Sri Lanka

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia   Sri Lanka at a glance Did you know? Sri Lanka means "Resplendent Land" in Sanskrit. The island was known as Ceylon in colonial times and as Taprobane and Serendip in ancient times. It has also been referred to as Teardrop of India and Pearl of the Orient. Region South Asia Population 21,324,791 (2009 estimate) Land Geography: Mostly low, flat to rolling plains, mountains in south-central interior Climate: Tropical monsoon People Religion: Buddhist 69%, Hindu 7%, Christian 6% , Muslim 8%, Unspecified 10% Language: Official: Sinhala 74%; Tamil 18%, other including English 8% Economy GDP per person (PPP): $4,300 (2008 est.) GDP by sector: Agriculture: 15.5%, Industry: 27%, Services: 57.5% Government Republic Land Physical geography Sri Lanka is a tear-drop shaped island, 440km long and 220km wide at its widest, which covers an area of 65,610 square kilometres or about the same area as Tasmania. Sri Lanka is on the same continental shelf as India and a series of coral islets almost form a land bridge across the 50km wide Palk Strait between the two countries. The south-centre of the island is mountainous and has the highest point, Mt Pidurutalagala, at 2524 metres. The land falls in steps to rolling plains, narrow in the west and south-west and broad and hilly in the north. Climate Sri Lanka is a typically tropical country with distinct dry and wet seasons, slight temperature variation and high humidity, although the interior hilly region is cooler. There are two monsoons: the Yala season (May to August), when the south-west monsoon brings rain to the southern, western and central regions; and the Maha season (October to January), when the north-east monsoon brings rain to the north and east of the island. Rainfall ranges from 2500 - 5000 mm in southwest to less than 1250 mm in the northwest. In the capital, Colombo, temperatures range from 26.5°C in January to 27.3°C in July with an average annual rainfall of 2527 mm. Environment Ebony, teak, silkwood and orchids are found in the dense south-western tropical rainforests. Animal life includes elephants, leopards, deer, monkeys, sloth bears, wild boar, cobras, crocodiles, dugong and turtles. The island is also an important seasonal home to migrating birds. Deforestation, due to dependence on wood for fuel, has reduced the extent of the jungle and wildlife populations are threatened by poaching and urbanisation. Industrial development is causing air and water pollution. People The population of 21,324,791 (2009) is concentrated in the south west, wet zone and on the Jaffna Peninsula with nearly 85% living in rural areas. The capital, Colombo, is the largest city with 648,000 people. Internal unrest since the 1980s has meant that many people are living away from their homes within Sri Lanka, in refugee camps in south India or have migrated to other countries. People Culture and identity Sri Lanka is a land of great ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity although these distinctions are essentially the same. The Sinhalese, living predominantly in the south-west and central areas, make up nearly three-quarters of the population and are predominantly Sinhala speaking and Buddhist. The Tamils consist of two groups: Sri Lankan Tamils, long-settled descendants from south eastern India, and Indian Tamils, brought to Sri Lanka from south eastern India to work on the British tea plantations. The Sri Lankan Tamils comprise 4% of the total population and live predominantly on the Jaffna peninsular in the north. The Indian Tamils live mainly in the Central Highlands. Both groups speak Tamil and are Hindu. The Muslims, who are descendants of the Arab and Malay traders of the 8th century, comprise just under 8% of the population and are scattered throughout the country but particularly in the east and the cities. The Burghers, people of mixed Sri Lankan and European descent; the Parsis, immigrants from western India, and the Veddas, the indigenous people of the country, total less than 1% of the population. Religion pervades most aspects of life. Although a decreasing influence, the Buddhist and Hindu caste systems still affects some social interactions such as marriage. The colonial experiences and levels of modernisation and wealth also affect the variety of cultural expression. English is commonly used in government but is only understood by about 10% of the population. There are examples of ancient architecture, sculpture, and painting which reflect Indian and Buddhist influences. Folk theatre combines dance, masked drama and drumming to vividly tell Sri Lankan folk stories. Woodcarving, weaving, pottery and metalwork are the major craft work. Sri Lanka is also renowned for its gems. Health There is a comprehensive public health system which is reflected in high life expectancy (75 years) and low infant mortality rate (19 deaths/1,000 live births) although poverty related malnutrition affects almost one quarter of the population. There are high rates of immunisation against tuberculosis and measles (99% of all one year olds) and most births are attended by skilled health personnel (96%). Most people have access to safe water (82%) and sanitation (91%). Religion and beliefs Religion influences many aspects of life and is generally similar to ethnic background. The Sinhalese are predominantly Theravada Buddhists (69%) and Tamils are Hindus (7%), Arab and Malay descendants are mainly Muslims (8%) while people from all ethnic groups are Christians (6%). Buddhist and Hindu temples, Muslim mosques and Christian churches each have their own colourful rituals. Food and shelter Sri Lankan breakfasts consist of appa or hoppers. These are small, bowl-shaped pancakes of rice flour and eaten with kitul, palm treacle, and buffalo-milk yoghurt or an egg with thick, highly spiced sambal. String hoppers, an all day snack, are a tangled nest of steamed rice-flour noodles served with a hodi, a thin potato, fish or chicken curry, or dahl with chutney. Lunch and dinners consists of hot curries with small side dishes of vegetables, meat and fish accompanied by rice and roti (bread). There are plenty of tropical fruits available