Facts for Travellers

Geography
An island of 65,610 sq. km, Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean off the southern tip of the coast of India. The coastline gives way to lowland plains, growing rice and coconut. In the mid country rubber vies with gems, while green carpets of tea clothe the central mountain ranges reaching heights of some 2,432 metres.

Climate
Warm and fine year round. Average temperatures around 27ºC in Colombo going down as the land rises to the hill country to as low as 10ºC. The island has two wet seasons between May and July in the southwest and December/January in the northeast. Climatically Sri Lanka has no off-season. Bright sunny warm days are the rule and are common even during the wet season. Sea temperatures as a rule remain around 27ºC.

Population
Nearly 15 million, 74% Sinhalese, 18% Tamils, 8% Moors, Malays, Burghers.
Literacy rate averages 80% - one of the highest in Asia.

Language
Communication is rarely a problem because English is widely spoken in all parts of the country. Place names and signboards are in the national languages Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Official languages Sinhala, Tamil and English.
National Languages - Sinhala and Tamil.

Religion
Predominantly Budhists but also Hindus, Muslims & Christians.

Currency
The currency of Sri Lanka is the Rupee divided into cents. Foreign currencies enjoy a favourable exchange rate.