Sri Lanka (Sinhalese - ශ්රී ලංකාව), officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia near south-east India.
Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest. Its documented history spans over 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic rich human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II.
Sri Lanka is a Sinhala Buddhist country with a diverse and multicultural society. Sri Lanka is home to many religions, ethnic groups, and languages. In addition to the majority Sinhalese, it is home to large groups of Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda. Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, dates back to the Fourth Buddhist council in 29 BC.
Sri Lanka (Sinhalese - ශ්රී ලංකාව), officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia near south-east India.
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Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest. Its documented history spans over 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic rich human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II.
Sri Lanka is a Sinhala Buddhist country with a diverse and multicultural society. Sri Lanka is home to many religions, ethnic groups, and languages. In addition to the majority Sinhalese, it is home to large groups of Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda. Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, dates back to the Fourth Buddhist council in 29 BC.
Sri Lanka is a republic and a sovereign state governed by a Semi-presidential system. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and the largest city, Colombo. An important producer of tea, coffee, gemstones, coconuts, rubber and the native cinnamon. The island contains tropical forests and diverse landscapes with much biodiversity.
Sri Lanka has had a long history of international engagement, as a founding member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the G77, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Along with Maldives it is one of the two countries in South Asia that are currently rated "high" on the Human Development Index.
Detailed information about Sri Lanka can be found by following this link.
