Facts about Sri Lanka
Until recently, for example, most Sri Lankans, certainly those in the villages, have eaten traditional food, engaged in traditional crafts and expressed themselves through traditional arts.
In 2002, the Sri Lankan government and LTTE signed a Norwegian-mediated ceasefire agreement.
The Military of Sri Lanka is comprised of Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy and Sri Lankan Air Force.
Most Sri Lankan cities and towns are connected by the Sri Lanka Railways, the state-run national railway operator.
Mr. Kannangara led the establishment of the Great Central Schools in different parts of the country in order to provide education to Sri Lanka's rural population.
Sri Lanka has a birth rate of 15.63 births per 1,000 people and a death rate of 6.49 deaths per 1,000 people.
Sri Lanka continues its active participation in the NAM, while also stressing the importance it places on regionalism by playing a strong role in SAARC.
In 1972, the official name of the nation of Ceylon was changed to "Free Sovereign Independent Republic of Sri Lanka."
Buddhism in Sri Lanka has been deeply influenced by indigenous faiths and traditions, as well as the influences of prevailing Buddhist schools in South East Asia.
In 1957 British bases were removed and Sri Lanka officially became a non-aligned country.
The pattern of life in Sri Lanka depends directly on the availability of rainwater.
Sri Lanka has hosted various Asia Cups and World Cups throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
Global television networks from India, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States are also widely popular, and cable and satellite television are gaining popularity with Sri Lanka's middle-class.
At the same time, the JVP launched its second insurrection in Southern Sri Lanka, necessitating redeployment of the IPKF in 1990.
Sri Lanka was also the first Asian nation to have a female ruler in Queen Anula who ruled from 47 B.C.E.
The nation of Sri Lanka lived in conflict throughout the twentieth century, seeking independence and self-rule.
The total length of Sri Lankan roads exceeds 11,000 kilometers, with a vast majority of them being paved.
A free education system was initiated by Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara, Sri Lanka's education minister.
Historically, Sri Lanka has had several names: ancient Greek geographers arriving with Alexander the Great called it Taprobane; Arabs referred to it as Serendib; when the Portuguese arrived on the island they called it Ceilгo.
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 three thousand.
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.
The first Europeans to visit Sri Lanka in modern times were the Portuguese: Francisco de Almeida arrived in 1505, finding the island divided into seven warring kingdoms and unable to fend off intruders.
Sri Lanka is the home of two main traditional cultures: the Sinhalese (centered in the ancient cities of Kandy and Anuradhapura) and the Tamil, centered in the city of Jaffna.
In 2009, under the Presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the LTTE, and re-established control of the entire country by the Sri Lankan Government.
Sri Lanka generally follows a non-aligned foreign policy but has been seeking closer relations with the United States and Western Europe since December 1977.
Famous for its production and export of tea, coffee, rubber, and coconuts, Sri Lanka also boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy.
The Colombo Stock Exchange reported the highest growth in the world for 2003, and today Sri Lanka has the highest per capita income in South Asia.
The natural beauty of Sri Lanka's tropical forests, beaches and landscape and rich cultural heritage make it a famous destination for tourists worldwide.
Sri Lankan nationalists sought the exit of Indian troops, and by the year 2000 as many as 50,000 people were killed in battles between the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE.
The recorded history of Sri Lanka is usually taken to begin in the sixth century B.C.E., when the Indo-Aryan people, who are known as the Sinhalese, migrated into the island from India.
Sri Lanka is the 53rd most populated nation in the world, with an annual population growth rate of 0.79 percent.
Population density is the greatest in western Sri Lanka, especially in and around Colombo.
Ancient Sri Lanka was also the world's leading exporter of cinnamon, which was exported to Egypt as early as 1400 B.C.E.
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.
In 1968 Bandaranaike formed a coalition, the Sri Lanka United Front with the LSSP and the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, which swept the 1970 polls on a platform of socialism.
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.
Royal College, Colombo is the oldest modern college in Sri Lanka, founded in 1835.
Sri Lanka enjoys the highest literacy rate in South Asia and much of the developing world, with more than 96 percent of the population being literate.
Sri Lanka's two major political parties—the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party—embrace democratic values, international nonalignment, and encouragement of Sinhalese culture.
From 1985 to 2006, Sri Lankan government and Tamil insurgents held four rounds of peace talks without success.
The Constitution of Sri Lanka establishes a democratic, socialist republic, which is also a unitarian state.
Ancient Sri Lanka was ruled by various small kingdoms that dominated different regions.
The ancient and famous Sri Dalada Maligawa or "Temple of the Tooth" is the principal Buddhist Temple in Sri Lanka, which, by tradition, houses the Tooth of Buddha.
In 1971, the Janath? Vimukthi Peramu?a (JVP) (People's Liberation Front), founded in 1965 with the aim of providing a leading force for a socialist revolution in Sri Lanka, launched a rebellion.
In 1972, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and the name was changed to Sri Lanka.
In 1978 it was changed to "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka."
Sri Lanka's schools and colleges regularly organize sports and athletics teams, competing on provincial and national levels.
The Sri Lankan Armed Forces are primarily focused on land warfare, with the Army being the oldest and largest of all the services.
In 1956 the UNP was defeated at elections by the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, which included the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) led by Solomon Bandaranaike and the Viplavakari Lanka Sama Samaja Party of Philip Gunawardena.
Sinhala, with over 13 million speakers, and Tamil with three million speakers, are the two official languages of Sri Lanka.
The station is managed by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and broadcasts services in Sinhalese, Tamil, English and Hindi.
During the Mahaweli Ganga Program of the 1970s and 1980s in northern Sri Lanka, the government set aside four areas of land totaling 1,900 kmІ as national parks.
Aquatic sports such as boating, surfing, swimming and scuba diving on the coast, the beaches and backwaters attract a large number of Sri Lankans and foreign tourists.
On July 1, 1960 the people of Sri Lanka elected the first-ever female head of government in Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranaike.
Historically, Sri Lanka has had several names: ancient Greek geographers arriving with Alexander the Great called it Taprobane; Arabs referred to it as Serendib; when the Portuguese arrived on the island they called it Ceilгo.