A - Travel For Sri Lanka

Travel For Sri Lanka

'First impression is always the Lasting Impression' - Mr. Majid Al Mualla (SVP Emirates Airlines)
"When I landed in Sri Lanka I expected the airport to be typically like one of the sub-continent airports, but I was impressed when I saw the reality. The airport was very impressive and nice and the people were always smiling and welcomes all visitors." Read more

The New York Times recently Ranked Sri Lanka as No 1 of the 31 places to visit in 2010

"Elephants roam freely, water buffaloes idle in paddy fields and monkeys swing from trees. And then there’s the pristine coastline. The miles of sugary white sand flanked by bamboo groves that were off-limits to most visitors until recently..." read more

www.nytimes.com

Sri Lanka is the best destination for Japanese visitors.
"A beautiful beach facing the Indian Ocean and 2,000 meters high mountain, jungle and wildlife habitat for elephants and leopards, two more six World Cultural Heritage including cultural and historical attractions, a country filled with many attractive sights. "


Sri Lanka at a Glance

Official name:Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaGovernment type:republicLocation:Latitude 5° 55. to 9° 50. north, longitude 79° 42. to 81° 52., 650km north of the equatorDimensions:430km north to south, 225km east to west Coastline: 1,340kmArea:65,525km
Currency (code): Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)Independence:4 February 1948 Administrative capital:Sri JayewardenepuraCommercial capital:Colombo
Administrative divisions:9 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western, Eastern Province. Climate:Typically tropical, with a northeast monsoon (December to March) bringing unsettled weather to the north and east, and a southwest monsoon (June to October) bringing bad weather to the south and westTerrain: Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interiorHighest mountain: Pidurutalagala, 2,524mHighest waterfall: Bambarakanda, 263mNational FlowerThe Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea stellata). National parks and nature reserves area:8,000sq.kmPopulation: 21,128,773 (? Census)Population growth rate: 1.3% Population Density:309 people per sq km Life Expectancy at Birth74 female, 64 male Literacy rate :Female 87.9 Male 92.5Ethnic groups:Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census)Languages:Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%
Note: English (a link language commonly) is used in government and spoken competently by about 10% of the populationReligion:Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census)Time zone:Sri Lanka Standard Time is five and a half hours ahead of GMT. (Allowance should be made for summer-time changes in Europe.)International dialing: +94
Electricity:230 . 240 volts, 50 cycles AC. If you travel with a laptop computer bring a stabilizer
Economy: Sri Lanka.s most dynamic sectors are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2006, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (90% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% of them in the Middle East. They send home more than US$1 billion a year.Labour force34.3% of the labour population is employed in agriculture, 25.3% in industry and 40.4% in services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.) The unemployment rate is 5.7% (2007 est.)Agriculture & productsRice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconutsm milk, eggs, hides, beef, fishIndustries:Processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining.Exports:Textiles and apparel; tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
Imports: Main import commodities are textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment: $10.61 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.). Percentage of main commodities from main import partners: India 19.6%, China 10.5%, Singapore 8.8%, Iran 5.7%, Malaysia 5.1%, Hong Kong 4.2%, Japan 4.1% (2006)Gross Domestic Product (GDP):Purchasing power parity: $81.29 billion (2007 est.). Official exchange rate: $30.01 billion (2007 est.) Real growth rate: 6.3% (2007 est.) Per capita: $4,100 (2007 est.) composition by sector: Agriculture: 16.5% Industry: 26.9%
Gross National Product (GNP):Sri Lanka is placed in 76th place in GNP figures of the world.s nations with $22.8 billion (2005)
Flag description: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels