Sri Lanka: Background & Geography

Introduction Sri Lanka
Background:
 The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning 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 1000 A.D.) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied 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 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 in violence in the mid-1980s. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic war that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam began a ceasefire in December 2001, with Norway brokering peace negotiations.
Geography Sri Lanka
Location:
 Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Geographic coordinates:
 7 00 N, 81 00 E
Map references:
 Asia
Area:
 total: 65,610 sq km
water: 870 sq km
land: 64,740 sq km
Area - comparative:
 slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
 0 km
Coastline:
 1,340 km
Maritime claims - as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions):
 territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
contiguous zone: 24 NM
Climate:
 tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
 mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Elevation extremes:
 lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Natural resources:
 limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower
Land use:
 arable land: 13.43%
permanent crops: 15.78%
other: 70.79% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
 6,510 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
 occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Environment - current issues:
 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
Environment - international agreements:
 party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
 strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

See Also: