The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka an island in South Asia, currently the habitat for 20 million citizens, is situated near South East India. The geographic location of the country and the deep harbors surrounding the island has given importance to the country in the world economic and military strategies from the early ages. Therefore the country is also known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean. In the modern era Sri Lanka is famous for two reasons. One: Sri Lanka was gifted with the first female Prime Minister in the world. Two: Its love for Cricket!
Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is the capital city of the country. Colombo is the commercial hub of the country and the local currency is Sri Lankan Rupees. It is the home to many ethnic groups, many religions and several languages. The majority of the population consists of the Sinhalese and there are large groups of Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils, Muslims and few members who belong to the Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the indigenous Vedda communities. The most commonly practiced religions are Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Islam. One could observe that temples, kovils, churches and mosques are visible around the country. The Sinhala and the Tamil languages are considered as the official languages and English plays the role of the communicative and commercial language. The Free Health concept of the country has offered the citizens a higher life expectancy similar to many developing countries and the Free Education concept of the country results the higher rate in literacy which is outstanding as an Asian country.
Sri Lanka is popular around the world as a producer of tea, coffee, gem stones, coconuts and rubber. It is also gifted with a rich bio diversity as it contains tropical forests and diverse landscapes. Hence it is also evolving in its field of tourism after the end of the thirty year civil war along with the contribution of the development in the fields of transportation and infrastructure at present. The coastal areas such as Galle, Negombo and Trincomalee have added its charm on the tourists with their exquisite beach adventures and sea food delicacies. The Hill country welcomes the vacationers with its picturesque landscapes, waterfalls and temperate climate. The ancient cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Sigiriya fascinates the visitors with its heritage while wild life sanctuaries situated in Yala, Vilpaththu and Kumana offer them unforgettable wild life experiences.
Sri Lanka owns a rich culture preserved for centuries from generation to another. The various festivals among the communities and their customs and behaviors exhibit the traditional oriented mind set of the Sri Lankans even with their commendable proficiency in technology. The much loved dishes prepared according to the regional influences, the cherished traditional attires and the high levels of appreciation towards literature, art, music, theatre and dancing portrays the simplicity and the compassionate soul of the majority of Sri Lankans.
An island of development.
An island of beauty and grandeur.
An island of love, care and hospitality.
Truly a paradise indeed!