"Ceylon" redirects here. For other uses, see Ceylon (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 7°N 81°E
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
ශ්රී ලංකා ප්රජාතාන්ත්රික සමාජවාදී ජනරජය (Sinhalese)
Srī Lankā prajātāntrika samājavādī janarajaya
இலங்கை ஜனநாயக சோசலிச குடியரசு (Tamil)
Ilaṅkai jaṉanāyaka sōsalisa kuṭiyarasu
Flag of Sri Lanka
Flag
Emblem of Sri Lanka
Emblem
Anthem: "Sri Lanka Matha"
Mother Sri Lanka
Location of Sri Lanka
Location of Sri Lanka
Capital
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
(Administrative)
Colombo (Commercial)
6°56′N 79°52′E
Largest city
Colombo
Official languages
Sinhala ·
Tamil[1]
Recognised languages
English
Ethnic groups (2012[2])
74.9% Sinhalese
11.2% Sri Lankan Tamils
9.2% Sri Lankan Moors
4.2% Indian Tamils
0.5% other
Religion
70.2% Buddhism
12.6% Hinduism
9.7% Islam
7.4% Christianity
0.1% Other/None[3]
Demonym
Sri Lankan
Government
Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic
• President
Maithripala Sirisena
• Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe
• Speaker of the Parliament
Karu Jayasuriya
• Chief Justice
Priyasath Dep
Legislature
Parliament
Independence from the United Kingdom
• Dominion
4 February 1948
• Republic
22 May 1972
• Current constitution
7 September 1978
Area
• Total
65,610 km2 (25,330 sq mi) (120th)
• Water (%)
4.4
Population
• 2017 estimate
21,444,000[4] (58th)
• 2012 census
20,277,597[5] (57th)
• Density
327/km2 (846.9/sq mi) (43rd)
GDP (PPP)
2018 estimate
• Total
$298.310 billion[6]
• Per capita
$13,847[6]
GDP (nominal)
2018 estimate
• Total
$86.607 billion[6]
• Per capita
$4,020[6]
Gini (2010)
36.4[7]
medium
HDI (2016)
Increase 0.766[8]
high · 73rd
Currency
Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Time zone
SLST (UTC+5:30)
Date format
dd-mm-yyyy
yyyy-mm-dd
Drives on the
left
Calling code
+94
ISO 3166 code
LK
Internet TLD
.lk ·
.ලංකා ·
.இலங்கை
Website
www.gov.lk
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Sri Lanka (/sriː ˈlɑːŋkə, -ˈlæŋkə/, /ʃriː-/ (About this sound listen);[9][10] Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා Śrī Laṃkā; Tamil: இலங்கை Ilaṅkai), officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.
Sri Lanka's documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years.[11] It has a rich cultural heritage and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, date back to the Fourth Buddhist council in 29 BC.[12][13] Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk Road.[14][15][16]
Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule as Ceylon (/sɪˈlɒn, seɪ-, siː-/). A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early-20th century to obtain political independence, which was granted in 1948; the country became a republic and adopted its current name in 1972. Sri Lanka's recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war, which decisively ended when the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.[17]
The current constitution stipulates the political system as a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system. It has had a long history of international engagement, as a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the G77, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Along with the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of only two South Asian countries rated "high" on the Human Development Index (HDI), with its HDI rating and per capita income the highest among South Asian nations.[8] Sri Lankan constitution accords Buddhism the "foremost place", although it does not identify it as a state religion. Buddhism has given special privileges in Sri Lankan constitution.[18]
The island is home to many cultures, languages and ethnicities. The majority of the population is from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island's history. Moors, Burghers, Malays, Chinese, and the aboriginal Vedda are also established groups on the island.[19]
