Virtual tour of Sri Lanka	Broad band Movie   Dial up Movie
Country Name	Conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka former: Ceylon
Size	65,525 sq km
Capital	Sri Jayawardenepura
Commercial Capital	Colombo
Government	Sri Lanka, is a free, independent and sovereign nation with a population of 18.774 million (1998 mid year estimates). Legislative power is exercised by a Parliament, elected by universal franchise on proportional representation basis. A President, who is also elected by the people, exercises executive power inclusive of defense. Sri Lanka enjoys a multi party system, and the people vote to elect a new government every six years.
National Flag	National Flag of Sri Lanka is the Lion Flag. A Lion bearing a sword in its right hand is depicted in gold on red background with a yellow border. Four Bo leaves pointing inwards are at the four corners. Two vertical bands of green and orange at the mast end represent the minority ethnic groups. It is an adaptation of the standard of the last King of Sri Lanka.
National Anthem	"Sri Lanka Matha" composed by late Mr. Ananda Samarakoon. Click on the Speaker Icon  to listen to a few bars of the Anthem
National Flower	the Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata) is the National Flower.
Population	19 million
Population density	309 people per sq km
Life expectancy at birth	74 female, 64 male
Literacy rate	91.8%
Languages	Sinhala & Tamil English is widely spoken throughout Sri Lanka, with the exception of remote villages.
Ethnic mix	Sihalese- 74 per cent; Tamil- 18 per cent; Muslim -7 per cent; Burgher (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese colonist) and others- 1 per cent
Religion	Buddhism- 70 per cent; Hinduism- 16 per cent; Christianity- 7 per cent; Islam-7 per cent
Climate	Low Lands – tropical, average 270C Central Hills – cooler, with temperatures dropping to 140C. The south-west monsoon brings rain to the western, southern and central regions from May to July, while the north-eastern monsoon occurs in the north and east in December and January. Sri Lanka has a good climate for holiday-makers throughout the year.
Annual per capita GNP	US$870
Industries	Processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco.
Agriculture - Products	Rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, meat.
Currency	Sri Lanka follows decimal currency system in Rupees (Rs.) and cents (Cts.) with 100 cents equal to a rupee. Currency notes are available in the denominations of Rs. 2,10,20,50,100,200, 500 and 1000. Coins are issued in values of Cts.1,2,5,10, 25 and 50 and Rs.1,2,5 and 10. The intervention currency continuously will be the US Dollar.
Visa	Residents from countries are issued visas on arrival. Consult your local Sri Lanka embassy, consulate, tourist office or your travel agent.
Working week	Sri Lanka works a five-day week, from Monday to Friday.
Business hours	Government offices 9.00 a.m. -5.00 p.m, Monday to Friday
Banks	9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. or 3.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday
Post office	8.30 a.m.- 5.00 p.m., Monday to Friday 8.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. on Saturday. The Central Mail Exchange, at D.R.Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo 10, (Telephone : 326203) is open 24-hours.
Location	An island off the south-eastern cost shores of India, 880 km north of the equator, in the Indian Ocean.