Coordinates: 7°N 81°E

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (UK: /sri ˈlæŋkə, ʃriː -/, US: /- ˈlɑːŋkə/ ( listen);[8][9]
Democratic Socialist Republic
Sinhala: ලංකා Śrī Laṃkā; Tamil: இலங் ைக Ilaṅkai), officially
of Sri Lanka
the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island
country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest ලංකා ජාතා ක
of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The සමාජවා ජනරජය (Sinhala)
island is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by Srī Lankā prajātāntrika
the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri samājavādī janarajaya
Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and இலங் ைக ஜனநாயக
largest city, Colombo. ேசாச ச யர (Tamil)
Sri Lanka's documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of Ilaṅkai jaṉanāyaka sōsalisa
pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 kuṭiyarasu
years.[10] It has a rich cultural heritage and the first known Buddhist
writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, date back to the Fourth
Buddhist council in 29 BC.[11][12] Its geographic location and deep
harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the
Flag Emblem
ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk
Road.[13][14][15] Anthem: "Sri Lanka Matha"
(English: "Mother Sri Lanka")
Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule as 0:00 MENU
Ceylon (/sɪˈlɒn/, US also /seɪˈlɒn/). A nationalist political
movement arose in the country in the early 20th century to obtain
political independence, which was granted in 1948; the country
became a republic and adopted its current name in 1972. Sri Lanka's
recent history has been marred by a 26-year civil war, which ended
decisively when the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.[16]

The current constitution stipulates the political system as a republic

and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system. It has
had a long history of international engagement, as a founding
member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC), and a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth
of Nations, the G77, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Along with the
Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of only two South Asian countries rated
"high" on the Human Development Index (HDI), with its HDI rating
and per capita income the highest among South Asian nations.[7]
The Sri Lankan constitution accords Buddhism the "foremost
place", although it does not identify it as a state religion. Buddhism
is given special privileges in the Sri Lankan constitution.[17]

The island is home to many cultures, languages and ethnicities. The

majority of the population are from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a
large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the
island's history. Moors, Burghers, Malays, Chinese, and the
indigenous Vedda are also established groups on the island.[18]

Contents
Etymology
History
Prehistoric Sri Lanka
Ancient Sri Lanka
Post-classical Sri Lanka
Early Modern Sri Lanka
Contemporary Sri Lanka
Geography Capital Sri
Climate
Jayawardenepura
Kotte
Flora and fauna 6°56′N 79°52′E
Politics Largest city Colombo
Political culture
Government Official languages Sinhala
Tamil[1]
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations Recognised English
Military languages

Economy Ethnic groups 74.9% Sinhalese

(2012[2]) 11.2% Sri Lankan
Demographics Tamils
Languages 9.2% Sri Lankan
Religion Moors
Urban centres 4.2% Indian
Health Tamils
0.5% Others (incl.
Education
Burghers, Malays,
Transport Veddas, Chinese,
Human rights and media Africans)

Culture Religion 70.2% Buddhism

Food and festivals 12.6% Hinduism
Visual, literary and performing arts 9.7% Islam
Sports
7.4% Christianity
0.1% Other/None
See also
Demonym(s) Sri Lankan
References
Citations Government Unitary semi-
Cited references presidential
constitutional
External links republic
• President Maithripala
Sirisena
Etymology • Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe
In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of • Speaker of the Karu Jayasuriya
names. According to the Mahavamsa, the legendary Prince Vijaya Parliament
• Chief Justice Nalin Perera
named the land Tambapanni ("copper-red hands" or "copper-red
earth"), because his followers' hands were reddened by the red soil Legislature Parliament
of the area.[19][20] In Hindu mythology, such as the Ramayana, the Independence from the United Kingdom
island was referred to as Lankā ("Island"). The Tamil term Eelam • Dominion 4 February 1948
(Tamil: ஈழம் , romanized: īḻam), was used to designate the whole • Republic 22 May 1972
island in Sangam literature.[21][22] The island was known under • Current constitution 7 September
Chola rule as Mummudi Cholamandalam ("realm of the three
1978
crowned Cholas").[23] Area
• Total 65,610 km2
Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobanā (Ancient Greek: (25,330 sq mi)
Ταπροβανᾶ) or Taprobanē (Ταπροβανῆ)[24] from the word
(120th)
• Water (%) 4.4
Tambapanni. The Persians and Arabs referred to it as Sarandīb (the
origin of the word "serendipity") from Cerentivu[25] or Population
Siṃhaladvīpaḥ.[26][27] Ceilão, the name given to Sri Lanka by the • 2018 estimate 21,670,000[3]
(57th)
Portuguese Empire when it arrived in 1505,[28] was transliterated
• 2012 census 20,277,597[4]
into English as Ceylon.[29] As a British crown colony, the island was (57th)
known as Ceylon; it achieved independence as Ceylon in 1948. • Density 327/km2
(846.9/sq mi)
The country is now known in Sinhala as Śrī Laṃkā (Sinhala: (43rd)
ලංකා) and in Tamil as Ilaṅkai (Tamil: இலங் ைக, IPA: [iˈlaŋɡai]). GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate
In 1972, its formal name was changed to "Free, Sovereign and • Total $292.793 billion[5]
Independent Republic of Sri Lanka". Later, in 1978, it was changed (61st)
to the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka".[30] As the name • Per capita $13,500[5] (91st)
Ceylon still appears in the names of a number of organisations, the GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate
Sri Lankan government announced in 2011 a plan to rename all • Total $92.504 billion[5]
those over which it has authority.[31] (66th)
• Per capita $4,265[5] (109th)

