Sri Lanka

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

இலங்கை சனநாயக சோஷலிசக் குடியரசு
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ; இலங்கை சனநாயக சோஷலிசக் குடியரசு
	Flag Coat of arms of Sri Lanka Coat of arms
	Motto: none
	Anthem: Sri Lanka Matha, by Ananda Samarakone
Capital	Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte
Largest city	Colombo
Official languages	Sinhala and Tamil
Government	Democratic Socialist Republic
Independence
• Water (%)	1.3%
Population
• 2005 estimate	20,743,000 (52nd)
• 2001 census	16,864,544
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	86.72 billion (59th)
• Per capita	$4300 (142nd)
HDI (2003)	0.751; high (93rd)
Currency	Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR)
Time zone	UTC+5:30
Calling code	94
ISO 3166 code	LK
Internet TLD	.lk

Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent, about 31 kilometers (18½ mi) south of India. It is in a strategic position in the Indian Ocean, along major sea trade routes from the Far East to Africa and Europe.

What is now the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්‍රී ලංකා in Sinhala/ இலங்கை in Tamil) was a British crown colony for more than a century, and gained independence February 4, 1948. Sri Lanka is a Democratic Socialist Republic and the population is a mix of languages and religions. Sri Lanka has a vibrant history, but its recent life has been under the shadow of an ethnically-based conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and a military group known as the LTTE (Tamil Tigers), which is proscribed as a terrorist group by many countries including USA, UK, Australia, India, and most recently Canada. Since 2002, both parties have largely adhered to a Memorandum of Understanding which brought forth a ceasefire agreement.

Name

In 1972, the official name of the nation that governs the island was changed to the Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka (ශ්‍රී ලංකාව in Sinhala / இலங்கை in Tamil). In 1978 it was changed to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Prior to 1972, Sri Lanka was known by a variety of names; ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane, Arabs referred to it as Serendib, but the best known is Ceylon. Sri Lanka is translated as "sri" meaning "venerable" and "lanka" meaning "island".

History

Prehistory

Archaeological evidence suggests that the island now known as Sri Lanka might have been inhabited up to 125,000 years ago. Paleolithic human settlements by 125,000 year-old people using chert and quartz tools have been discovered at excavations in several cave sites in the Western Plains region and the South-western face of the Central Hills region. Paleo-anthropologists have shown that burial rites and certain decorative artifacts exhibit similarities between the first inhabitants of the island and the early inhabitants of southern India. One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian epic Ramayana. The main written accounts of the country's history are the Buddhist chronicles of Mahavansa and Dipavansa.

Ancient history

According to legend, the written history of the Sinhala people of the island begins with the arrival of an Indian prince named Vijaya and his followers. The story goes that when Vijaya arrived, there were indigeneous people already living in the country. Vijaya made a relationship with the queen of the indegenous people, Kuwani. Kuwani accepted Vijaya because she realized that her people could not successfully fight him. She gave birth to a son and daughter. There are two primary opinions about Vijaya's origins. Some historians believe that he set sail from what is now Orissa, while linguists point out that ancient Sinhala is closer to Sanskrit which is the base for most Indian languages. There is at present no clear date for the arrival of Dravidian people on the island, but it is thought to have occurred soon after the arrival of the Dravidian people in South India. Some chronicles of the island mention the presence of the Tamil speaking people. But the country's history is dominated by Sinhalese presence.

Buddhism arrived from the Indian subcontinent in the 3rd century BC thanks to Arahath Mahinda Thero, missionary of Buddhist Indian Emperor Ashoka, and spread rapidly. Asoka requested his son Mahinda (Mahinda Thero) to spread Buddhism in Sri Lanka as a favour for his best friend King Devanampiyatissa, king of Sri Lanka. South Indian kingdoms invaded Sri Lanka on several occasions due to the prosperity of the country and parts of the island especially areas closer to India were ruled for very limited periods by Dravidian dynasties such as the Cholas, Pandyas, Cheras and Pallavas. It was also invaded and ruled by Kings of Kalinga (present-day Indian state Orissa) and Malay Straights. Each time Sinhalese kings aware of Tamil presence in the country they were able to fight them away to India.

