Official name

Basic Facts and People
Area data are from the individual country statistical bureaus. Population, population growth rate, infant mortality, and life expectancy data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center; International database, 1998; (www.census.gov). Population density data are from the individual country statistical bureaus, and the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center; International database, 1998; (www.census.gov). Urban areas (city) population data are from the individual country statistical bureaus. Literacy rate data are from the UN Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) database, 1998; (www.unesco.org). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database, 1998; (www.fao.org). Ethnic divisions, languages, religions, government, independence, constitution, and voting rights data are largely from the CIA 1995 World Factbook, CIA 1996 World Factbook, and CIA 1997 World Factbook.
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, and national budget data are from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)/World Bank database, 1998; (www.worldbank.org).

Official name	Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Location	880 kms north of the equator, adjacent to the southern tip of India
Area	65,610 sq km Click here to get the MAP of Sri-Lanka
Population	18.2 million
Commercial Capital	Colombo
Administrative Capital	Sri Jayawardanapura
Time zone	UTC plus 6 hours
Languages	Sinhala Tamil English (English is widely understood and spoken through the Island.
Religions	Buddhism Hinduism Christianity Islam
Ethnic Groups	Sinhalese Tamils Muslim Burghers and Malays
Education & Literacy	Sri Lanka's literacy rates stands at 90%, one of the highest in the region. Education is divided into primary, secondary and tertiary (University Education). Sri Lankan students spend 12 years in College which encompasses the primary and secondary divisions.
Currency	Sri Lankan Rupee denomination: Rs.10/-, Rs.20/-, Rs.50/-, Rs.100/-, Rs.200/-, Rs.500/-, Rs.1,000/-. One hundred cents make a rupee.
Exchange Rate	US$ = Rs.71.00 (1999)
Business Hours	Sri Lanka adopts a 5-day week from Monday through Friday. Hours of business are usually as follows: Government Offices: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Private Enterprises: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Banks: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Post Offices: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (General Post Office in Colombo, Fort is open 24 Hours a day).
Economy	Sri Lanka primarily is an agricultural country. The chief crop is rice, which is the staple diet of the people. Tea, Rubber, Coconut and Spices are the important agricultural crops. Other growing areas of importance are light manufacturing industries, such as, apparel and the banking and financial service sector.
GDP 1998	Rs.567,742 Million (up to 30.09.98) - GDP Growth - 4.8%
GNP 1998	Rs.560,142 Million (up to 30.09.98) - GNP Growth - 4.7%
Hotels	The Hilton, Inter-Continental, Oberoi, Taj, Holiday Inn, Galadari, Trans Asia, chains have 5-Star representation in Sri Lanka. Other high quality accommodation is also available.
Telecommunications	Telephone, Fax, Cellular, Satellite, E-mail and Internet services are widely available in Colombo. Typical line speed of data transmission averages 33.6 KBPS. Cellular Systems offer AMPS, ETACS and GSM Networks.
Credit Cards	Visa, Master Card, American Express, Diners are accepted in the Commercial centres.
Banks	Hong Kong Bank, ANZ Grindlays, ABN Amro, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank, Mashreq, Malaysia Public Bank, American Express and Societe General, among other international Banks represented in Sri Lanka.
Airports	The Bandaranaike International Airport is situated in Katunayake, an hour's drive from Colombo.
Air Lines	All international air lines are represented in Sri Lanka.
Shipping	The Port of Colombo is South Asia's Shopping Hub and offers state of the art transshipment facilities and computerized customs and warehousing. Other Ports in Galle and Trincomalee are currently being upgraded to support the Port of Colombo.