Sri Lanka Project
The main overview of Sri Lanka
By:Chase McPherson
Geological Features of Sri Lanka
The population: 21,324,791
Capital: Colombo
Area: 25,332 square miles
Highest point: Mount Pidurutalagala at 8,281 feet
Geological Features Continued
Sri Lanka is a island nation located off of India's SE coast. Until 1992 Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon but today it is officially called the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
History of Sri Lanka
It is believed that the origins of human in-habitation began in the 6th century when the Sinhalese migrated to the island from India. Around 300 years later Buddhism spread to Sri Lanka which led to very organized Sinhalese organizations in the southern portions from about 200 B.C.E to about 1200 C.E. After this invasions from southern India caused them to move south. Their were two main ethnic groups in Sri Lanka are the Sinhalese and the Tamils. During the early development of the island the Sinhalese and the Tamils fought for independence over the island and this lead to the Tamils claiming the north side of the island and the Sinhalese to claim the south to where they migrated to.
The Government of Sri Lanka
Today Sri Lanka's government is considered a republic with a single legislative body consisting of a unicameral parliament whose members are elected by a popular vote. Sri Lanka's executive body is made up of its chief of state and president- both of which are filled by the same person who is elected by a popular vote for a six year term. The judicial branch in Sri Lanka is composed of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals and the judges for each are elected by the president. Sri Lanka is officially divided into eight provinces.
The Economy of Sri lANKA
Sri Lanka's economy is mainly based off of the industrial and service sector. How ever agriculture also plays an important role in the economy. The major industries in Sri Lanka include rubber processing, telecommunications, textiles, cement, petroleum refining and the processing of agricultural products. Sri Lanka's main agricultural exports include rice, sugarcane, tea, spices, grain, coconuts, beef and fish. Tourism and the related services industries are also growing in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan people dipping poles into schools of fish while standing on crucifixes made from sticks and twine.
The people of Sri Lanka
The Sinhala language is spoken by the Sinhalese people, who constitute approximately 75% of the national population and total about 13 million. It utilizes the Sinhala abugida script, which is derived from the ancient Brahmi script. The Rodiya language, a dialect of Sinhala, is spoken by the low-caste community of chamodi veddhas. The Veddah people, totaling barely 2,500 in 2002, are thought to have once spoken a distinct language, possibly a creolized form of an earlier indigenous language. The Tamil language is spoken by Sri Lankan Moors, as well as by Tamil migrants from the neighboring Indian state of Tamil Nadu and by most Sri Lankan Moors. Tamil speakers number around 4.7 million. There are more than 50,000 speakers of the Sri Lankan Creole Malay language, which is strongly influenced by the Malay language