•Wonderful beaches, marvellous mountains, lush green forests, exciting wildlife, spectacular cities or ancient history, whatever you are looking for, Sri Lanka is the only unique holiday destination that offers all the above excitements within a very short reach and in different climates. Sri Lanka , the magnificent island of paradise, is on the Indian Ocean south of India and is widely known as t
he Pearl of the Indian Ocean, owing to the inexplicable beauty and majesty, which Sri Lanka is fraught with.
• Being a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country with a total population of 19 million, Sri Lanka is very unlikely to be described without being driven into a great description as the island is in possession of multiple cultural values; traditional dance, a procession of elephants, masked devil dance and Ruins are to name a few. On top of what nature has to offer, what is being greatly appreciated by the visitors to the island is that the Sri Lankan hospitality, the affable attitude of Sri Lankans and the delicious delight of the local food. Apart from all the beauty and joy that this island of paradise is teemed with, Sri Lanka has the highest literacy rate in South Asia . English language is widely spoken within the island.
•Full name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
•Population: 21.2 million (UN, 2012)
•Capital: Colombo (commercial), Sri Jayawardenepura (administrative)
•Largest city: Colombo
•Area: 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq miles)
•Major languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English
•Major religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
•Life expectancy: 72 years (men), 78 years (women) (UN)
•Monetary unit: Sri Lankan rupee
•Main exports: Clothing and textiles, tea, gems, rubber, coconuts
•GNI per capita: US $2,580 (World Bank, 2011)
•Internet domain: .lk
•International dialling code: +94