File:Vijay landing.jpg

Landing of King Vijaya depicted in a painting

From this 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 (1:60,000).

Colonial rule

In 1505 the Portuguese arrived on the island, and the colonial period began. At that point the island consisted of several autonomous kingdoms, such as those of Yarlpanam (Anglicised Jaffna) in the north and Kandy in the central hills. The Dutch followed in the 17th century. During Portuguese and Dutch rule of coastal areas, the interior, hilly region of the island remained independent, with its capital in Kandy. Great Britain replaced the Dutch in 1796, and the coastal areas became a crown colony in 1802. After the fall of Kandy kingdom in 1815, the British unified it with the 'low country' Kingdoms on the island under one rule for administrative purposes in 1818. The struggle for independence started 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, rather than seeking independence.

Independence

As Ceylon [1], it became a dominion in the British Commonwealth in 1948. The first prime minister was Don Stephen Senanayake. In 1972, the country became a republic, and the name was changed to Sri Lanka.

Civil Conflict

The ongoing ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka is between elements of the majority Sinhalese and minority Sri Lankan Tamils. Since 1983, there has been on-and-off civil war, mostly between the government (dominated by Sinhalese, although including some members of other ethnic groups, including Tamils) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE, who want to create an independent Tamil Eelam state in the northeast of the island. It is estimated that the war has left 65,055 people dead since 1983 and has caused great harm to the population and economy of the country. A cease-fire was declared in 2002, but incidents of violence in late 2005 led to fears of a renewed civil war.

There were high hopes that the devastating Tsunami of December 2004 would force the government and Tamil rebels into a new, lasting dialogue to address the serious effects of the disaster on Sri Lanka as a whole. But these hopes were dashed by almost immediate accusations of bias and favouritism on the part of international aid agencies from both sides. At the close of 2005, deep political unease and suspicion remained between the two factions.

Government & Politics

The President of the Republic is directly elected for a six-year term and serves as Head of State, Head of Government and Commander in Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible to Parliament for the exercise of duties in accordance with the Constitution and laws. The incumbent may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of Parliament, with the agreement by the Supreme Court. The President appoints and heads a Cabinet of Ministers responsible to Parliament. The President's deputy is the Prime Minister, who leads the ruling party in Parliament.

The Sri Lankan Parliament is a unicameral 225-member legislature. Members are elected by universal (adult) suffrage based on a modified proportional representation system by district to a six-year term. The primary modification is that the party that receives the largest number of valid votes in each constituency gains a unique "bonus seat" (see Hickman, 1999). The president may summon, suspend, or end a legislative session and dissolve Parliament any time after it has served for one year. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws. Since its independence in 1948, Sri Lanka has remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Parliament was dissolved on February 07, 2004 by President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Elections were held on April 04 and the new Parliament convened on April 23 and elected Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Prime Minister.

In August 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that Presidential Elections would be held in November 2005, resolving a long-running dispute on the length of President Kumaratunga's term. Mahinda Rajapaksa was nominated the SLFP candidate and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe UNP candidate. The Election was held on November 17, 2005, and Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected the fifth Executive President of Sri Lanka with a 50.29% of valid votes, compared to Ranil Wickremesinghe's 48.43%. Rajapaksa took oath as President on November 19, 2005. Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was appointed the 22nd Prime Minister on November 21, 2005, to fill the post vacated by Rajapaksa. He was previously Prime Minister in 2000.

Rajapaksa offers less autonomy than Wickremasinghe to the northeast, home to most of Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic Tamils. His narrow victory was arguably engineered by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who want Tamil Eelam to be an independent country. The LTTE boycotted the election, thereby preventing thousands of Tamils from voting, and so Wickremasinghe, whose election promises included a Federal state to the North and East, from taking power.

