• Full name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
• Population: 19.3 million (UN, 2007)
• Capital: Colombo (Commercial), Sri Jayawardenepura (Administrative)
• Largest City: Colombo
• Area: 65,610 sq. km (25,332 sq. miles)
• Latitude: 5.55 to 9.50 N
• Longitude: 79.42 to 81.52 E
• Maximum Length: 432 km
• Maximum Breadth: 224 km
• Land Area: 65,525 sq.km
• Highest Waterfall: Bambarakanda, 241 meters
• Highest Peak: Pidurutalagala, 2518 meters
• Longest River: Mahaweli, 335km
• Major Languages: Sinhala, Tamil, English
• Major Religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
• Life Expectancy: 69 years (men), 76 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary Unit: Sri Lankan rupee
• Main Exports: Clothing and textiles, tea, gems, rubber, coconuts
• Per Capita GDP: US $2,014 (Centrel Bank of Sri Lanka, 2008)
• Standard Time: 5.5 hours Ahead of GMT
• Internet Domain: .lk
• International Dialling Code: +94
• National Flower: Nil Mahanel (Nympheae Stelleta)
• National Tree: Naa - Iron wood (Mesua Ferrea)

More Information on Sri Lanka: World Fact Book Source: Central Intelligence Agency

A special committee was appointed by D.S.Senanayake, the first prime minister of Sri Lanka for the formulation of a national Flag for Sri Lanka. The current National flag is an improvisation of the civil standard of Sri Lanka's last king, Sri Wickrama Rajasingha.
The National Flag of Sri Lanka symbolizes the country's culture and heritage and embodies the spirit of nationality of its people. It also represents the four virtues of kindness, friendliness, happiness and equanimity. Each element on the National Flag has a distinctive symbolic significance.
A Lion bearing a sword in its right hand is depicted in gold on red background with a yellow border. Four Bo leaves (Ficus religiosa L.) pointing inwards are at the four corners. Two vertical bands of green and orange at the mast end represent the minority ethnic groups. It is an adaptation of the standard of the last King of Sri Lanka.
The first time the National Flag was hoisted was on 3 March, 1950.

Sri Lanka used the British emblem when it was a British Crown Colony and this continued after gaining independence in 1948.
According to the recommendation of a select committee appointed to devise a state emblem more suitable for Sri Lanka (Ceylon) we opted for a new state emblem. It had a lion with sword in its right fore paw encircled with a 'Palapethi' design atop. Below there was a strip carrying the country's name in Sinhala, Tamil and English.
A new Republican emblem was chosen after the country was declared a Republic on May 22nd, 1972. In addition to the lion with sword and the 'Palapethi' design it portrays the punkalasa, dhammachakka, sun, moon and two sheaves of paddy

Nil Mahanel flower was declared the National Flower of Sri Lanka on February 26, 1986.

Its botanical name is 'Nympheae Stelleta and grows in shallow waters is found in all parts of the country. ' The flower which is purplish blue in colour has a heavy concentration of petals in the center. The Nil Mahanel flower is also considered a symbol of truth, purity and discipline.

This flower is mentioned in many Sinhala, Pali and Sanskrit literary works. This flower which is also referred to as "Kuvalaya ", "indheewara", "Niluppala", "Nilothpala" and "Nilupul" occupies a pre eminent position in Buddhist literature too.

It is said the 'Nil Mahanel Flower' was among the 108 ceremonial designs found on the footprint of Prince Siddhartha. It is believed that the damsels depicted in Sigiriya Frescoes also carry the Nil Mahanel flower in their hands. Traditional poetry known as "Sandesa Kavya" likens women's eyes to the Nil Mahanel flower which has also been used as an ear ornament.

NA (iron wood) (Mesua Ferrea).

A proposal made to declare the Ironwood (Na Tree) as the National Tree was adopted by the Cabinet on 26th February 1986. Socially and culturally we have been closely associated with the Na Tree for centuries.

Botanically it is called Mesua Nagassarium.This rain forest tree grows to about 30 m high and indigenous to the lower wet Zone of Sri Lanka. A remarkable Features of NA it's beautiful bright Red Leaves and finally matured in to a deep green. Due to the hardness and durability of its timber the tree was used to make bridges in the early times. But today, due to its religious value cutting down the tree is prohibited. It's believed that the first visit of Buddha was to grove of a NA Tree at Mahiyanganaya and also the next Buddha (Maithree) will attain enlightenment under a NA tree. The flower of NA is also used in herbal medicine and preparation of perfumes, cosmetics and soaps. This was named as the National Tree in 1986.

