Sri Lanka an island country enjoys typical tropical monsoonal climate. This island has marked verdure with some mountains in the central southern part. They rise considerably above the sea level and add to the amazing variety of landscapes in the island. The sun pours down relentlessly during the summer months. As mentioned earlier Sri Lanka climate is of the tropical kind and therefore during monsoons there is always the chance of a deluge! The average temperature is around 28º to 30º for the year. However, on the whole, January is the coolest month and May is the hottest month. In the Central Highlands, warm clothing is a requirement during the winter days. But the humidity is definitely higher in the south west and mountainous regions.
Tropical monsoons means rains at a stretch for some months. Sri Lanka certainly has no dearth of monsoon rains as it has two monsoons and two inter monsoon periods. Sri Lanka climate has wide influence on both the coastal plains and other low lying area as well as the high mountainous regions. This again means that keeping in par with the rest of variations of this island, the climate is also pretty varied. Daylight stays for a long time on this island and this is the case as far as the year is concerned. The island of Sri Lanka has two distinct climatic zones and this reflects the influence of the two monsoons that occur with unfailing regularity each year. The Dry Zone of the island is the north and east of the island, this region is affected by the north east monsoon. It is thought to be dry because most of the rains fall during the northeast monsoon. The Wet Zone of the island constitutes of the western and central part of the island. This part gets rain from the southwesterly monsoon and experiences quite a bit of rains and for long periods. Though sunshine is plentiful, monsoon and inter monsoon see days of sun being covered with clouds.
The rupee (Sinhala: , Tamil: ரூபாய்) is the currency of Sri Lanka, divided into 100 cents. The currency code is LKR. It is issued by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and is generally written ₨ (though SL₨ may occasionally be used for disambiguation).
The British pound became Ceylon's official money of account in 1825, replacing the Ceylonese rixdollar at a rate of
The Indian rupee was made Ceylon's standard coin 26 September 1836, and Ceylon reverted to the Indian currency area. Pound-denominated treasury notes continued to circulate after 1836, along with the rupee. The legal currency remained British silver and accounts were kept in pounds, shillings and pence. However, payments were made in rupees and annas at the "fictitious par" (fixed accounting rate) of 2 shillings per rupee (i.e.,
the Bank of Ceylon was the first private bank to issue banknotes on the island (1844) and Treasury notes were withdrawn in 1856.
The Indian rupee was formally established as the unlimited legal tender 18 June 1869. The rupee was decimalized 23 August 1871. Thus, the rupee of 100 cents became Ceylon's money of account and sole legal tender effective 1 January 1872, replacing British currency at a rate of 1 rupee = 2 shillings 3 pence.
In 1872, copper ¼, ½, 1 and 5 cents coins dated 1870 were introduced, followed in 1892 by silver 10, 25 and 50 cents. Production of the ¼ cent ceased in 1904. The large, copper 5 cents coins was replaced in 1909 by a much smaller cupro-nickel coin which was square with rounded corners. In 1919, the fineness of silver used was reduced from .800 to .550.
Between 1940 and
In
The obverse of the coins issued since 1963 carry the Armorial Ensign of Sri Lanka. The reverse of the coin the value in numerals and in Sinhala, Tamil and English below and year of issue at the bottom with SRI LANKA in Sinhala on top. On 14 December 2005, the Sri Lanka central bank issued a new series of coins in the denominations of 25 and 50 cents, 1, 2 and 5 rupees. The lower denominations of 1, 2, 5 and 10 cents, although legal tender, are not seen in circulation and not in general issued by banks.
The observe and reverse designs of the new coins remained identical to the existing circulating coins of the same denominations. However their weights and alloys have been changed for easy identification purposes.
The island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean, 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. According to Hindu mythology, a land bridge to the Indian mainland, known as Rama's Bridge, was constructed during the time of Rama by the vanara architect Nala. Often referred to as Adam's Bridge, it now amounts to only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. According to colonial British reports, this is a natural causeway which was formerly complete, but was breached by a violent storm in 1480. The width of the Palk Strait is small enough for the coast of Sri Lanka to be visible from the furthest point near the Indian town of Rameswaram. The tear drop shaped island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. Amongst these are Sri Pada (Adams Peak) and the highest point Pidurutalagala, at 2,524 meters (8,281 ft). The Mahaweli ganga (Mahaweli river) and other major rivers provide fresh water to the population.
Paleolithic human settlements have been discovered at excavations in several cave sites in the Western Plains region and the South-western face of the Central Hills region. Anthropologists believe that some discovered burial rites and certain decorative artifacts exhibit similarities between the first inhabitants of the island and the early inhabitants of Southern India. Recent bioanthropological studies have however dismissed these links, and have placed the origin of the people to the northern parts of India. One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian epic Ramayana, which described the emperor Ravana as monarch of the powerful kingdom of Lanka, which was created by the divine sculptor Vishwakarma for Kubera, the treasurer of the Gods. English historian James Emerson Tennent also theorized Galle, a southern city in Sri Lanka, was the ancient seaport of Tarshish from which King Solomon is said to have drawn ivory, peacocks and other valuables. The main written accounts of the country's history are the Buddhist chronicles of Mahavansa and Dipavamsa.