Foreign relations of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka generally follows a non-aligned foreign policy but has been seeking closer relations with the United States since December 1977. It participates in multilateral diplomacy, particularly at the United Nations, where it seeks to promote sovereignty, independence, and development in the developing world. Sri Lanka was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). It also is a member of the Commonwealth, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, and the Colombo Plan. 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.

Military of Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Military comprises of Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy and Sri Lankan Air Force. They are under the control of the Ministry of Defence, which is currently controlled by President Mahinda Rajapaksa who also acts as Minster of Defence. The Sri Lankan Armed Forces are primarily focused on land warfare, with the Army being the oldest and largest of all the services. However, as the nation is surrounded by sea, the Navy is considered the most vital defence force. The Air Force is seen primarily a support force for both land and naval services. The military has taken part in many wars throughout its history including the Boer Wars and both World Wars (under the command of the British at the time). Since independence, however, its primary missions have been counter-insurgency, targeting armed groups within the country, most notably the LTTE and at one point the Sinhalese insurgent group the JVP. The Sri Lankan military has apparently received training assistance from other nations such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel, United States, India, Pakistan even South Africa. There have even been claims that soldiers from some of those countries have taken part in operations, but this has not been confirmed or proven. Recently, the Sri Lankan Army was chosen by the United Nations to take part in peacekeeping operations in Haiti.

Provinces

Sri Lanka is divided into nine provinces (which are further subdivided into districts). Each province is administered by a directly elected Provincial Council. In this nine-province scheme, the provinces are (capitals in parentheses):

Geography

The island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal. 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. Often referred to as Adam's Bridge, it now amounts to only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. According to temple records, this natural causeway was formerly complete, but was breached by a violent storm (probably a cyclone) in 1480.

The pear-shaped island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. Amongst these are Sri Pada and the highest point Pidurutalagala (also known as Mt Pedro), at 2,524 meters (8,281 ft). The Mahaweliganga and other major rivers provide fresh water.

The climate is tropical, characterized by monsoons: the northeast monsoon lasts from December to March, the southwest June to October. The lowest gravitational field on Earth lies just off the coast of Sri Lanka.

Ecology

Sri Lanka is one of the world's bio-diversity hot-spots. Its forests are among the most floristically rich in Asia and for some faunal groups, it has the world's highest density of species diversity. The southwest, where the influence of the moisture-bearing southwest monsoon is strongest, is home to the Sri Lanka lowland rain forests. At higher elevations they transition to the Sri Lanka montane rain forests. Both these tropical moist forest ecoregions are very similar to those of India's Western Ghats.

The north and east are considerably drier, lying in the rain shadow of the central highlands. The Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion, which, like the neighbouring East Deccan dry evergreen forests of India's Coromandel Coast, is characterized by evergreen trees, rather than the dry-season deciduous trees that predominate in most other tropical dry broadleaf forests.

These forests have been largely cleared for agriculture, timber or grazing, and many of the dry evergreen forests have been degraded to thorn scrub, savannah, or thickets. Several preserves have been established to protect some of Sri Lanka's remaining natural areas. The island has three biosphere reserves, Hurulu (established 1977), Sinharaja (established 1978), and Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya (KDN) (established 2004).

Sri Lanka is a centre of bird endemism. See Endemic Birds of the Indian Subcontinent for more information.

Economy

Sri Lanka is historically famous for the production of cinnamon and tea (introduced by the British in the 19th century). From independence until 1977, it had a strongly socialist economy, but since then it has been increasingly pursuing privatization, market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. While tea and rubber are still important, the most dynamic sectors are now food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, insurance, and banking. By 1996, plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments have reached 63%.

The GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% during the early 1990s, until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-2000, with average growth of 5.3%. 2001 saw the first economic contraction in the country's history, as a result of power shortages, budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Signs of recovery appeared after the 2002 ceasefire. The Colombo stock exchange reported the highest growth in Asia for 2003, and today Sri Lanka has the highest per capita income in South Asia.

