Geography

Physical geography

Sri Lanka is a tear-drop shaped island, 440 kilometres long and 220 kilometres wide at its widest, covering an area of 65,610 square kilometres (about the same area as Tasmania at 68,401 square kilometres). The island’s south-central area is mountainous with the highest point, Mount Pidurutalagala, reaching 2,524 metres. The land falls in steps to rolling plains, narrow in the west and south-west, and broad and hilly in the north.

Climate

Sri Lanka is a typically tropical country with distinct dry and wet seasons, slight temperature variation and high humidity, although the interior hilly region is cooler. There are two monsoon seasons: the Yala from May to August, when the south-west monsoon brings rain to the southern, western and central regions; and the Maha season from October to January, when the north-east monsoon brings rain to the north and east of the island. Rainfall ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 millimetres in the south-west to less than 1,250 millimetres in the north-west. In the capital, Colombo, temperatures range from 26.5°C in January to 27.3°C in July, with an average annual rainfall of 2,527 millimetres.

Environment

Ebony, teak, silkwood and orchids are found in the dense south-western tropical rainforests. Animal life includes elephants, leopards, deer, monkeys, sloth bears, wild boar, cobras, crocodiles, dugong and turtles. The island is also an important seasonal home to migrating birds.

A dependence on wood for fuel has reduced the extent of the jungle, and wildlife populations are threatened by poaching and urbanisation. Industrial development is causing air and water pollution.

The Central Highlands, described as a 'super biodiversity hotspot' and the Sinharaja Forest Reserve are both listed as World Heritage areas.

Population

The population of 20,328,000 is concentrated in the south-west, the wet zone and on the Jaffna Peninsula. Most of the population (85%) reside in rural areas. Colombo is the largest city with more than 2.3 million people. Other major cities include Gampaha (2.2 million), Kurunegala (1.6 million) and Kandy (1.3 million). Internal unrest between 1983 and 2009 saw many people migrate to other countries. Many fled to refugee camps in south India but have returned home since hostilities ended.

People

Culture and identity

Sri Lanka is a land of great ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity.

The Sinhalese, living predominantly in the south-west and central areas, make up nearly three-quarters of the population and they mostly speak Sinhala and are Buddhist.

The Tamils make up 18% of the population. They consist of two groups: Sri Lankan Tamils, long-settled descendants from south-eastern India, and Indian Tamils, brought to Sri Lanka from south-eastern India to work on the British tea plantations. The Sri Lankan Tamils live predominantly on the Jaffna Peninsula in the north. The Indian Tamils live mainly in the Central Highlands. Both groups speak Tamil and are Hindu.

Muslims, most of whom are descendants of the Arab and Malay traders of the 8th century, comprise just 7% of the population and are scattered throughout the country, but particularly in the east and the cities. Other groups include Burghers, people of mixed Sri Lankan and European descent; Parsis, immigrants from Iran, and Veddas, the indigenous people of the country. 

Although a decreasing influence, the Buddhist and Hindu caste systems still affect some social interactions such as marriage. The colonial experiences and levels of modernisation and wealth also affect the variety of cultural expression. English is commonly used in government but is only understood by about 10% of the population.

Ancient architecture, sculpture, and painting reflect Indian and Buddhist influences. Folk theatre combines dance, masked drama and drumming to vividly tell Sri Lankan folk stories. Wood carving, weaving, pottery and metalwork are the major craftworks.

Health

There is a comprehensive public health system, which is reflected in high life expectancy (74 years) and low infant mortality rate (8 deaths per 1,000 live births). While these figures are comparable to those of developed countries, there are a number of poverty-related health issues such as malnutrition, with 21% of children under five underweight. There are high rates of immunisation against tuberculosis and measles (99% of all one-year-olds) and most births are attended by skilled health personnel (99%). Most people have access to safe water (93%) and sanitation (91%). The rate of HIV/AIDS is very low (0.1%).

Religion and beliefs

Religion influences many aspects of life and is generally related to ethnic background. The Sinhalese are predominantly Theravada Buddhist and the Tamils, mainly Hindu; Muslims are mainly of Arab and Malay descent; Christians are from all ethnic groups.

Food and shelter

Sri Lankan breakfasts consist of appa or hoppers, small, bowl-shaped pancakes of rice flour, which are eaten with kitul, palm treacle, and buffalo-milk yoghurt; or an egg with thick, highly spiced sambal. String hoppers, an all-day snack, are a tangled nest of steamed rice-flour noodles served with a hodi, a thin potato, fish or chicken curry, or dahl with chutney. Lunch and dinner consists of hot meat or fish curries accompanied by side dishes of vegetables, rice and roti. There are plenty of tropical fruits available for dessert. Some Buddhists follow a vegetarian diet.

Most urban houses are brick with tiled roofs and cement floors. Traditional rural houses are built of mud and timber with a thatched roof. They are designed with inner courtyards or verandahs to provide shaded areas for living and sleeping in the warm climate.

Economy

Wealth and poverty

Sustained government efforts have seen poverty rates drop since the end of the civil war; however, there are great disparities between and within provinces. There is a large gap between the richest 10%, who hold 40% of Sri Lanka’s wealth and the poorest 10%, who share only 1.6%. with about 9% living below the poverty line.

Education and work

Free education, up to and including university, means there are high literacy rates (female 90%, male 93%) and school attendance. There are, however, differences in accessibility and educational outcomes for students across the country.

About one-third of the population works in agriculture as small-scale farmers or plantation labourers. More than 40% of the population are involved in the service sector, predominantly in the government public services. About 1.7 million Sri Lankans currently work abroad, with 90% in the Middle East, who send home (remit) about $US7 billion a year.

Industries and products

The agriculture sector includes mostly state-owned large plantations of tea, rubber and coconut and smaller holdings where rice, sugarcane, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cashew nuts, cocoa, spices, chillies and onions are produced, sometimes at subsistence level. Livestock raised include buffaloes, goats, pigs, sheep and poultry.

Manufacturing is dominated by the garment industry. Other industries include agricultural processing, particularly rubber, tea, coconuts and tobacco, along with cement, petroleum refining, telecommunications and information technology services. 

Trade

In 2013, Sri Lanka exported $US9.35 billion worth of goods including textiles and clothing, tea, spices, rubber manufactures, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, coconut products, fish and petroleum products to the USA (20%), UK (10%), Italy (6%), Belgium (4%), and Germany (4%).

Sri Lanka imported $US15.7 billion worth of goods including machinery, textiles, mineral products, petroleum, transportation equipment and foodstuffs from India (22%), Singapore (9%), UAE (7%) and China (7%).

Government

Sri Lanka, then known as Ceylon, gained independence from Britain in 1948. It changed its name to Sri Lanka when it became a republic in 1972 and elected the first female Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike. In 1978 a Presidential system was introduced.

Between mid-1983 and 2009, Sri Lanka endured serious civil conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced by the fighting and it is estimated that over 70,000 people were killed. In May 2009, government forces took control of the last stronghold of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The first elections in 20 years were held in January 2010 and President Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected for a second six-year term.

Achievements and challenges

With many communities dependent on fisheries and tourism for income, Sri Lanka is vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters such as floods, cyclones and landslides. Sri Lanka’s recovery from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami greatly affected economic activity, particularly in fishing, tourism, banking, small industry, domestic trade and transport industries.

Sri Lanka is on track to meet the targets of many of its Millennium Development Goals, particularly universal education (MDG 2), reducing child mortality (MDG 4) and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases (MDG 6). It is, however, not expected to meet targets for eradicating extreme poverty (MDG 1) and achieving environmental sustainability (MDG 7).

Links with Australia

Australia enjoys warm bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, underpinned by common membership of the Commonwealth, involvement in the Colombo Plan, strong people-to-people links and rivalry in cricket.

The first Sri Lankan immigrants to Australia were recruited to work on the cane plantations of northern Queensland in the late 19th century. After independence, the Burghers (people of Sri Lankan and European descent) were the main group of Sri Lankan-born migrants to Australia. Since the early 1970s, changes in the Australian Government migration policy and the hostilities in Sri Lanka there has been an increased number of migrants rom all ethnic groups. In 2011 there were 94,140 Sri Lankan-born people living in Australia with just over half residing in Victoria and 27% in New South Wales.

In 2011, Sri Lanka imported Australian goods worth AUD118 million while its exports to Australia totalled AUD244 million. There are currently 4,500 Sri Lankan students studying in Australian tertiary institutions. Pacific Dunlop's Ansell Lanka rubber products plant in Biyagama is among the largest of Australia’s investments and is the largest industrial employer in Sri Lanka.

The Australian Government aid provides assistance for demining, reconstruction of schools and houses damaged during the civil conflict and to help disadvantaged people find work, start a business or restart sustainable farming or fishing activities.