Please rise for the National Anthem of Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Matha

FLAG: Lion Flag

Facts
Country name: -Conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka -Conventional short form: Sri Lanka Capital: Sri Jayawardenapura- Kotte Largest City: Colombo Government type: Republic Independence: 4 February 1948 (from the UK)

History

Etymology: Known by various namesLanka, Ceylon Some mentions of the country are found in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the books of Gautama Buddha's teachings. Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and has been found in Ancient Egypt as early as 1500 BC, suggesting early trade between Egypt and the island's inhabitants. Civil war

Government
Constitution: Emblem Adopted 16 August 1978, Certified 31 August 1978; Amended 20 December 2001 Legal system: Mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and Jaffna Tamil customary law

The president is both Executive Mahinda Rajapaksa the Chief of State and Head of Government. Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister. Elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (two-term limit)

Unicameral Legislative Parliament D.M Jayaratne (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of an open-list, proportional representation system by electoral district to serve six-year terms)

Judiciary: Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president Political pressure groups and leaders: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [P. SIVAPARAN, Chief of International Secretariat; V. RUDRAKUMARAN, legal advisor]; Note - this insurgent group suffered military defeat in May 2009; some cadres remain scattered throughout country;

Foreign Relations

A founding member of the NAM (NonAligned Movement) It also is a member of the Commonwealth, SAARC, World Bank, IMF, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Colombo Plan. Closest allies include China, Pakistan, India, Japan, South Korea & Malaysia. Sri Lanka and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf (GCC) enjoy strong economic and military ties. Sri Lanka maintains good relationships with both Russia and United States

Map

Physical

Political

Geography

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, South of India Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E Is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives. Is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia.

Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower Land use: arable land: 13.96% permanent crops: 15.24% other: 70.8% (2005) Natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Demographics

Sinhalese 73.8% Sri Lankan Tamil 13.9% Moors 7.2% Indian Tamil 4.6% Others include Burgher, Sri Lankan Malay, and Veddah 0.5%,

 Buddhism 69.1% Religion as on 2001

Islam 7.6% Hinduism 7.1% Christianity 6.2% Unspecified 10%

Population 21,513,990 Languages: Sinhala (official & national language) 74%, Tamil (official and national language) 18% English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 40% of the population Age Structure 0-14 years: 23.9% 15-64 years: 68% 65 years and over: 8.1% (2010 est.)

Culture

The culture of Sri Lanka has been influenced by many things in the past, but has managed to retain much of its ancient, rich aspects. Mostly it has been influenced by religion and colonization by the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British.

Sports

Sport Most famous Cricket ,Football (Soccer) and Rugby Union. Earliest matches - 1832 BCCSL governing body Co-Hosted 1996 and 2011 World Cup Won in 1996 , runners up in 2007 & 2011

Adventure Sports White water rafting Kithulgala Surfing - Arugam Bay Boating - Bentota, Bolgoda, Madhu ganga, Koggala Trekking - Knuckles Mountain Range The precious stones such as rubies and sapphires frequently found in Ratnapura. Ceylon Sapphire known worldwide

Lasith Malinga fast bowler

Architecture

Buddhism significant influence on architecture Styles from Europe and Asia Distinctive forms cave temples , dagobas/ stupas etc Colonial period - Palladian, Renaissance, or Neo-classical styles. Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications built by the Dutch in the year 1663 make up a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Etiquette and customs

Greeting Namaste , Vanakkam , Ayubowan Dining Etiquette Business and Communication Etiquette -Similar to India

Cuisine

Influence from India Staple food Rice and curry alcoholic drink-Toddy or Arrack Spices - different varieties chillies referred to as amu miris, kochchi miris, and maalu miris (capsicum)and in Tamil Milakaai, among others

Festivals

The Sinhala and Tamil new year ("Aluth Avurudhu" in Sinhala, "Puththandu" in Tamil) is a very large cultural event on the island. The festival falls in April (the month of Bak) There are many other celebrations, like Christmas

Gilded bronze statue of the Bodhisattva Tara, from the Anuradhapura period (8th century CE)

National Parks

Yala National Park - Most visited, and second-largest in Sri Lanka Udawalawe National Park - Famous for Elephant watching Kumana National Park - Famous for Bird watching Bundala National Park - Famous for Bird watching Wasgamuwa National Park - One most attractive national park Wilpattu National Park - Largest in Sri Lanka, famous for leopards Minneriya National Park - Famous for Elephants

Kitulgala, where the Academy Award-winning "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was filmed, affords a rare opportunity for tourists.

Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage

Ratnapura where the city of famous Sri pada mountain located is the center of precious stone mining

Economy

Trade organizations: WTO and South Asian Free Trade Association (SAFTA) GDP: $56 billion (2011 IMF est.) / $140 Billion PPP GDP Growth: 8.2% (2010)/ 9.5% (2011 est.) GDP per capita: $5,300 (2011 est.) / $7000 USD PPP Inflation: 3.4% (2009 est.) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $5.63 billion (31 December 2010 est.) Current Account Balance: $-1.784 billion (2010 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 7.5% (31 December 2009) Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.91% (31 December 2009) Investment (gross fixed): 23.6% of GDP (2010 est. Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; tourism, shipping; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining, information technology services, construction

Electricity - production: 9.901 billion kWh (2008 est.) Oil - imports: 87,690 bbl/day (2007 est.) Oil - exports: 968.4 bbl/day (2007 est.) Debt - external: $17.97 billion (31 December 2010 est.) Sri Lanka economy sets 8.5 % growth target for 2011

Foreign Investment Policies

Restricted Sectors: Non bank money lending Pawn broking Retail trade with a capital investment of less than $1 million 100% equity: For all except a few sectors such as telecom, education, mass transportation, mining, etc Incentives: Yes, with export requirement and minimum investment

SRILANKAN RUPEE

Exports

Exports: $7.908 billion (2010 est.) Export goods: textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish

Export Partners
%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Imports

Imports: $11.6 billion (2010 est.) Import goods: textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment

IMPORT PARTNERS
%

9 10

Import Tarrif

Sri Lanka's main trade policy instrument has been the import tariff There are five tariff bands: 0 percent; 2.5 percent; 6 percent; 15 percent; and 28 percent. 0% Textiles, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment 2.5% Basic raw materials. 6% Semi-processed raw material 15% intermediate pdts. 28% finished product

Import licensing: Sri Lanka requires import licenses for over 400 items at the 6digit level of the Harmonized Tariff System, mostly for health, environment, and national security reasons. Importers must pay a fee equal to 0.1 percent of the import price to receive an import license.

Services Barriers

Insurance: Sri Lanka does not allow cross-border supply of insurance, with the exception of health and travel insurance. It allows 100% foreign ownership for locally incorporated insurance firms, but branching is not allowed. Broadcasting: The government imposes taxes on foreign movies, programs, and commercials to be shown on television. Government approval is required for all foreign films and programs shown on television.

Economic Sectors

Tourism Industry

Home to 7 World Heritage Sites: Galle, Kandy, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruva, Dambulla cave temple and Lion King Singhraja Tropical Rain forest.

Tourism Arrival (As on May 2011)

Ceylon Tea

Tea Industry

Tea production in Sri Lanka is of high importance to the Sri Lankan economy and the world market. It is the worlds fourth largest producer of tea and the industry is one of the country's main sources of foreign exchange and a significant source of income for laborers, with tea accounting for 15% of the GDP, generating roughly $700 million annually. The tea sector employs, directly or indirectly over 1 million people in Sri Lanka

Types: Green, Black & White Foreign Market: CIS countries, UAE, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UK, Egypt, Libya &Japan.

Apparel and textile industry - 900 factories throughout country serves world's leading fashion designing companies like Victoria's Secret, Liz Claiborne and Tommy Hilfiger. Agriculture - rice, coconut and grain also a part of the culture since 2500 years Ganja or cannabis is mostly grown for the needs of Ayurveda, the indigenous medicine of Sri Lanka.

Agriculture - products: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, vegetables, fruit, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish, The design, manufacture and export of textiles and apparel products is one of the biggest industries in Sri Lanka. The industry employs about 15% of the country's workforce, accounting for about half of the country's total exports. Sri Lanka is among the top apparel-producing countries in the world relative to its population.

As of the late 2000s, the Sri Lankan textile industry contributes 39% to the industrial production of the country and represents 43% of the country's total exports.

Thank You
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