1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Geography
Area
total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km
Area--comparative
slightly larger than West Virginia
Climate
tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Coastline
1,340 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Environment--current issues
deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff
Environment--international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geographic coordinates
7 00 N, 81 00 E
Geography--note
strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
Irrigated land
5,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Land boundaries
0 km
Land use
arable land: 14% permanent crops: 15% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 32% other: 32% (1993 est.)
Location
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Map references
Asia
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Natural hazards
occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Natural resources
limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
Terrain
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 27% (male 2,650,135; female 2,535,092) 15-64 years: 67% (male 6,231,987; female 6,500,782) 65 years and over: 6% (male 592,539; female 634,340) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
18.16 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
6.02 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Infant mortality rate
16.12 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken by about 10% of the population
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 72.67 years male: 69.89 years female: 75.59 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.2% male: 93.4% female: 87.2% (1995 est.)
Nationality
noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan
Net migration rate
-1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
19,144,875 (July 1999 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; as of late 1996, 63,068 were housed in refugee camps in south India, another 30,000-40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought political asylum in the West
Population growth rate
1.1% (1999 est.)
Religions
Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.1 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
Capital
Colombo
Constitution
adopted 16 August 1978
Country name
conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka former: Ceylon
Data code
CE
Executive branch
chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note--Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note--Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist 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 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000) election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA elected president; percent of vote--Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%, other 1%
Flag description
yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
Government type
republic
Independence
4 February 1948 (from UK)
International organization participation
AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Warnasena RASAPUTRAM chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s): New York Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Shaun E. DONNELLY embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
Judicial branch
Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission; Court of Appeals Political parties and leaders: All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil APPUHAMY]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either parliament or provincial councils Political pressure groups and leaders: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE; other radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups; Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions
Legal system
a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000) election results: percent of vote by party--PA 49.0%, UNP 44.0%, SLMC 1.8%, TULF 1.7%, SLPF 1.1%, EPDP 0.3%, UPF 0.3%, PLOTE 0.1%, other 1.7%; seats by party--PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3, SLPF 1, UPF 1
National holiday
Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture--products
rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef
Budget
revenues: $3 billion expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1 billion (1997 est.)
Currency
1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents
Debt--external
$8.8 billion (1998)
Economic aid--recipient
$559.3 million (1995)
Economy--overview
In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic industries now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an annual average rate of 5.5% throughout the 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-98 with growth of 6.4% and 4.7%. For the next round of reforms, the central bank of Sri Lanka recommends that Colombo expand market mechanisms in nonplantation agriculture, dismantle the government's monopoly on wheat imports, and promote more competition in the financial sector. A continuing cloud over the economy is the fighting between the Sinhalese and the minority Tamils, which has cost 50,000 lives in the past 15 years. The global slowdown will temper growth in 1999.
Electricity--consumption
5.05 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
5.05 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 4.95% hydro: 95.05% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Exchange rates
Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1--67.948 (January 1999), 64.593 (1998), 58.995 (1997), 55.271 (1996), 51.252 (1995), 49.415 (1994)
Exports
$4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities
textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds and other gems, coconut products, rubber products, petroleum products (1997)
Exports--partners
US 36%, UK 11%, Japan 6%, Germany 5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4% (1997)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity--$48.1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 18% industry: 31% services: 51% (1997)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
4.7% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 3.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)
Imports
$5.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities
machinery and equipment, textiles, petroleum, building materials, sugar (1997)
Imports--partners
India 10%, Japan 9%, South Korea 8%, Hong Kong 7%, Taiwan 7% (1997)
Industrial production growth rate
6.5% (1996 est.)
Industries
processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
9.3% (1998)
Labor force
6.2 million (1997)
Labor force--by occupation
services 46%, agriculture 37%, industry 17% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line
35.3% (1990-91 est.)
Unemployment rate
11% (1997 est.)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0
Radios
3.6 million (1996 est.)
Telephone system
very inadequate domestic service, but expanding with the entry of two wireless loop operators and privatization of national telephone company; good international service domestic: NA international: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Telephones
352,681 (1997 est.); 114,888 cellular telephone subscribers (1997 est.)
Television broadcast stations
21 (19 network stations, two low-power stations) (1997)
Televisions
1.6 million (1996 est.)
Transportation
Airports
13 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 99,200 km paved: 39,680 km unpaved: 59,520 km (1996 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 178,867 GRT/276,363 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 14, container 1, oil tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 5 (1998 est.)
Pipelines
crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987) Ports and harbors: Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee
Railways
total: 1,501 km broad gauge: 1,442 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (1995)
Waterways
430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft
Military and Security
Military branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$719 million (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
4.2% (1998)
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 5,223,590 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 4,062,758 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
18 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 199,196 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international
none