The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was formally united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. By May 2009, the government announced that its military had defeated the remnants of the LTTE. Since the end of the conflict, the government has enacted an ambitious program of economic development projects, many of which are financed by loans from the Government of China. In addition to efforts to reconstruct its economy, the government has resettled more than 95% of those civilians who were displaced during the final phase of the conflict and released the vast majority of former LTTE combatants captured by Government Security Forces. At the same time, there has been little progress on more contentious and politically difficult issues such as reaching a political settlement with Tamil elected representatives and holding accountable those alleged to have been involved in human rights violations at the end of the war.

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

slightly larger than West Virginia

tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)

mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower

occasional cyclones and tornadoes

deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo

strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%

Buddhist (official) 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

21,481,334 (July 2012 est.)

17.04 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

5.96 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-1.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

COLOMBO (capital) 681,000 (2009)

35 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

2.17 children born/woman (2012 est.)

0.492 physicians/1,000 population (2006)

3.1 beds/1,000 population (2004)

less than 0.1% (2009 est.)

fewer than 200 (2009 est.)

9 provinces; Central, Eastern, North Central, Northern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western

4 February 1948 (from the UK)

Independence Day, 4 February (1948)

adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978; amended 20 December 2001

mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and Jaffna Tamil customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of an open-list, proportional representation system by electoral district to serve six-year terms)

Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president

Coalitions and leaders: Democratic National Alliance led by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE]; Tamil National Alliance led by Illandai Tamil Arasu Kachchi [R. SAMPANTHAN]; United National Front led by United National Party [Ranil WICKREMESINGHE]; United People's Freedom Alliance led by Sri Lanka Freedom Party [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA]

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [P. SIVAPARAN, Chief of International Secretariat; V. RUDRAKUMARAN, legal advisor]; note - this insurgent group suffered military defeat in May 2009; some cadres remain scattered throughout country, but there have not been any incidents in Sri Lanka since May 2009

ABEDA, ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO (dialogue member), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other larger panel depicts a yellow lion holding a sword on a dark red rectangular field that also displays a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels; the lion represents Sinhalese ethnicity, the strength of the nation, and bravery; the sword demonstrates the sovereignty of the nation; the four bo leaves - symbolizing Buddhism and its influence on the country - stand for the four virtues of kindness, friendliness, happiness, and equanimity; orange signifies Sri Lankan Tamils, green the Sri Lankan Moors; dark red represents the European Burghers, but also refers to the rich colonial background of the country; yellow denotes other ethnic groups; also referred to as the Lion Flag

Sri Lanka continues to experience strong economic growth, driven by large-scale reconstruction and development projects following the end of the 26-year conflict with the LTTE. Sri Lanka is pursuing a combination of government directed policies, private investment, both foreign and domestic, to spur growth in disadvantaged areas, develop small and medium enterprises, and increase agricultural productivity. The government struggles with high debt interest payments, a bloated civil service, and historically high budget deficits. However recent reforms to the tax code have resulted in higher revenue and lower budget deficits in recent years. The 2008-09 global financial crisis and recession exposed Sri Lanka's economic vulnerabilities and nearly caused a balance of payments crisis. Growth slowed to 3.5% in 2009. Economic activity rebounded strongly with the end of the war and an IMF agreement, resulting in two straight years of high growth in 2010 and 2011. Per capita income of $5,600 on a purchasing power parity basis is among the highest in the region.

$118 billion (2011 est.)

$109.1 billion (2010 est.)

$101 billion (2009 est.)

$59.1 billion (2011 est.)

8.307 million (2011 est.)

27.3% of GDP (2011 est.)

14.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

-7% of GDP (2011 est.)

79.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

81.9% of GDP (2010 est.)

7% (31 December 2011 est.)

7.25% (31 December 2010)

9.41% (31 December 2011 est.)

9.29% (31 December 2010 est.)

$3.867 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$3.67 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$21.89 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$16.34 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$24.21 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$20.44 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$19.44 billion (31 December 2011)

$19.92 billion (31 December 2010)

$8.133 billion (31 December 2009)

rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, vegetables, fruit, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish

processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; tourism, shipping; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining, information technology services, construction

-$4 billion (2011 est.)

-$1.472 billion (2010 est.)

$10.19 billion (2011 est.)

$8.307 billion (2010 est.)

textiles and apparel, tea and spices; rubber manufactures; precious stones; coconut products, fish

US 20.1%, UK 9.3%, India 6.3%, Italy 5.1%, Germany 5%, Belgium 4.5% (2011)

$20.02 billion (2011 est.)

$12.16 billion (2010 est.)

petroleum, textiles, machinery and transportation equipment, building materials, mineral products, foodstuffs

India 26%, China 15.9%, Singapore 7.1%, Iran 6.2%, Japan 5% (2011)

$7.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$7.197 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$22.81 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$20.45 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) per US dollar -

10.71 billion kWh (2010 est.)

9.268 billion kWh (2010 est.)

2.646 million kW (2009 est.)

48.6% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

51.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0.2% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

38,630 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

38,570 bbl/day (2008 est.)

89,620 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

48,140 bbl/day (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

14.09 million Mt (2010 est.)

3.608 million (2011)

18.319 million (2011)

government operates 2 TV channels and a radio network; multi-channel satellite and cable TV subscription services available; 8 private TV stations and about a dozen private radio stations (2008)

1.777 million (2009)

160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2012)

Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force (2010)

18-22 years of age for voluntary military service; 5-year service obligation (Air Force) (2012)