| Country
(long form) |
Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
| Capital |
Colombo |
| Total
Area |
25,332.16 sq
mi
65,610.00 sq km
(slightly larger than West
Virginia) |
| Population |
9,238,575
(July 2000 est.) |
| Estimated
Population in 2050 |
23,085,782 |
| Languages |
Sinhala
(official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national
language) 18% |
| Literacy |
90.2% total,
93.4% male, 87.2% female (1995 est.) |
| Religions |
Buddhist 70%,
Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999) |
| Life
Expectancy |
69.33 male,
74.45 female (2000 est.) |
| Government
Type |
republic |
| Currency |
1 Sri Lankan
rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents |
| GDP (per
capita) |
$2,600 (1999
est.) |
| Labor Force
(by occupation) |
services 45%,
agriculture 38%, industry 17% (1998 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% |
| Exports |
textiles and
apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products, petroleum
products (1998) |
| Imports |
machinery and
equipment, textiles, petroleum, foodstuffs
(1998) |
| Natural
Resources |
limestone,
graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay,
hydropower |
| Current
Environmental 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 |
| Telephones
(main lines in use) |
494,509
(1998) |
| Telephones
(mobile cellular) |
228,604
(1999) |
| Internet
Service Providers (ISPs) |
4
(1999) |
|
(U.S.
Government sources) | |
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