In April 2004, there was a sharp reversal in economic policy after the government headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party was defeated by a coalition made up of Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the left-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna called the United People's Freedom Alliance. The new government stopped the privatization of state enterprises and reforms of state utilities such as power and petroleum, and embarked on a subsidy program called the Rata Perata economic program. Its main theme to support the rural and suburban SMEs and protect the domestic economy from external influences, such as oil prices, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

But this policy of subsidizing imported commodities like fuel, fertilizer and wheat soon unravelled the fiscal sector. In 2004 alone Sri Lanka spent approximately US$ 180 million on a fuel subsidy, as fixing fuel prices had been an election promise.

To finance the expanded budget deficit arising from a range of subsidies and a public sector recruitment drive, the government eventually had to print Rs 65 billion (US$ 650 million) or around 3% of GDP. The expansionary fiscal policy, coupled with loose monetary policy eventually drove inflation up to 18% by January 2005, as measured by the Sri Lanka Consumer Price Index.

By December 2004, the country was heading for a balance of payments crisis, as the currency depreciated and reserves dwindled. The tsunami in that month brought aid flows, and support from the IMF helped improve sentiment in the foreign exchange market. But GDP growth, which had climbed to 6.4% by the first quarter of 2004, had fallen to 4.8% by the first quarter of 2005. The tsunami helped stabilize the deterioration of macro-economic fundamentals as foreign debt relief and assistance from the International Monetary Fund strengthened both the external sector and fiscal operations.

A September 2005 IMF report called for an end to 'fiscal domination' of monetary policy and more independence for the Central Bank so that inflation could be contained. In December 2005, Sri Lanka received its first international credit rating with Fitch Ratings assigning it a BB- (a rating held by Brazil and Indonesia among others).

Education

Sri Lanka's population is highly educated with a literacy rate of 96%, higher than that typical of a third world country and one of the highest rates in South Asia. This can mainly be attributed to the free education system.

Demographics of Sri Lanka

File:Temple of Tooth Relic.jpg

Temple of Tooth Relic

Sri Lanka has the world's 53rd largest population. The Sri Lankan population has not been growing as quickly as many other Asian countries but has kept a steady pace for the last 20 years. The precise population is unclear because many people have been displaced as a result of the ethnic conflict and the tsunami. The population growth rate stands at 0.79% compared to 1.4% of India and 2.03% of Pakistan. Sri Lanka has a birth rate of 15.63 birth per 1,000 people and a death rate of 6.49 deaths per 1,000 people. The death rate has decreased drastically thanks to the ceasefire agreement stopping the decade-long ethnic conflict.

Racial identities in Sri Lanka do not represent the genetic heritage. Assimilation and intermixing has produced a group of people who are only marginally different from each other irrespective of current racial claims. About 74% of Sri Lankans are Sinhalese. Sri Lankan Tamils constitute 18%, and live mostly in the north, east and central provinces. Tamils comprise two communities: Native Tamils and more recent immigrants from India called as Indian Origin (or "estate") Tamils. There is a large population of Moors(Muslims of Arab origin), living in all parts of the island with large part of the population living in the Eastern Province. There are smaller ethnic groups such as the Burghers who are mixed with European descendants and the dominant ethnic groups of Sri Lanka. There is also a small population of Malay people. There is also a small population of the original inhabitants of the island called Wanniyala-Aetto or Veddahs.

Both Sinhala and Tamil are official languages. English, the link language in the present constitution, is spoken competently by about 10% of the population, and is widely understood. All three languages are used in education and administration.

Religions of Sri Lanka

File:Nallur kandaswami.jpg

Nallur Kandaswamy Temple, Jaffna

Religion in Sri Lanka is as much varied as its ethnic groups. The 69.4% of the population comprises of Buddhists, mostly Sinhalese. The Hindu population comprises 15.6% of the total population of Sri Lanka. Muslims and Christians comprise 7.7% and 6.3% respectively.

The ancient and famous Sri Dalada Maligawa or "Temple of the Tooth" is the principal Buddhist Temple in Sri Lanka, and by tradition houses the Tooth of Buddha. It is visted every year by millions of pilgrims.

Sri Lankan Culture

The island is the home of two main traditional cultures: the Sinhalese (centred in the ancient cities of Kandy and Anaradhapura) and the Tamil (centred in the city of Jaffna, where the public library that was destroyed in 1981 was the world centre of Tamil archives and scholarship). In more recent times a British colonial culture was added, and lately Sri Lanka, particularly in the urban areas, has experienced a dramatic makeover in the western mold. 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. But economic growth and intense economic competition in developed countries has spilled over even to much of Sri Lanka, producing changes that might variously be identified as progress, westernization, or a loss of identity and assimilation.

You can now find the presence of American taste represented by McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and others. Sri Lankans have not stopped practicing their culture and traditions, but they have added western options to the customary diet such as Rice and Curry, Pittu (mixture of fresh rice meal, every lightly roasted and mixed with fresh grated coconut, then steamed in a bamboo mould). Kiribath (cooked in thick coconut cream for this un sweetened rice-pudding which is accompanied by a sharp chili relish called "Lunumiris"), Wattalapam (rich pudding of Malay origin made of coconut milk, jaggery, cashew nuts, eggs, and various spices including Cinnamon cloves and Nutmeg -- and most of all hoppers ("appa"), batter cooked rapidly in a hot curved pan, accompanied by eggs, milk or savouries. Sri Lankan food also has Dutch and Portuguese influences, with the island's Burgher People community preserving this culture through traditional favourites such as Lamprais (rice cooked in stock and baked in a banana leaf), Breudher (Dutch Christmas cake) and Bolo Fiado (Portuguese-style layer cake).

Being one of the largest producers of tea in the World ( the Royal Family of the United Kingdom has been known to drink Ceylon tea), Sri Lankans drink a lot of tea. Many Sri Lankans drink at least two cups a day.

File:Odi dn gabba.jpg

Sri Lanka playing Australia in One Day Cricket

Religion plays an important part in the life and culture of Sri Lankans. The Buddhist majority observe Poya Days, once per month according to the Lunar calendar. The Hindus and Muslims also observe their own holidays. There are many Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka and many mosques, Hindu temples and churches all across the island. The North and the East of the island have many mosques and Hindu temples because a large Tamil and Muslim population resides in those areas. Many churches can be found along the southern coast line because of a concentration of Christianity, particularly Roman Catholics, in that region. The interior of the island is mostly Buddhist, and indeed there are many Buddhists in all parts of the island.

Sri Lanka's main sport is Cricket. Every child knows how to play cricket and there are many cricket fields scattered across the island for children and adults to play the sport. The biggest pastime of the Sri Lankan population other than playing cricket is watching the Sri Lankan National Team playing cricket. Most of the time, businesses shut down when there is a big match on television. This was the case in 1996 when the Sri Lanka team made (and won) the Cricket World Cup finals against Australia. The whole country shut down as if there was a curfew imposed.

Miscellaneous facts about Sri Lanka

First country in the World to have a female prime minister (Sirimavo Bandaranaike)
Longest period of continuous multi party democracy by a non western country (1931-present)
First country in South Asia to start radio broadcasting with Radio Ceylon -- celebrated 80 years in Broadcasting on December 16, 2005
World's leading exporter of tea; Ceylon tea is of the finest quality in the world
World's leading exporter of cinnamon; exported to Egypt as early as 1400 BC
First country to establish a wildlife sanctuary [2]
Winner of the Cricket World Cup in 1996
The Buddhist scriptures were first committed to writing at Aluvihare in Sri Lanka
Oldest country within its present borders (the island of Sri Lanka existed as a united country as far back as the 4th century BC)
The chronology of early India depends upon that of the Mahawamsa
First country in Asia to fly the A340

External links

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Media

Template:SAARC Template:Southern Asia

v t e International ties of Sri Lanka
Geographical and geopolitical	Asia South Asia Indies
Historical and cultural	Commonwealth of Nations
International organisations	United Nations World Trade Organization ADB SAARC Non-Aligned Movement International Monetary Fund World Bank Group G24 Group of 77 Colombo Plan Group of Fifteen (G15)