sri Lanka's standing Buddha rock sculptures are colossal in proportion. Many of the paintings of the ancient kingdoms have been obliterated by the passage of time. Sri Lankan tradition of folk drama includes the 'Kolam' a masked drama, and the 'Sokari nadagam' are very popular. Early Sinhalese literature was primarily religious. Buddhist monks compiled what are considered the earliest texts of Sri Lanka.


Asian countries are the main exporter of goods to Sri Lanka. Together they provide about 55 percent of Sri Lanka's total imports. Textiles and garments became the most significance single category of exports by 1986. The monetary unit in Sri Lanka is the rupee. The central bank of Sri Lanka, the sole bank of issue, also acts as a financial adviser to the government and administers monetary policy.


Tea, rubber and coconut are the chief export- oriented commercial crops. Rice and a variety of tropical vegetable and fruits are grown primarily for domestic consumption. About 30 percent of the country's total land area is cultivated and at least half of the cultivated area is dedicated to the growing of rice.
Sri Lanka's tropical climate, scenic beaches and historical sites are prime tourist attractions. Tourism declined after 1983 as a result of the civil war and related security concerns.


In 377 BC Sinhalese established Anuradhapura as the capital of their kingdom. In 250 BC Sinhalese king Devanampiya Tissa converted to Buddhism during a missionary visit by Mahinda Thero. The Sinhalese monarch became a powerful patron of Buddhism, firmly establishing it as the official religion of his kingdom. The kingdom prospered under a system of settled agriculture. After the Anuradhapura kingdom Sinhalese established six kingdoms. They are Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Kurunegala, Gampola, Kotte.
Sri Lanka was known to seafarers since ancient times. Arab seafarers called Sri Lanka as Serendip. Muslim traders called Moors established coastal trading communities in the island.
In 1505 Portuguese came to Sri Lanka and they administrated the coastal areas. Later Dutch came to Sri Lanka and administrated the coastal areas. In 1815 British administrated the whole island. In 1948 Sri Lanka got freedom from them and became a self governing country.


On December 24, 2004 the world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years struck deep under the Indian ocean. The earthquake triggered a tsunami, which spread across the Indian ocean and crashed in to the coasts of Sri Lanka about two hours after the quake. The tsunami was the deadliest in recorded in history.










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HELLO , VISIT SRI LANKA (Countries of the World)    -    Author : lakmali - Sri Lanka


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