Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Capital: Colombo, note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital

Total Area: 25,332.16 sq mi,65,610.00 sq km,(slightly larger than West Virginia)

Population: 19,408,635 (July 2001 est.), 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; as of mid-1999, approximately 66,000 were housed in 133 refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West

Estimated Population in 2050: 23,085,782

Languages: 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

Literacy: 90.2% total, 93.4% male, 87.2% female (1995 est.)

Religions: Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)

Life Expectancy: 69.58 male, 74.73 female (2001 est.)

Government Type: republic

Currency: 1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents

GDP (per capita): $3,250 (2000 est.)

Industry: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco

Agriculture: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef

Arable Land: 14%

Natural Resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower

Where is Sri Lanka?