NA tree was chosen as the National Tree for following reasons:

• It is native to Sri Lanka
• Its utility
• Historic and cultural importance
• Exterior posture
• Wide distribution
• Artistic value

Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean located on the Southern tip of Indian sub-continent, to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. Sprawling over the area of 65, 610 square kilometers, Sri Lanka with its tear-dropped shape is dominated by the strikingly varied features of topography, making it one of the most scenic places in the world. Three zones can be divided by its distinguished elevation: the Central Highland, the plains, and the coastal belt.

The island consists mostly of flat-to-rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. Amongst these is the highest point Mount Pedro, reaching 2,524 metres (8,280 ft) above sea level. The maximum length and width of Sri Lanka is 435 km and 225 km respectively. Total area of Sri Lanka is 65610 sq km (Land area: 64740 sq km, Water area: 870 sq km).

At the core of the island is dominated by a high plateau in which several highest mountains of Sri Lanka are situated. Among them, the highest pinnacle is Pidurutalagala Mountain levitating at 2,524 meters of its height; Sri Lankan people consider this mountain as the sacred site of pilgrimage. The Adam's Peak lying to the west, at the southern end of the plateau is better known for its spectacular scenery and sacred pilgrimage site with its elevation of 2224 meters.

Then the land descends from the Central Highlands to a series of flat plains between 30 and 200 meters above sea level, dominating the east and the north of the island. Extensive erosion in this area has worn down and deposited the rich soil good for agriculture. A coastal belt surrounds the island, consisting of scenic sandy beaches and lagoons. Best beaches line along the southern coast, southwestern coast and eastern coast. In the northeast and the southwest, the coasts cut across the stratification of crystalline rocks, cliffs, bays, and offshore islands, creating one of the world's best natural harbors at Trincomalee on the northeastern coast and a smaller rock harbor at Galle on the southwestern coast. In the northwest, Mannar Island which is joined with the mainland by a bridge is almost connected to the southern India by a long chain of sandbanks and islets called Adam's Bridge.

Rivers in Sri Lanka originates in the Central Highlands, near Adam's Peak and flow through the gorges, broad valley and plains and finally empty in the sea near Trincomalee, creating the different landscapes of escarpments, waterfalls and deep gorges. Most of the rivers are short and frequently interrupted by the discontinuities of terrain.

The longest river of Sri Lanka is the 'Mahaweli Ganga' with it length of 335 kilometers. Its upper reaches are not navigable. The lower reaches are prone to the seasonal flooding. The river is the most important water necessity for the irrigation system in the northeast region in which natural rainfalls are deficient. This river is also have been intensively harnessed for hydro-electric power generation facilities.

The climate of Sri Lanka can be described as Tropical.

Lying in the Equatorial and tropical zone, Sri Lanka is influenced by the monsoons, allowing two distinct main seasons: wet and dry. And are 2 intermonsoonal seasons.

Monsoon is used to describe seasonal reversals of wind direction, caused by temperature differences between the land and sea. They occur in a number of countries around the world. However, the most well-known of these where the term is most often applied, is the Asian Monsoon.
About Monsoon

Rainfall

The rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and is marked by four seasons. Annual 2540 mm to over 5080 mm in south west of the Island. Less than 1250 mm in the north west and south east of the Inland.

South West Monsoon (Yala) Season - May to August

The first is from mid-May to October, when winds originate in the southwest, bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean. When these winds encounter the slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the mountain slopes and the southwestern sector of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to 2500 mm of rain per month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain.

North East Monsoon (Maha) Season - November to February

The second season occurs in October and November, the intermonsoonal months. During this season, periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island.

1st Intermmonsoon Season: December to March

During the 1st intermonsoonal rains which normally occur from December to March, monsoon winds come from the northeast, bringing moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The northeastern slopes of the mountains may be inundated with up to 1250 mm of rain during these months.

2nd Intermmonsoon Season: March until mid-May

This intermonsoonal period occurs from March until mid-May, with light, variable winds and evening thundershowers.

