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 Sri Lanka is a beautiful island country in the Indian Ocean. It lies about 32 kilometers off the southeast coast of India. Its official name is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The country was formerly called Ceylon.
Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1802. As Ceylon it became independent in 1948; its name was changed in 1972.
The pear-shaped island is 140 mi (225 km) across at its widest point and 270 mi (435 km) long. The narrow northern end is almost linked to SE India by Adam's Bridge , a chain of limestone shoals that, although partly submerged, present an obstacle to navigation. About four fifths of the island is flat or gently rolling; mountains in the south central area include Adam's Peak (7,360 ft/2,243 m) and rise to Pidurutalagala (8,291 ft/2,527 m), the highest point on the island. Sri Lanka has a generally warm subtropical climate; the average lowland temperature is 80°F (27°C), but humidity is high. Rainfall, largely carried by monsoons, is adequate for agriculture, except in the sub humid north. Administratively, the country is divided into nine provinces. In addition to Colombo, other important cities are Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Kandy , Galle , and Jaffna.
Education is free through the university level; the literacy rate is about 90%.
Industry has been centered chiefly around the processing of agricultural products, especially the money crops: tea, rubber, and coconut. By the mid-1980s, however, textiles and garments had become Sri Lanka 's biggest export. A great variety of consumer goods are also manufactured. Sri Lanka opened itself to foreign banks in 1979 and has developed an offshore insurance and banking industry. It has a persistent balance of trade problem, however, and the country is dependent on large amounts of foreign aid. Although coastal lagoons provide many sheltered harbors, only Sri Lanka lies on the main world shipping routes. The port of Colombo, on which most of the country's railroads converge, handles most of the foreign trade. The United States, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom are the largest trading partners. |
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