About Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a tear-drop shaped island in the Indian Ocean situated approximately 20 miles south of India. The hill country is located in the center of the island and is the region where a large proportion of the tea cultivation takes place. The south-western portion of the island (west of the hill country) compromises the wet zone with arid zones located around Puttalam (north of Chilaw) and Hambantota (east of Galle on the southern coast of the island).

Sri Lanka is famous for its tea, which is marketed world-wide as 'Ceylon Tea' (Ceylon being the former name of the country). Other major exports include textiles, rubber and spices.

Key Facts and Figures about Sri Lanka

Airplane at Catalina Grill

Catalina plane at the Catalina Grill, a restaurant in Koggala (south of Galle.

Location Island in the Indian Ocean. Approximately 80° E of the Greenwich meridian
Administrative Capital Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte (a suburb of Colombo)
Commercial capital and largest city Colombo
Other major cities Kandy, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee, Anuradhapura
Population Approximately 21,000,000
Area Approximately 25,000 square miles (~65,000 km2)
Major Languages Sinhalese, English and Tamil
Major Exports Textiles, tea, rubber, spices and precious stones
Currency Sri Lankan rupee