Sri Lanka is a 25,299-square-mile island located in the Indian Ocean at the very tip of India. The island is very close to the equator, so it is warm and tropical. The very first people to arrive on the island were called the Sinhalese, and they arrived in about the 6th century B.C. Historians think that these people originally came from India. They flourished and created several great civilizations, the Anuradhapura and then the Polonnaruwa. The Tamil arrived in the 16th century and settled on the north side of the island. The first Europeans, the Portugese, arrived in the 16th century. In 1796, the island became a British colony. It won its independence in 1948. In all, the island was under European control for 450 years. Here are some facts about Sri Lanka:
• The capital city is Colombo.
• 647,100 people live in Colombo.
• The population of Sri Lanka is 21,675,648.
• The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee.
• There are three languages: English, Sinhala and Tamil.
• The island used to be called Ceylon. The name was changed in 1972.
• Shaking your head from side to side means yes in Sri Lanka.
• Much of the electricity is produced by waterfalls.
• Cinnamon originated in Sri Lanka.
• The national sport is volleyball.
• The meaning of Sri Lanka in Sanskrit is “venerable island.”
• Most people in the country are Buddhist.
• The national flower is the water lily.
• Sri Lanka is about half the size of Alabama.
• The long version of the name is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
• The highest mountain on the island is Pidurutalagal (8,291 ft).
• The Veddas, an aboriginal group native to the island, still live in the Jungles near Maduru Oya National Park.
• Buddhists consider some places on the island to be sacred.
Buddhism is the most popular religion on the island. About 69 percent of the population is Buddhist. The religion was first introduced to the island in the 3rd century B.C. Many people believe that the island is sacred to the religion. The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, also called Sri Dalada Maligawa, is a sacred site that many pilgrims travel to every year. The Temple of the Tooth is sacred because it is believed to contain a tooth from the Buddha, and whoever controls the tooth controls the country.
For more information on Sri Lanka, visit the following websites: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/sri-lanka-facts/, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ce.html, http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/lk.htm, http://www.factmonster.com/country/sri-lanka.html
