Official Name : Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Government : Democracy

Commercial Capital : Colombo (population 2 million)

Administrative Capital : Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte.

Geography : pearl-shaped island 29 kilometers off the southeastern coast of India with a total area of 65,610 square kilometers, of which the land area is 64,740 square kilometers.

Climate : with the influence of the island’s position close to the equator renders a tropical climate to the country. The climatic conditions in the lowlands are typically tropical with an average temperature of 27C in Colombo. In higher elevations in the interior of the country the temperatures go down to 16C. Bright, sunny warm days are common even during the height of the monsoon.

Population : 19 million (annual growth 1.04%)

Ethnic Groups : 74% Sinhalese, 18% Tamils, 7% Moor, 1% other

Religion : 69% Buddhist, 15% Hindu, 8% Muslim, 8% Christian

Languages : Sinhala, Tamil, English

Currency : One Sri Lankan rupee is made up of 100 cents. Currency notes are in the denominations of Rs.10, Rs.20, Rs.50, Rs.100, Rs.200, Rs.500 and Rs. 1000. Coins are in the following denominations: 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 50 cents, one rupee, two rupees, five rupees and ten rupees

Major industries : Clothing, processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco, rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts;
Major trading partners: US, UK, Germany, Japan, Singapore, India, Iran, Taiwan, Belgium, Hong Kong, China, South Korea

Time Difference : Sri Lanka is 6 hours ahead of GMT, 11 hours ahead of American EST and 4 hours behind Australian EST.

Food : Good food is found in abundance in Sri Lanka, with a wide choice of cuisine to choose from. The Portuguese, Dutch and British invaders as well as the Indian, Arab, Malay and Moor traders have all contributed to the variety of Sri Lankan cuisine. However, rice is the staple meal. Curries in Sri Lanka are much hotter than those in India. More chilli and spices are added to flavour the dish. However, adjustments are made to this in order to suit the foreign palate.

Entry Requirements : Ensure that your passport is valid for a date well beyond the date of your arrival. A visa valid for 30 days is issued on arrival at no cost for most nationals, including those from Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Visas can be extended at the department of Immigration and Emigration in Colombo.