The earliest-known inhabitants of the island now known as Sri Lanka were probably the ancestors of the Wanniyala-Aetto people, also known as Veddahs and numbering roughly 3,000. Linguistic analysis has found a correlation of the Sinhalese language with the languages of the Sindh and Gujarat, although most historians believe that the Sinhala community emerged well after the assimilation of various ethnic groups. From the ancient period date some remarkable archaeological sites including the ruins of Sigiriya, the so-called "Fortress in the Sky", and huge public works. Among the latter are large "tanks" or reservoirs, important for conserving water in a climate that alternates rainy seasons with dry times, and elaborate aqueducts, some with a slope as finely calibrated as one inch to the mile. Ancient Sri Lanka was also the first in the world to have established a dedicated hospital in Mihintale in the 4th century BCE. Ancient Sri Lanka was also the world's leading exporter of cinnamon, which was exported to Egypt as early as 1400 BCE. Sri Lanka was also the first Asian nation to have a female ruler in Queen Anula (47–42 BC)
Sri Lankan coin, 1st century CE.Since ancient times Sri Lanka was ruled by monarchs, most notably of the Sinha royal dynasty that lasted over 2000 years. The island was also infrequently invaded by South Indian kingdoms and parts of the island were ruled intermittently by the Chola dynasty, the Pandya dynasty, the Chera dynasty and the Pallava dynasty. The island was also invaded by the kingdoms of Kalinga (modern Orissa) and those from the Malay Peninsula. Buddhism arrived from India in the 3rd century BCE, brought by Bhikkhu Mahinda, who is believed to have been the son of Mauryan emperor Ashoka. Mahinda's mission won over the Sinhalese monarch Devanampiyatissa of Mihintale, who embraced the faith and propagated it throughout the Sinhalese population. The Buddhist kingdoms of Sri Lanka would maintain a large number of Buddhist schools and monasteries, and support the propagation of Buddhism into Southeast Asia.
Sri Lanka had always been an important port and trading post in the ancient world, and was increasingly frequented by merchant ships from the Middle East, Persia, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The islands were known to the first European explorers of South Asia and settled by many groups of Arab and Malay merchants. A Portuguese colonial mission arrived on the island in 1505 headed by the Lourenço de Almeida the son of Francisco de Almeida. At that point the island consisted of three kingdoms, namely Kandy in the central hills, Kotte at the Western coast, and Yarlpanam (Anglicised Jaffna) in the north. The Dutch arrived in the 17th century. Although much of the island came under the domain of European powers, the interior, hilly region of the island remained independent, with its capital in Kandy. The British East India Company established control of the island in 1796, declaring it a crown colony in 1802, although the island would not be officially connected with British India. The fall of the kingdom of Kandy in 1815 unified the island under British rule.
Sigiriya Rock Fortress.European colonists established a series of tea, cinnamon, rubber, sugar, coffee and indigo plantations. The British also brought a large number of indentured workers from Tamil Nadu to work in the plantation economy. The city of Colombo was established as the administrative centre, and the British established modern schools, colleges, roads and churches that brought Western-style education and culture to the native people. Increasing grievances over the denial of civil rights, mistreatment and abuse of natives by colonial authorities gave rise to a struggle for independence in the 1930s, when the Youth Leagues opposed the "Ministers' Memorandum," which asked the colonial authority to increase the powers of the board of ministers without granting popular representation or civil freedoms. Buddhist scholars and the Teetotalist Movement also played a vital role in this time. During World War II, the island served as an important Allied military base. A large segment of the British and American fleet were deployed on the island, as were tens of thousands of soldiers committed to the war against Japan in Southeast Asia.
Following the war, popular pressure for independence intensified. On February 4, 1948 the country won its independence as the Commonwealth of Ceylon. Don Stephen Senanayake became the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. On July 21, 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike took office as prime minister, and became the first female head of government in post-colonial Asia and the first female prime minister in the world. In 1972, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and the name was changed to Sri Lanka. The island enjoyed good relations with the United Kingdom and had the British Royal Navy stationed at Trincomalee.
Since 1983, there has been on-and-off civil war, predominantly between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist militant organization who fight to create an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island.
New Year's Day 1 January, National Day 15 January, Good Friday 6 April, May Day 1 May, Wesak Poya Day 19 May, Poson Poya Day 18 June, Ramazan Festival Day 01 October , Deepavali Festival Day 27 October, Christmas Day 25 December, ADB Holiday 31 December.
According to the latest estimates Sri Lanka has a population of about 20 million. The ethnic division of the population is: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%. Major languages in Srilanka are: Sinhala 74% (official and national), Tamil 18% (national), other 8%. English is commonly used in government and spoken competently by about 10% of people. Population density of Sri Lanka is 792 per square miles.
Other major demographic indicators of Sri Lanka are: Literacy Rate 92%, Growth Rate 8%, Birth Rate 15.6/1000, Infant Mortality Rate 14.3/1000, and Life Expectancy 73.2 years.
Capital Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte
6°54′N 79°54′E / 6.9, 79.9
Largest city Colombo
Official languages Sinhala, Tamil
Demonym Sri Lankan
Government Democratic Socialist Republic
- President Mahinda Rajapaksa
- Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Independence from the United Kingdom
- Declared February 4, 1948
- Republic May 22, 1972
Area
- Total 65,610 km² (122nd)
25,332 sq mi
- Water (%) 4.4
Population
- 2005 estimate 19,668,000[3] (52nd)
- 2007 census 20,010,000
- Density 319/km² (35th)
818/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
- Total $86.72 billion (61st)
- Per capita $4,600 (111th)
GDP (nominal) 2006 estimate
- Total $26.794 billion (78th)
- Per capita $1,355 (117th)
Gini (1999–00) 33.2 (medium)
HDI (2007) ▼0.743 (medium) (99th)
Currency Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Time zone (UTC+5:30)
Internet TLD .lk
Calling code +94
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