An island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast tip of India, Sri Lanka is about half the size of Alabama. Most of the land is flat and rolling; mountains in the south-central region rise to over 8,000 ft (2,438 m).
Country lead by President: Mahinda Rajapakse (2005)
Prime Minister: Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka (2005)
Population
20,222,240 (growth rate: 0.8%); birth rate: 15.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 14.0/1000; life expectancy: 73.4; density per sq mi: 809
Land Area
24,996 sq mi (64,740 sq km); total area: 25,332 sq mi (65,610 sq km)
Monetary unit
Sri Lanka rupee Language
Sinhala 74% (official and national), Tamil 18% (national), other 8%; English is commonly used in government and spoken competently by about 10%
Ethnicity Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001)
Religion Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001)
Transportation Railways: total: 1,508 km (2002). Highways: total: 96,695 km; paved: 91,860 km; unpaved: 4,835 km (1999). Waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft. Ports and harbors: Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee. Airports: 15 (2002).
