Sri Lanka
History
The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.
In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was formally united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972.
Tensions between the Sinhalese maIority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. After 26 years of war, by May 2009, the government announced that its military had defeated the remnants of the LTTE. Since the end of the conflict, the government has enacted an ambitious program of economic development projects
Introduction
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon before 1972) is an Island Nation in South Asia.
Location: An island About 31Kms. (19.3 million) off the southern coast of India. (Geographic Coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E)
Area: Total 65,610 sq km
Population: 21,481,334 (July 2012 est.)
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10%
Religion: Buddhist (official) 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10%
Economy
Sri Lanka continues to experience strong economic growth following the end of the war 2009 conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ellam (LTTE). The government has been pursuing large)scale reconstruction and development projects supplemented with private investment in its efforts tospur growth in war)torn and disadvantaged areas, develop small and medium enterprises and increase agricultural productivity.
Economic activity rebounded strongly with the end of the war and an IMF agreement, resulting in three straight years of high growth in Per capita income of $6,100 on a purchasing power parity basis is among the highest in the region.