History Gini (2016) 39.8[6]

medium
HDI (2017) 0.770[7]
Prehistoric Sri Lanka high · 76th

The pre-history of Sri Lanka goes back 125,000 years and possibly Currency Sri Lankan rupee
(LKR)
even as far back as 500,000 years.[32] The era spans the
Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and early Iron Ages. Among the Paleolithic Time zone UTC+5:30
(SLST)
human settlements discovered in Sri Lanka, Pahiyangala (named
after the Chinese traveller monk Faxian), which dates back to Date format dd-mm-yyyy
37,000 BP,[33] Batadombalena (28,500 BP)[34] and Belilena (12,000 yyyy-mm-dd
BP) are the most important. In these caves, archaeologists have Driving side left
found the remains of anatomically modern humans which they have
Calling code +94
named Balangoda Man, and other evidence[35] suggesting that they
may have engaged in agriculture and kept domestic dogs for driving ISO 3166 code LK
game.[36] Internet TLD .lk · .ලංකා ·
.இலங் ைக
One of the first written references to the island is found in the
Website
Indian epic Ramayana, which provides details of a kingdom named www.gov.lk (http://www.gov.lk)
Lanka that was created by the divine sculptor Vishwakarma for
Kubera, the Lord of Wealth.[37] It is said that Kubera was overthrown by his demon stepbrother Ravana, the powerful
emperor who built a mythical flying machine named Dandu Monara.[38] The modern city of Wariyapola is described
as Ravana's airport.[39]

Early inhabitants of Sri Lanka were probably ancestors of the Vedda people,[40] an indigenous people numbering
approximately 2,500 living in modern-day Sri Lanka. The 19th-century Irish historian James Emerson Tennent
theorized that Galle, a city in southern Sri Lanka, was the ancient seaport of Tarshish from which King Solomon is said
to have drawn ivory, peacocks, and other valuables.
Ancient Sri Lanka
According to the Mahāvamsa, a Sinhalese chronicle written
in Pāḷi, the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka are said to be the
Yakshas and Nagas. Ancient cemeteries that were used before
600 BC and other signs of advanced civilisation have also
been discovered in Sri Lanka.[41] Sinhalese history
traditionally starts in 543 BC with the arrival of Prince Vijaya,
a semi-legendary prince who sailed with 700 followers to Sri
Lanka, after being expelled from Vanga Kingdom (present-
day Bengal).[42] He established the Kingdom of Tambapanni,
near modern-day Mannar. Vijaya (Singha) is the first of the
Ptolemy's world map of Ceylon, first century AD, approximately 189 monarchs of Sri Lanka described in
in a 1535 publication chronicles such as the Dipavamsa, Mahāvaṃsa, Cūḷavaṃsa,
and Rājāvaliya.[43]

The Anuradhapura period (377 BC–1017 AD) began with the

establishment of the Anuradhapura Kingdom in 380 BC during the
reign of Pandukabhaya. Thereafter, Anuradhapura served as the
capital city of the country for nearly 1,400 years.[44] Ancient Sri
Lankans excelled at building certain types of structures such as tanks,
dagobas and palaces.[45] Society underwent a major transformation
during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa, with the arrival of Buddhism
from India. In 250 BC,[46] Mahinda, a bhikkhu and the son of the
Mauryan Emperor Ashoka arrived in Mihintale carrying the message
The Avukana Buddha statue, a 12 metres
of Buddhism.[47] His mission won over the monarch, who embraced
(39 ft) tall standing Buddha statue from
the faith and propagated it throughout the Sinhalese population.[48]
the reign of Dhatusena of Anuradhapura,
5th century
Succeeding kingdoms of Sri Lanka would maintain many Buddhist
schools and monasteries and support the propagation of Buddhism
into other countries in Southeast Asia. Sri Lankan Bhikkhus studied in India's famous ancient Buddhist University of
Nalanda, which was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji. It is probable that many of the scriptures from Nalanda are
preserved in Sri Lanka's many monasteries and that the written form of the Tipitaka, including Sinhalese Buddhist
literature, were part of the University of Nalanda.[49] In 245 BC, bhikkhuni Sangamitta arrived with the Jaya Sri Maha
Bodhi tree, which is considered to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi tree under which Gautama Buddha became
enlightened.[50] It is considered the oldest human-planted tree (with a continuous historical record) in the world.
(Bodhivamsa)[51]

Sri Lanka experienced the first of many foreign invasions during the reign of Suratissa, who was defeated by two horse
traders named Sena and Guttika from South India.[48] The next invasion came immediately in 205 BC by a Chola
named Elara, who overthrew Asela and ruled the country for 44 years. Dutugemunu, the eldest son of the southern
regional sub-king, Kavan Tissa, defeated Elara in the Battle of Vijithapura. During its two and a half millennia of
existence, the Sinhala Kingdom was invaded at least eight times by neighbouring South Asian dynasties such as the
Chola, Pandya, Chera, and Pallava. These invaders were all subsequently driven back.[52] There also were incursions
by the kingdoms of Kalinga (modern Odisha) and from the Malay Peninsula as well.

The Fourth Buddhist council of Theravada Buddhism was held at the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya in Sri Lanka
under the patronage of Valagamba of Anuradhapura in 25 BC. The council was held in response to a year in which the
harvests in Sri Lanka were particularly poor and many Buddhist monks subsequently died of starvation. Because the
Pāli Canon was at that time oral literature maintained in several recensions by dhammabhāṇakas (dharma reciters),
the surviving monks recognized the danger of not writing it down so that even if some of the monks whose duty it was
 to study and remember parts of the Canon for later
generations died, the teachings would not be lost.[53] After
the Council, palm-leaf manuscripts containing the completed
Canon were taken to other countries such as Burma,
Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Sri Lanka was the first Asian country known to have a female
ruler: Anula of Anuradhapura (r. 47–42 BC).[54] Sri Lankan
monarchs undertook some remarkable construction projects
such as Sigiriya, the so-called "Fortress in the Sky", built
during the reign of Kashyapa I of Anuradhapura, who ruled
between 477 and 495. The Sigiriya rock fortress is
The Sigiriya rock fortress surrounded by an extensive network of ramparts and moats.
Inside this protective enclosure were gardens, ponds,
pavilions, palaces and other structures.[55][56]

In AD 993, the invasion of Chola emperor Rajaraja I forced the then Sinhalese ruler Mahinda V to flee to the southern
part of Sri Lanka. Taking advantage of this situation, Rajendra I, son of Rajaraja I, launched a large invasion in 1017.
Mahinda V was captured and taken to India, and the Cholas sacked the city of Anuradhapura casing the fall of
Anuradhapura Kingdom. Subsequently, they moved the capital to Polonnaruwa.[57]

Post-classical Sri Lanka

Following a seventeen-year-long campaign, Vijayabahu I successfully drove the Chola out of Sri Lanka in 1070,
reuniting the country for the first time in over a century.[58][59] Upon his request, ordained monks were sent from
Burma to Sri Lanka to re-establish Buddhism, which had almost disappeared from the country during the Chola
reign.[60] During the medieval period, Sri Lanka was divided into three sub-territories, namely Ruhunu, Pihiti and
Maya.[61]

Sri Lanka's irrigation system was extensively expanded during the reign of
Parākramabāhu the Great (1153–1186).[62] This period is considered as a time when
Sri Lanka was at the height of its power.[63][64] He built 1470 reservoirs – the
highest number by any ruler in Sri Lanka's history – repaired 165 dams, 3910
canals, 163 major reservoirs, and 2376 mini-reservoirs.[65] His most famous
construction is the Parakrama Samudra,[66] the largest irrigation project of
medieval Sri Lanka. Parākramabāhu's reign is memorable for two major campaigns
– in the south of India as part of a Pandyan war of succession, and a punitive strike
against the kings of Ramanna (Myanmar) for various perceived insults to Sri
Lanka.[67]

After his demise, Sri Lanka gradually decayed in power. In 1215, Kalinga Magha, a
South Indian with uncertain origins, identified as the founder of the Jaffna A Buddhist statue in the
kingdom, invaded and captured the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. He sailed from ancient capital city of
Polonnaruwa, 12th century
Kalinga[65] 690 nautical miles on 100 large ships with a 24,000 strong army.
Unlike previous invaders, he looted, ransacked, and destroyed everything in the
ancient Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Kingdoms beyond recovery.[68] His priorities in ruling were to extract as
much as possible from the land and overturn as many of the traditions of Rajarata as possible. His reign saw the
massive migration of native Sinhalese people to the south and west of Sri Lanka, and into the mountainous interior, in
a bid to escape his power.[69][70]