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Country name:
Conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Conventional short form:
Sri Lanka
Former: Serendib, Ceylon
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Location:
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. A strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
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Map references:
Asia
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Population: 19,668,000 (2005 est.)
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 many Tamils have sought refuge in the West
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Annual population growth rate :
1.2% (2005 est.)
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Crude Birth rate:
18.1 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Crude Death rate:
6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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Gender distribution:
Male: 47.6%
Female: 52.4% (2004 est.)
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Nationality:
Noun: Sri Lankan(s)
Adjective: Sri Lankan
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Ethnic groups:
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Ethnic groups |
Percentage %
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Sinhalese |
81.89% |
Sri Lankan Moors |
8% |
Indian Tamil |
5.08% |
Sri Lankan Tamil |
4.37% |
Other |
0.66% |
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(2001 census provisional data) |
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Religions:
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Religions |
Percentage %
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Buddhist |
76.71% |
Muslim |
8.49% |
Hindu |
7.88% |
Christian |
6.06% |
Other |
0.86% |
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(2001 census provisional data) |
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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
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| Literacy: |
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| Definition: |
age 15 and over can read and write |
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| Total population: |
92.5% |
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| Male: |
94.5% |
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| Female: |
90.6% (2003 est.) |
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Government type:
Republic
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Capital:
Colombo: note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital
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Administrative divisions:
8 provinces: Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
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Independence:
4 February 1948 (from UK)
Constitution:
Adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978
Legal system:
A highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Chief of state: President Mahinda Rajapaksa (since 19 November 2005); the President is considered both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Mahinda Rajapaksa (since 19 November 2005); the President is considered both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the President in consultation with the prime minister
Elections: President elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 17 November 2005
Legislative branch:
Unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Rs. 2366 billion (2005 est.)
Percapita GDP at Market Prices:
Rs. 104,347 Million (2004 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Agriculture: Rs. Million 175,182
Industry: Rs. Million 259,256
Services: Rs. Million 545,487
Employment:
Agriculture – 30.7%
Industry – 24.5%
Services – 44.8% (2005 est.)
Disputes - international:
None
Migration, Persons per 1000 households-
Internal (within last 12 months) - 29.0%
External (within last 24 months)- 60.5% (2001 est.)
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| Sources:
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Central Bank of Sri Lanka - Annual Report 2005
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Department of Census and Statistics – it should be noted that no enumeration was done in Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts in the 2001 census.
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Violations Committed
by the GOSL - 351
