Sri Lanka 2

Sri Lanka, is an island republic in the Indian Ocean, lying off the southeastern tip of the Indian subcontinent. The Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannār separate Sri Lanka from India. The Arabian Sea lies to the west, the Bay of Bengal to the northeast, and the Indian Ocean to the south. Colombo, situated on the western coast, is the largest city and the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. The administrative capital is Sri Jayawardenepura (Kotte), located about 16 km east of Colombo. The population of Sri Lanka is about 20 million. Ethnic groups include the Sinhalese, who form the majority of the population, and the Tamils, who form the largest minority group. Agriculture is the largest sector of the economy in terms of employment, but manufacturing generates the majority of export earnings. Sri Lanka has a democratic political system, with a directly elected president as head of state. Sinhalese and Tamil kingdoms ruled the island now known as Sri Lanka from ancient times until the 1500s, when Europeans established colonial rule. First the Portuguese, then the Dutch, and finally the British colonized the island. The island was a Portuguese colony from 1517 to 1658, a Dutch colony from 1658 to 1796, and a British colony from 1796 to 1948. The British colony, called Ceylon, gained independence in 1948. The newly independent nation retained the name Ceylon until the 1972 constitution renamed it Sri Lanka. Since independence Sri Lanka has maintained a democratic, multiparty system of government. A civil war erupted in 1983 between the Sinhalese-dominated government and Tamil separatists, who demand the creation of an independent Tamil nation. The island of Sri Lanka is roughly pear-shaped. The Jaffna Peninsula forms a stemlike extension in the north. The total area of Sri Lanka is 65,610 sq km. The greatest length, from north to south, is 440 km. The greatest width, from east to west across the islands broad southern portion, is 220 km. Sri Lankas coastline extends a length of about 1,340 km. The land of Sri Lanka can be divided into three geographic zones that correspond to elevation: the central highlands, the lowland plains, and the coastal belt. The central highlands include numerous mountains, plateaus, and valleys. Pidurutalagala, the highest point in Sri Lanka, rises 2,524 m in the central highlands. In contrast, the elevation of the surrounding plains ranges from 90 m to sea level. The plains are broadest in the north. The coastal belt rises about 30 m above sea level. Lagoons, sand beaches, sand dunes, and marshes predominate along the coast, although steep rocky cliffs are found in the northeast and southwest. Sri Lanka is a sovereign nation within the Commonwealth of Nations. Upon gaining independence from Britain in 1948, Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) became a dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations, a loose alliance of mostly former British colonies. The head of state was formally the British monarch, represented by a governor general. In 1972 the country adopted a new constitution that formally changed its name from Ceylon to Sri Lanka and established it as a republic. An appointed president replaced the British monarch as head of state. In 1978 Sri Lanka ratified a new constitution that established the popular election of the president. For all its years as an independent country, Sri Lanka has had an active multiparty system, democratically elected governments, and peaceful transfers of power. Universal adult suffrage has been in place since 1931. The minimum voting age is 18. The principal source for the early history of Sri Lanka is the Mahavamsa (Great Chronicle), written by Buddhist monks in the 500s AD. It provides a legendary account of the first Sinhalese ruler in the 5th century BC and documents the rise and fall of successive Buddhist kingdoms. Later Sinhalese history is chronicled in the Dipavamsa (Lesser Chronicle), completed in the late 1700s AD. Because the chronicles were written to glorify Buddhism and its royal patrons, they present a relatively one-sided narrative of events. According to the Mahavamsa, the first ruler of the island was Vijaya, a banished prince from northern India, whose arrival coincided with the passing away of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, in 483 BC. This legend helped establish the powerful belief among the Sinhalese that they were the chosen guardians of Buddhism. Set to song Mage Ratata performed by Sanath Nandasiri