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Background:
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The
Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century
B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was
introduced beginning in about the mid-third century
B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities
of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa
A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In
the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in
the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by
the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in
the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in
1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united
under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became
independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka
in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and
Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of
thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that continues
to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government
and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formalized a
cease-fire in February 2002, with Norway brokering peace
negotiations. |
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Location:
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Southern
Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India |
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Geographic coordinates:
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7 00 N,
81 00 E |
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Map references:
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Asia |
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Area:
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total:
65,610 sq km
land: 64,740 sq km
water: 870 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
larger than West Virginia |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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1,340 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
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Climate:
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tropical
monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March);
southwest monsoon (June to October) |
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Terrain:
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mostly
low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central
interior |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m |
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Natural resources:
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limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates,
clay, hydropower |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 13.86%
permanent crops: 15.7%
other: 70.44% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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6,510 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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occasional cyclones and tornadoes |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations
threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal
degradation from mining activities and increased
pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by
industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air
pollution in Colombo |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life
Conservation |
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Geography - note:
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strategic
location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes |
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Population:
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20,064,776
note: since the outbreak of hostilities between
the government and armed Tamil separatists in the
mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have
fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought
refuge in the West (July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 24.5% (male 2,508,384/female 2,397,986)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 6,658,765/female
7,059,468)
65 years and over: 7.2% (male 670,813/female
769,360) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
29.44 years
male: 28.38 years
female: 30.51 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.79%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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15.63
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.49
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.27
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
14.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 73.17 years
male: 70.6 years
female: 75.86 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.85
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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less than
0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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3,500
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
200 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan |
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Ethnic groups:
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Sinhalese
73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri
Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001
census provisional data) |
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Religions:
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Buddhist
69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%,
unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data) |
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Languages:
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Sinhala
(official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national
language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and
is spoken competently by about 10% of the population
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.3%
male: 94.8%
female: 90% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Democratic Socialist
Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form: Sri Lanka
former: Serendib, Ceylon |
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Colombo;
note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative
capital |
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Administrative divisions:
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8
provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North
Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western; note -
North Eastern province may have been divided in two -
Northern and Eastern |
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Independence:
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4
February 1948 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 4 February (1948) |
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Constitution:
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adopted
16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978; new
constitution proposed in 2002 |
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Legal system:
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a highly
complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch,
Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike
KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Mahinda
RAJAPAKSE (since 6 April 2004) is the prime minister;
the president is considered both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Chandrika
Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note
- Mahinda RAJAPAKSE is the prime minister (since 6 April
2004); the president is considered both 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; election last held 21 December 1999
(next to be held NA December 2005)
election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike
KUMARATUNGA reelected president; percent of vote -
Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA 51%, Ranil
WICKREMASINGHE 42%, other 7% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by
popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional
representation system by district to serve six-year
terms)
elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be
held by 2010)
election results: percent of vote by party or
electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP 45.6%, UNP 37.83%, TNA
6.84%, JHU 5.97%, SLMC 2.02%, UPF 0.54%, EPDP 0.27%,
others 0.93%; seats by party or electoral alliance -
SLFP and JVP 105, UNP 82, TNA 22, JHU 9, SLMC 5, UPF 1,
EPDP 1 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are
appointed by the president |
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Political parties and leaders:
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All
Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [KUMARGURUPARAM]; Ceylon
Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist
Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National
(Lalith) Front or DUNLF [Shrimani ATULATHMUDALI]; Eelam
People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA];
Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF
[Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP
[Tilvan SILVA]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Tilak
KARUNARATNE]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial
ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil
Eelam or PLOTE [leader NA]; Sihala Urumaya or SU [leader
NA]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Chandrika
Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or
SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF
[P. Nelson PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization
or TELO [SABARATNAM]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R.
SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V.
ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil
WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P.
CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim
parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial
councils |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Buddhist
clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group
fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist
Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against
Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups |
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International organization participation:
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AsDB, C,
CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH,
MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC,
SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Bernard GOONETILLEKE
chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)
FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
consulate(s): New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey J. LUNSTEAD
embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone: [94] (11) 244-8007
FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345 |
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Flag description:
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yellow
with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two
equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange;
the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a
yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo
leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a
border around the entire flag and extends between the
two panels |
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Economy - overview:
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In 1977,
Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its
import substitution trade policy for market-oriented
policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most
dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and
apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and
insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation crops made up
only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while
textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an
average annual rate of 5.5% in the early 1990s until a
drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered
growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in
1997-2000 with average growth of 5.3%, but 2001 saw the
first contraction in the country's history, -1.4%, due
to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary
problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil
strife. Growth recovered to 4.0% in 2002 and to 5.2% in
both 2003 and 2004. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work
abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1
billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the
north and east for a largely independent homeland
continues to cast a shadow over the economy. In late
December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives,
left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and
destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$80.58
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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5.2%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $4,000 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 19.1%
industry: 26.2%
services: 54.7% (2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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7.26
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 38%, industry 17%, services 45% (1998 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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7.8%
(2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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22% (1997
est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: 3.5%
highest 10%: 28% (1995) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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34.4
(1995) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5.8%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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22.4% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $3.34 billion
expenditures: $4.686 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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104.3% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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rice,
sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber,
coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef |
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Industries:
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rubber
processing, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural
commodities; telecommunications, insurance, and banking;
clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco
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Industrial production growth rate:
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7.1%
(2004 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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6.697
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 51.7%
hydro: 48.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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6.228
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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75,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Current account balance:
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$-587.3
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$5.306
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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textiles
and apparel; tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies;
coconut products; rubber manufactures, fish |
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Exports - partners:
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US 32.4%,
UK 13.5%, India 6.8%, Germany 4.8% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$7.265
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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textile
fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs,
machinery and transportation equipment |
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Imports - partners:
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India
18%, Singapore 8.7%, Hong Kong 7.7%, China 5.7%, Iran
5.2%, Japan 5.1%, Malaysia 4.1% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$2.475
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$10.85
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$577
million (1998) |
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Currency (code):
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Sri
Lankan rupee (LKR) |
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Currency code:
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LKR |
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Exchange rates:
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Sri
Lankan rupees per US dollar - 101.194 (2004), 96.521
(2003), 95.662 (2002), 89.383 (2001), 77.005 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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881,400
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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931,600
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: very inadequate domestic
service, particularly in rural areas; likely improvement
with privatization of national telephone company and
encouragement to private investment; good international
service (1999)
domestic: national trunk network consists mostly
of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now
in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local
loops have been installed; competition is strong in
mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low
at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)
international: country code - 94; submarine
cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth
stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 26, FM
45, shortwave 1 (1998) |
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Radios:
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3.85
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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21 (1997)
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Televisions:
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1.53
million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.lk |
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Internet hosts:
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1,882
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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5 (2000)
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Internet users:
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200,000
(2002) |
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Railways:
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total:
1,449 km
broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2004) |
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Highways:
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total:
11,650 km
paved: 11,068 km
unpaved: 582 km (2002) |
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Waterways:
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160 km
(primarily on rivers in southwest) (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Colombo,
Galle |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 120,924 GRT/173,604 DWT
by type: cargo 18, container 2, passenger 1,
petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 10 (Germany 10)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005) |
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Airports:
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14 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
13
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy, Air Force, Police Force |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for voluntary military service (2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 4,933,217 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 3,789,627 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower reaching military service age annually:
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males:
174,049 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$514.8
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.6%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
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IDPs:
362,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to
Tamil conflict); 555,000 (resulting from 26 December
2004 tsunami) (2004) |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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