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Background: The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied 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 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 majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formalized a cease-fire in February 2002, with Norway brokering peace negotiations.
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Common Name: Sri Lanka
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Local Official Name: Sri Lanka
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Abbreviated Name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
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Official Name: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janaraja
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Official Script Name: Sri Lanka
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Local Common Name: Sri Lanka
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Former Name: Serendib, Ceylon
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Territory of: None
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Head of State: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE
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Government Type: republic
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Independence: 1948 February 04 (from UK)
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Constitution: 1978 August 16
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National Holiday: Independence Day, 4 February (1948)
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International Organization Participation: AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
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Administrative Divisions: 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
note: in 1998 the Government of Sri Lanka proposed a merger of the former Northern and Eastern provinces; while this merger was never ratified, the Government treats North Eastern Province as a de facto singular administrative unit
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Dependent Areas: None
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Legal System: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive branch:
Chief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 19 November 2005); the president is considered both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held 2011)
election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSE elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3%
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)
Elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)
Election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.83%, TNA 6.84%, JHU 5.97%, SLMC 2.02%, UPF 0.54%, EPDP 0.27%, others 0.93%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, UNP dissident 1, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, JHU dissidents 2, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president
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Party Leaders: All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [KUMARGURUPARAM]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [Shrimani ATULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP; Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D. GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Tilak KARUNARATNE]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sihala Urumaya or SU; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [SABARATNAM]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R. SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial councils
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International Disputes: None
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Sri Lanka: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
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Continent: Asia
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Land Area Total: 65,610 sq km
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Region: Indian Ocean |
Land Area Land: 64,740 sq km
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Capitol City: Sri Jayawardhanapura
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Land Area Water: 870 sq km
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Current: +5:30
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Latitude: 007 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 0 km
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Longitude: 081 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 1,340 km
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Arable Land: 13.96 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 15.24 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 2,524 m
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Location: Pidurutalagala
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Indian Ocean
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Largest City in Sri Lanka: Colombo
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Colombo Largest City Population: 690,000
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Threatened Species: 348
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Environmental Issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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Irrigated Land: 7,430
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Bordering Countries: None
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Natural Resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower
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Geographical Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
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Comparative Area of Sri Lanka: slightly larger than West Virginia
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Sri Lanka's Geography: strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Sri Lanka.
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General Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
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Natural Hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes
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Economic 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 sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average annual rate of about 5.5% in the 1990s, but 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history, by 1.4%, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to 5% between 2002 and 2005. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for a largely independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property.
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GDP: $85,340,000,000 USD
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Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
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GDP per Capita: $4,300 USD
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Currency Code: LKR
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GDP Growth Rate: 5.60 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% LKR
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002), 89.383 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 17.80 %
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GDP of Industry: 27.60 %
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GDP of Services: 54.50 % |
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Inflation Rate: 11.60 % |
Population in Poverty: 22.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 7.70 %
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Tourism: 436,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 3.50 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $3,804,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 28.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $5,469,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 7,308,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 6,796,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 31.86%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 68.14%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 79,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 0 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 0 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 0 cu m
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External Debt: $11,050,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $577,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish
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Primary Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining
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Industrial Growth Rate: 8.20 %
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Import Amount in USD: $8,370,000,000 USD - textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment
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Import Partners: India 19.7%, China 9.9%, Singapore 7.2%, Iran 5.5%, Malaysia 4.6%, Hong Kong 4.5%
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Export Amount in USD: $6,442,000,000 USD - textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
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Export Partners: US 30.9%, UK 11.6%, India 7.3%, Belgium 4.8%, Germany 4.5%
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GINI Index: 34.40%
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Labor Force Number of People: 8,080,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: services 45%, agriculture 38%, industry 17%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 72 |
Number of People with Radios: 3,850,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 21 |
Number of People with Televisions: 1,530,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 1 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 3 |
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Internet Service Providers: 6,025 |
Internet Users: 280,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .lk |
Newspapers: 29 |
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Two Letter Country Code: CE |
Weights and Measures: Metric |
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Phone Country Code: 94 |
Electricity Voltage: 240 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: General assessment: very inadequate domestic service, particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization of national telephone company and encouragement to private investment; good international service
Domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons
International: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
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Highways: 10,721 km |
Railways: 1,449 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 0 km |
Waterways: 160 km
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Airports: 14 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 29 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 7,680,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 0.40 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 144,066 GRT/196,418 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, container 2, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 7 (Germany 5, UAE 2)
registered in other countries: 5 (Panama 5)
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Ports and Harbors: Colombo, Galle
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Population: 20,222,240 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 15.51 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 291.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 6.52 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 0.78% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 1.84 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 2,488,689 |
Population Female 0-14: 2,379,233 |
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Population Male 15-64: 6,727,399 |
Population Female 15-64: 7,140,751 |
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Population Male 65+: 687,842 |
Population Female 65+: 798,326 |
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Population 0-14: 24.10% |
Literacy Rate: 92.30% |
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Population 15-64: 68.60% |
Literacy rate of Males: 94.80% |
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Population 65+: 7.30% |
Literacy rate of Females: 90.00% |
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Population that is Male: 48.00
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Population that is Female: 52.00% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 73.41 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 13.97 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 70.83 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 76.12 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.10%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 3,500
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: -1.23
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Nationality: Sri Lankan
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Ethnic Groups: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10%
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Primary Language: Sinhala
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Other 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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Primary Religion: Buddhist
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Other Religions: Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10%
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Branches: Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lankan Air Force
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 10,086,814 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 4,281,043 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 341,250 People per year
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Expenditures: $606,200,000 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 2.60
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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