Sri Lanka
Geography - People - Economy - Government - Communications - Transportation - Military - Transnational IssuesCountry name - conventional long form : Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Country name - conventional short form : Sri Lanka
Country name - local long form : Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu
Country name - local short form : Shri Lamka/Ilankai
Country name - former : Serendib, Ceylon
Government type : republic
Capital - name : Colombo
Capital - time difference : UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
National holiday : Independence Day, 4 February (1948)
Nationality - noun : Sri Lankan(s)
Nationality - adjective : Sri Lankan
Currency (code) : Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Currency code : LKR
Major infectious diseases - degree of risk : high
Sri Lanka is located Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. The climate is tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October). The terrain is mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior.
Background
This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.Background : The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006 and the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. In January 2008, the government officially withdrew from the ceasefire, and has begun engaging the LTTE in the northern portion of the country.
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