7 00 N, 81 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,340 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)

Terrain:

mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Natural resources:

limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 13.96% permanent crops: 15.24% other: 70.8% (2005)

Irrigated land:

7,430 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

50 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 12.61 cu km/yr (2%/2%/95%) per capita: 608 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

People
Sri Lanka

Population:

21,128,772 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 and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.1% (male 2,596,463/female 2,495,136) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,019,446/female 7,340,809) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 783,823/female 893,096) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 30.4 years male: 29.5 years female: 31.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.943% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.63 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.07 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.97 years male: 72.95 years female: 77.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.02 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan

Ethnic 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 provisional data)

Religions:

Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

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:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.7% male: 92.3% female: 89.1% (2001 census)

Education expenditures: