1 History

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The pre-historical human inhabitants were the Wanniyala-Aetto, more commonly known as Veddahs. The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century BC, probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid- 3rd century BC and a great civilisation developed at such cities as Anuradhapura (kingdom from c. 200 BC to c. 1000 AD) and Polonnaruwa (c. 1070 to 1200). Tamils from southern India also came to the island, exactly how many and when is a matter of dispute, but by the 13th century there was a substantial Tamil society in the north, and many fishing communities elsewhere along the island's coastline. Tamils in Sri Lanka developed a somewhat distinct culture and polity from their mainland cousins. Relations between Tamils (of India and Sri Lanka) and Sinhalese were complex - sometimes peaceful and sometimes warlike, including invasions in both directions and substantial intermixing.

The Buddhism showed the way to a new civilisation in Sri Lanka after the arrival of Arahath Mahinda Thero who was a son of the great king Asoka who ruled Magadha in India. The King of Sri Lanka, "Devanampiya Thissa" gave the royal backup to implement Buddhism in Sri Lanka and facilitates by developing Temples, Sthupas and other arrangements.

South Indian Tamil rulers attacked Sri Lanka a several time and in most cases there was a defender of the nation. Great kings such as "Dutugemunu", "Watta Gamini Abhaya (Walagamba)", "Wijayabahu the 1st" and "Maha Parakrama Bahu" foiled Tamil invasions and were able to keep the kingdom by recreating the Damps, paddy-fields buildings temples and statues which the Tamils destroyed.

After the Polonnaruwa kingdom, the Sinhalese capital moved through several cities over the next few centuries. It had settled in Sri Jayewardanapura Kotte when coastal regions were occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch in the 17th century. The entire island was ceded to the British in 1796 and became a crown colony in 1802. As Ceylon it became independent in 1948; in 1972 its name was changed to Sri Lanka and the capital was moved to Sri Jayewardanapura Kotte. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority erupted in violence in the mid-1980s following an LTTE attack on Sinhalese soldiers. This lead to a pogrom leading to thousands of Tamils being killed over three days in Colombo with many more becoming refugees. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic war that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the government began a ceasefire in December 2001, and Norway is mediating the peace process. The changing world acceptance of terrorism may have influenced the main Tamil rebel group to seek the ceasefire. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam was declared a terrorist organization by the United States of America and the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Canada. President Kumaratunga acknowledged at the UN that there are deep rooted discrimination that leads to terrorism but has so far not actioned her words to bring equality to the Tamil people.

2 Politics

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The president of the republic, directly elected for a 6-year term, serves as both head of state and head of government, as well as commander in chief of the armed forces. Responsible to parliament for the exercise of duties under the constitution and laws, the president may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of parliament with the concurrence of 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 elected by universal (adult) suffrage on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to a 6-year term. The primary modification is a unique "bonus seats" provision under which the party receiving the largest number of valid votes in each constituency receives an additional or bonus seat. (For a more detailed description of the effects of the bonus seat provision, see "Explaining the Two-Party System in Sri Lanka's National Assembly" by John Hickman in Contemporary South Asia, Volume 8, Number 1, March 1999, pp. 29-40.) The president may summon, suspend, or end a legislative session and dissolve parliament any time after it has been in place for one year. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws. Sri Lanka has remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Former parliament building, Colombo

Parliament was dissolved on February 7, 2004 by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. New elections were held on April 2 and the new parliament convened on April 23.

See also: Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2004

3 Provinces

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Sri Lanka consists of 9 provinces:

• Central
• Eastern
• North Central
• Northern
• North Western
• Sabaragamuwa
• Southern
• Uva
• Western

4 Geography

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The island of Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, lies within the Indian Ocean, with the Bay of Bengal to the northeast, separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

Adam's Bridge, a land connection to the Indian mainland that according to Hindu mythology was constructed during the rule of Rama, is now mostly submerged with only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level. It is entirely possible that the Sinhalease people are related to the king Ravana of the Hindu mythology Ramayana.

The pear-shaped island consists mostly of flat to rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south central part of the island, amongst which are Adam's Peak and the Pidurutalagala , the highest point at 2,524 m.

The Sri Lankan climate is tropical and characterised by monsoons; the northeast monsoon which lasts from December to March and the southwest monsoon from June to October. The administrative and commercial capital is Colombo, but parliament is located in nearby Sri Jayewardanapura Kotte. Other major cities include Jaffna, Galle, and Kandy.

5 Economy

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Famous historically for its cinnamon and tea and moderately socialist after independence, Sri Lanka has in the last 20 years increasingly engaged in privatisation and moved towards market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. While tea and rubber are still important in the economy, the most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%.

GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% throughout the 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%. But 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. However, it is now showing signs of recovery after the Government and the LTTE signed a ceasefire in 2002. Colombo stock exchange reported the highest growth in Asia for 2003. Today, Sri Lanka has the highest per capita income in South Asia.

6 Demographics

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Around 75% of the Sri Lankan population belongs to the Sinhalese majority, which is predominantly Buddhist and in particular of the Theravada tradition. The other major group on the island are the Tamils which constitute some 18% of the population. They are predominantly Hindu and live mostly in the north and east of the country. Both Sinhala and Tamil languages have enjoyed the "official" status since the Indo-Lanka accord in 1989. English, the national language, is the mother tongue of roughly 10% of the population and is spoken and understood widely. All three languages are used for purposes of education and administration.

Smaller minorities include the (Tamil-speaking) Muslims (7%), the Burghers of mixed European descent (1%) and the Wanniyala-Aetto or Veddahs, the few remaining descendants of earlier cultures. Buddhism (70%) and Hinduism (15%) are the dominant religions, with Christianity (8%) (7% Catholic and 1% Protestant) and Islam (mostly Sunni) (7%) forming sizable religious minorities.

• Music of Sri Lanka
• List of cricketers from Sri Lanka
• W.Sumith Wickramasinghe of Ambaraluwa

7 Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Sri Lanka
• Transportation in Sri Lanka
• Foreign relations of Sri Lanka
• Military of Sri Lanka
• National parks
• Kitulgala
• Nuwara Eliya
• Sri Lankan birds

Famous residents of Sri Lanka include British science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, who has lived there since 1956.

The Hindu newspaper placed Sri Lankan broadcaster Vernon Corea, a pioneer of Radio Ceylon, among the top five great broadcasters of the world.

8 External links

• GOSL - Official governmental site of Sri Lanka
• Parliament - Official parliamentary site
• [1] - Sri Lankan High Commissions/Embassies - Overseas
• [2] - Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Sri Lanka
• [3] - Sri Lanka Tourist Information
• [4]- Vernon Corea The Golden Voice of Radio Ceylon

Countries in South Asia
Bangladesh | Bhutan | India | Maldives | Nepal | Pakistan | Sri Lanka

British colonies Islands South Asian countries Sri Lanka

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