Sri Lanka - Transportation

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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.

Airports

This entry gives the total number of airports or airfields recognizable from the air. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, earth, sand, or gravel surfaces) but may include closed or abandoned installations. Airports or airfields that are no longer recognizable (overgrown, no facilities, etc.) are not included. Note that not all airports have accommodations for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.
Airports : 18 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways - total : 14
Airports - with paved runways - over 3,047 m : 1
Airports - with paved runways - 1,524 to 2,437 m : 6
Airports - with paved runways - 914 to 1,523 m : 7 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total : 4
Airports - with unpaved runways - 914 to 1,523 m : 1
Airports - with unpaved runways - under 914 m : 3 (2007)

Railways

This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge
Railways - total : 1,449 km
Railways - broad gauge : 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

This entry gives the total length of the road network and includes the length of the paved and unpaved portions.
Roadways - total : 97,286 km
Roadways - paved : 78,802 km
Roadways - unpaved : 18,484 km (2003)

Waterways

This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water.
Waterways : 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2006)

Merchant marine

Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total, ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries. *** Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume of a ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship between GRT and DWT. *** Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers. *** Foreign-owned are ships that fly the flag of one country but belong to owners in another. *** Registered in other countries are ships that belong to owners in one country but fly the flag of another.
Merchant marine - total : 26
Merchant marine - by type : bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2
Merchant marine - foreign-owned : 5 (Germany 5)
Merchant marine - registered in other countries : 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals

This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered.
Ports and terminals : Colombo

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