for sweets. Some Buddhists follow a vegetarian diet. About 70% of houses in urban areas are brick with tiled roofs and cement floors but in rural areas brick houses make up only about one quarter of the houses. Traditional rural houses are built of mud and timber with a thatch roof and designed with inner courtyards or verandas to provide shaded areas for living and sleeping in the warm climate. Economy Wealth and poverty Despite sustained government efforts to introduce various poverty reduction programs such as income subsidies and food distribution, about 22% of the country's population live below the poverty line. There is a large gap between the richest 10% who account for over one third of the wealth while the poorest 10% share only 3%. Education and work High literacy rates (female 89%, male 92%) and high rates of school attendance have been achieved through a free education up to an including university level. Rural and urban poor students drop out after compulsory attendance at 14 years, as they are often required to assist in earning income for the family. Declining quality education and a shortage of teachers will present problems in the future unless addressed. A quota system for university entrance based on ethnicity has opened up problems of discrimination. Over one third of the population works in agriculture as small scale farmers or plantation labourers. Nearly 40% of the population are involved in the service sector, predominantly in the government public services. About 800,000 Sri Lankans currently work abroad, with 90% in the Middle East, who send home (remit) about A$4 billion a year. Industries and products The agriculture sector includes mostly state-owned large plantations of tea, rubber and coconuts and smaller holdings where rice, sugar cane, cassava, sweet potatoes, soya beans, cashew nuts, cocoa, spices, chillies and onions are produced, sometimes at subsistence level. Livestock raised includes buffaloes, goats, pigs, sheep and poultry. The farming sector as a whole is struggling against declining terms of trade, declining prices and rising costs, particularly transport. Industry focuses on agricultural processing particularly rubber, tea, coconuts and tobacco along with clothing, textiles, cement, petroleum refining, telecommunications and information technology services. There are 10 dedicated Export Processing Zones, mainly employing female labour, which focus on electronics, information technology, rubber and plastics, machinery, footwear, textiles and apparel and agro-based industries. Hydroelectric power is expanding to meet the industrial growth but drought has led to power shortages. Trade In 2008 Sri Lanka exported $US8.1 billion worth of goods including textiles and clothing, tea, spices, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, coconut products, fish and petroleum products to US (25.5%), UK (13%), India (7%), Germany (6%) and Italy (5%). It imported $US14 billion worth of goods including machinery, textiles, mineral products, petroleum, transportation equipment and foodstuffs from India (23%), Singapore (10%), China (8%), Iran (8%) and Hong Kong (6%). Achievements and challenges Natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, and landslides are a constant risk. Sri Lanka’s recovery from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, for example, has affected economic activity particularly in industries such as fishing, tourism, banking, small industry, domestic trade and transport. Since mid 1983 Sri Lanka has been afflicted by a serious civil conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting and it is estimated that over 70,000 people have been killed. In May 2009 government forces forcefully took control of the last stronghold of the Tamil Tiger rebels. The Sri Lankan government has traditionally supported a strong health and education system which is reflected in high life expectancy and literacy rates however the years of conflict has worsened poverty and resulted in major inequities between regions. High emigration rates mean that many of the best qualified Sri Lankans are now living overseas. Links with Australia Australia enjoys warm bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, underpinned by common membership of the Commonwealth, involvement in the Colombo Plan, strong people-to-people links and rivalry in cricket. The first Sri Lankan immigrants to Australia were recruited to work on the cane plantations of northern Queensland in the late 19th century. After independence from the United Kingdom in 1948 the Burghers (people of Sri Lankan and European descent) were the main group of Sri Lanka born migrants to Australia. Since the early 1970's, changes in the Australian government migration policy and escalation of violence led to the arrival of Sri Lankans from all ethnic groups. The majority of the 62,260 Sri Lanka-born persons in Australia live in Victoria (31,480) and New South Wales (19,090). In 2008 Sri Lanka imported Australian goods worth $A220 million while its exports to Australia totalled $A108million. About 8,000 Sri Lankan students are currently studying in Australian tertiary institutions. Pacific Dunlop's Ansell Lanka rubber products plant in Biyagama is among the largest of Australia’s investments and is the largest industrial employer in Sri Lanka. The Australian Government aid program focuses on the needs of communities affected by conflict, supports peace building processes, primarily through UN and NGO partners, supports a new basic education program and provides assistance to improve natural resource management. Main Sources: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html http://hdr.undp.org/ http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/index.html

Team leader Gobika Rajaratnam (right) of the General Mine Action Assessment Team interviews P Sarojadevi, at her home about the UXO (Unexploded Ordinance) found on her property. Photograph: Will Salter K. Shanti washes dishes at her new home, on the left, built as part of the Community Integration and Resettlement Project which assists people displaced through the civil conflict. Her old home is on the right. Photograph: Will Salter