Sri Lanka was once known as Serendib in ancient times and then as Ceylon under the Brits. The emerald isle is made up of a teardrop-shaped main island and groups of smaller islands 50 miles off the southern coast of India. Sri Lanka, with its lush jungles and dramatic interior, has been called one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Thirty-one percent of the island is mountainous jungle nestling ancient cities such as Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura. The 833 miles of coastline are primarily pristine, coral-fringed beaches.
The major ethnic group is the Sinhalese (74 percent) followed by the Tamils (18 percent) and Moors (7 percent). Burghers, Malays and Veddhas comprise the last 1 percent. The Sinhalese are predominantly Buddhist and the Tamils are Hindu. Christians and Muslims make up only about 8 percent of the religious pie.
English is widely spoken in this former British colony. Sinhala is the official language, but Tamil is recognized as a national language. As one would expect in the Indian Ocean, the heat and humidity can wring you out like a wet sponge in a boxing match. Since the British were fond of colonizing tropical destinations with cooler hill stations, you can expect cool, moist weather up high. The average temperature along the coast is 80¡ F with little change all year. There are two cooling monsoon seasons, the southwest and the northeast monsoons, which dump about 100 inches of rain every year. The Sri Lankan currency is the rupee. Electricity is 230-240V/50Hz.
News from Sri Lanka
http://www.is.lk/is/spot/
http://www.lankapage.com/
Links
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/srilanka.htm
Embassy Location and Registration
Updated information on travel and security within Sri Lanka is available at the U.S. embassy:
U.S. Embassy
P.O. Box 106
210 Galle Road
Colombo
Tel.: [94] (1) 448007
Fax: [94] (1) 437345
http://www.usia.gov/posts/sri_lanka/
U.S. citizens are encouraged to register at the U.S. embassy upon arrival in Sri Lanka.
Embassy Locations
Canadian Embassy in Sri Lanka
6 Gregory's Road
Cinnamon Gardens
Colombo 7
Tel.: [94] (1) 695841
Postal address:
P.O. Box 1006
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Embassy in Canada
High Commission of the Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
333 Laurier ave. West Suite #1204, Ottawa
Ontario, Canada, K1P 1C1.
Tel: (613) 233-8449
Fax: (613) 238-8448
http://infoweb.magi.com/~lankacom/
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