Radio broadcast stations: 50 Radios: 3. Television broadcast stations: 35 Televisions: 1. Internet users: 1. Transportation: Railways: total: 1, km Highways: total: , km; paved: 16, km; unpaved: 97, km Waterways: km; navigable by shallow-draft craft Ports and harbors: Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee.
Airports: 19 Major sources and definitions. Most of the land is flat and rolling; mountains in the south-central region rise to over 8, ft 2, m. Indo-Aryan emigration from India in the 5th century B.
Tamils, the second-largest ethnic group on the island, were originally from the Tamil region of India and emigrated between the 3rd century B. Until colonial powers controlled Ceylon the country's name until , Sinhalese and Tamil rulers fought for dominance over the island.
The Tamils, primarily Hindus, claimed the northern section of the island and the Sinhalese, who are predominantly Buddhist, controlled the south. The British took over in , and Ceylon became an English Crown colony in The British developed coffee, tea, and rubber plantations. On Feb. Bandaranaike became prime minister in and championed Sinhalese nationalism, making Sinhala the country's only official language and including state support of Buddhism, further marginalizing the Tamil minority.
He was assassinated in by a Buddhist monk. His widow, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, became the world's first female prime minister in The name Ceylon was changed to Sri Lanka?
The Tamil minority's mounting resentment toward the Sinhalese majority's monopoly on political and economic power, exacerbated by cultural and religious differences, erupted in bloody violence in Tamil rebel groups, the strongest of which were the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers, began a civil war to fight for separate nation.
President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated at a May Day political rally in , when a Tamil rebel detonated explosives strapped to himself.
Tamil extremists have frequently resorted to terrorist attacks against civilians. The next president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, vowed to restore peace to the country. In Dec.
By early , 18 years of war had claimed the lives of more than 64,, mostly civilians. After Dec. Wickremesinghe's victory precipitated a formal cease-fire with the Tamil rebels, signed in Feb. In September talks, the government lifted its ban on the group, and the Tigers dropped their demand for an independent Tamil state. Another significant breakthrough came in December when the Tigers and the government struck a power-sharing deal that would give the rebels regional autonomy.
But negotiations in achieved little. Intense political rivalry threatened the peace process. In Nov. In Feb. The gamble paid off for Kumaratunga? On Dec. The Secretariat has worked with Sri Lanka to measure the contribution of sport and physical education to sustainable development.
Sri Lanka champions the Action Group on mangrove ecosystems and livelihoods. The Action Group held its first meeting in Negombo in October Since then, Sri Lanka demarcated 14, hectares of land which includes thousands of hectares to be allocated for mangroves. Sri Lanka also plans to expand its task force for mangrove restoration to engage all stakeholders from government, private sector and community based organisations.
Site search. Region: Asia Population: 22 million Area: 65, square kilometres Capital: Colombo executive and judicial , Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte legislative Joined Commonwealth: , following independence from Britain Commonwealth Youth Index: 7 out of 49 countries Secretariat support for Sri Lanka Countering violent extremism The Secretariat has helped Sri Lanka learn about tackling violent and extremist views and building strong communities.
Sri Lanka is a country off the coast of India. The country is positioned above the equator, therefore in the northern hemisphere. As part of the eastern hemisphere, Sri Lanka is surrounded by four central bodies of water. To the north, Sri Lanka lies on the coast of the Palk Strait. Interestingly enough, this connector has raised many eyebrows since the dawn of existence, as many have described it as a clash between fantasy and reality.
The most extreme points of a country refer to the exact coordinates of the furthest a country extends in each of the cardinal directions. This point is between two small towns by the names of Point Pedro and Polikandy.
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