From the October to December cyclonic storms often from over the Bay of Bengal, sometimes causing havoc from the southern coast of India northwards to Bangladesh. Sri Lanka is far enough south to miss many of the worst of these, but it occasionally suffers major cyclones. These generally come later in the season in December and January and can cause enormous damage and loss of life.

Based on the rainfall distribution of the Island 2 zones have been identified. They are 'Wet' and 'Dry' zones

Dry Zone

Nearby three quarters of Sri Lanka lies in what is widely known as the 'Dry Zone', comprising the northern half and the whole of the east of the country. Average annual rainfall in this region is generally between 1,200-1,800 mm. In comparison with many parts of Europe this may not seem unduly dry, but like much of SE India, virtually all of the region's rain falls in the 3 months of the north-east Monsoon between October and December. The rain often comes in relativity short but dramatic bursts. Habarana, for example, located in the Dry Zone between Polonnarywa and Anuradhapura received 1,240 mm (nearly 50") of rain in the 3 days around Christmas in 1975. SOmetimes, these rains can caused catastrophic floods right across the Dry Zone.

Wet Zone

The Wet Zone also receives some rain during this period, although the coastal regions of the South-west are in the rain shadow of the Central Highlands, and are much drier than the North-east between November and January. The South-west corner of Sri Lanka, the Wet Zone, has its main wet season from May to September, when the South-west Monsoon sweeps across the Arabian Sea like a massive wall of warm moist air, often over 10,000m thick. The higher slopes of the Central Highlands receive as much as 4,000 mm during this period, while even the coastal lowlands receive over 500mm.

Temperature

The difference of elevation also influences temperature variation; it is always hot in the lowland and it gets cooler when reaching the higher altitudes. The annually average temperature of the country as a whole varies from 26°C-28°C and dips down to 14°C-16°C in the Central Highlands. November to January is the coolest time of the year whereas February through May is the hottest period.

The mean temperature ranges from a low of 16°C in Nuwara Eliya in the Central Highlands (where frost may occur for several days in the winter) to a high of 32°C in Trincomalee on the northeast coast (where temperatures may reach 38 °C). The average yearly temperature for the country as a whole ranges from 28 to 30°C. Day and night temperatures may vary by 4 to 7. January is the coolest month, especially in the highlands, where overnight temperatures may fall to 10°C. May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains.

May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains.

Humidity

Humidity is typically higher in the southwest and mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal patterns of rainfall, and places like Colombo experience daytime humidity above 70% all year round, rising to almost 90% during the monsoon season in June. Anuradhapura experiences a daytime low of 60% during the monsoon month of March, but a high of 79% during the November and December rains. In the highlands, Kandy's daytime humidity usually ranges between 70% and 79%.

More than 85% of Sri Lanka's surface lies on Precambrian strata, some of it dating back 2 billion years. The granulite facies rocks of the Highland Series (gneisses, sillimanite-graphite gneisses, quartzite, marbles, and some charnokites) make up most of the island and the amphibolite facies gneisses, granites, and granitic gneisses of the Vijayan Series occur in the eastern and southeastern lowlands. Jurassic sediments are present in very small areas near the western coast and Miocene limestones underlie the northwestern part of the country and extend south in a relatively narrow belt along the west coast.The metamorphic rock surface was created by the transformation of ancient sediments under intense heat and pressure during mountain-building processes. The theory of plate tectonics suggests that these rocks and related rocks forming most of south India were part of a single southern landmass called Gondwanaland. Beginning about 200 million years ago, forces within the Earth's mantle began to separate the lands of the Southern Hemisphere, and a crustal plate supporting both India and Sri Lanka moved toward the northeast. About 45 million years ago, the Indian plate collided with the Asian landmass, raising the Himalayas in northern India, and continuing to advance slowly to the present time. Sri Lanka experiences few earthquakes or major volcanic events because it rides on the center of the plate.

The island contains relatively limited strata of sedimentation surrounding its ancient uplands. Aside from recent deposits along river valleys, only two small fragments of Jurassic (140 to 190 million years ago) sediment occur in Puttalam District, while a more extensive belt of Miocene (5 to 100 million years ago) limestone is found along the northwest coast, overlain in many areas by Pleistocene (1 million years ago) deposits. The northwest coast is part of the deep Cauvery (Kaveri) River Basin of southeast India, which has been collecting sediments from the highlands of India and Sri Lanka since the breakup of Gondwanaland.

More on Natural Resources of Sri Lanka