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| Sri
Lanka in Brief |
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General
Information
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| Location
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| Sri Lanka, formerly
known as Ceylon, is an island located just off the southeastern
coast of India. The country is strategically placed at the crossroads
to the east and west and is often referred to as the ‘pearl’
of the Indian Ocean. Colombo is the commercial capital of Sri
Lanka while Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the administrative capital. |
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| Weather
and climate |
| Sri Lanka boasts of
a tropical climate with wet, dry and arid weather zones. The temperature
ranges between 27º C to 35º C throughout
the year. The hill country is in the center of Sri Lanka, where
a cooler climate persists with an average temperature of 20ºC.
Sri Lanka generally experiences two monsoons - the South West
monsoon from May to July and the North East monsoon between November
and January. The days in Sri Lanka are hot and humid but the evenings
are chilly and pleasant. |
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| Culture
and Religion |
| Population
of Sri Lanka exceeds 19 million, which is made up of Sinhalese,
Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils, Muslims, Malays, Burghers
(of Portuguese and Dutch descent) and others. Sinhala and Tamil
are the two official languages of Sri Lanka though English is
widely spoken; all signs and notices are generally displayed in
all three languages.
The four main religions of the country
are Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity; Buddhists
constitute the majority of Sri Lanka.
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