Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, also known as the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is located in South Asia, on the eponymous island off the southeastern shore of the Indian continent. From the days of Portuguese colonization until independence, the country was known to Europeans as Ceylon. In Sanskrit, the country means “glorious, blessed land”.
Sri Lanka is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separate Sri Lanka from the Indian continent.
Date of independence (from Great Britain) – February 4, 1948.
Official languages – Sinhalese and Tamil.
Capital - Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
Biggest city – Colombo.
Form of government – Semi-presidential constitutional republic.
Area – 65,610 km2.
Population – 21,675,648.
Currency – Rupee.
ISO Code – LK.
IOC Code – SRI.
Time zone – UTC +5:30.
