HISTORY
Sri Lanka's pre-historic human inhabitants were the Wanniyala-Aetto, more commonly known as Veddahs. The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century BC, probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-3rd century BC and a great civilization developed at such cities as Anuradhapura (kingdom from c. 200 BC to c. 1000 AD) and Polonnaruwa (c. 1070 to 1200).
Tamils from southern India also came to the island -- exactly how many and when is a matter of dispute. But, by the 13th century, there was a substantial Tamil society in the north and many fishing communities elsewhere along the island's coastline. Tamils in Sri Lanka developed a somewhat distinct culture and polity from their mainland cousins. Relations between Tamils (of India and Sri Lanka) and Sinhalese were complex -- sometimes peaceful and sometimes warlike, including invasions in both directions and substantial intermixing.
Buddhism ushered in a new civilization in Sri Lanka after the arrival of Arahath Mahinda Thero, who was a son of Emperor Asoka, ruler of Magadha in India. Devanampiya Thissa, the king of Sri Lanka at the time of Mahinda Thero's arrival, embraced Buddhism and facilitated its spread by constructing temples and Buddhist institutions throughout the country.
South Indian (mostly Tamil) rulers attacked Sri Lanka on a number of occasions starting in the 3rd century BC. Occasionally, such invasions resulted in Tamil rule of the northern part of the island for an extended period of time. Several Sinhala kings are noted in history for driving back the Tamil invasions and retaking the capital.
After the Polonnaruwa kingdom, the Sinhalese capital moved through several cities over the next few centuries, partially as an attempt to circumvent foreign invasion. The capital had settled in Sri Jayewardanapura (Kotte) when coastal regions were occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century. The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch in the 17th century. During both the Portugese and Dutch rule of the coastal areas, the inner, hilly region of the island remained independent, with its capital seated in the city of Kandy. The entire island was ceded to the British in 1796 and became a crown colony in 1802. As Ceylon (http://www.glue.umd.edu/~pkd/sl/facts/name_origin.html), it became independent in 1948. In 1972, its name was changed to Sri Lanka and the capital was moved to Sri Jayewardanapura Kotte. The flag was also changed-- orange and green vertical bars were added to represent the Tamil and Muslim minority populations.
Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority erupted in violence in 1983 following an LTTE attack on Sinhalese soldiers. This led to riots throughout the country, resulting in thousands of Tamils being killed over three days and many more becoming refugees. Tens of thousands have died on both sides in the subsequent ethnic war that continues to fester.
After two decades of fighting, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the government began a ceasefire in December 2001. Norway is mediating the peace process. The increasing international focus on terrorism may have influenced the main Tamil rebel group to seek the ceasefire. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam group was declared a terrorist organization by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Canada. President Kumaratunga acknowledged at the UN that deep-rooted discrimination leads to terrorism. However, so far, she has not acted on her words to bring equality to the Tamil people.
TSUNAMI
On December 26, 2004, one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history, the Indian Ocean earthquake, struck off the western coast of Sumatra. The earthquake and subsequent tsunamis reportedly killed over 220,000 people around the rim of the Indian Ocean. The impact on Sri Lanka was severe. The south and east coasts were devastated by the 10-metre high tsunami and tens of thousands of people were killed.
POLITICS
The president of the republic, directly elected for a six-year term, serves as both head of state and head of government, as well as commander in chief of the armed forces. Responsible to parliament for the exercise of duties under the constitution and laws, the president may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of parliament, with the concurrence of the Supreme Court. The president appoints and heads a cabinet of ministers responsible to parliament. The president's deputy is the prime minister, who leads the ruling party in parliament.
The Sri Lankan Parliament is a unicameral 225-member legislature elected by universal (adult) suffrage on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to a six-year term. The primary modification is a unique "bonus seats" provision, where the party that receives the largest number of valid votes in each constituency gains an additional or bonus seat. (For a more detailed description of the effects of the bonus seat provision, see "Explaining the Two-Party System in Sri Lanka's National Assembly" by John Hickman in Contemporary South Asia, Volume 8, Number 1, March 1999, pp. 29-40.) The president may summon, suspend, or end a legislative session and dissolve parliament any time after it has been in place for one year. Parliament reserves the power to make all laws. Sri Lanka has remained a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
Parliament was dissolved on February 7, 2004 by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. New elections were held on April 2 and the new parliament convened on April 23.
GEOGRAPHY
The island of Sri Lanka, lies within the Indian Ocean, with the Bay of Bengal to the northeast, separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Adam's Bridge, a land bridge to the Indian mainland that according to Hindu mythology was constructed during the rule of Rama, is now mostly submerged, with only a chain of limestone shoals remaining above sea level.
The pear-shaped island consists mostly of flat to rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising only in the south central part of the island, amongst which are Adam's Peak and Pidurutalagala, the highest point at 2,524 m.
The Sri Lankan climate is tropical and characterized by monsoons; the northeast monsoon which lasts from December to March and the southwest monsoon from June to October. The administrative and commercial capital is Colombo, but parliament is located in nearby Sri Jayewardanapura (Kotte). Other major cities include Jaffna, Galle, and Kandy.
The lowest gravitational field on Earth is found just off the coast of Sri Lanka.
ECONOMY
Famous historically for its cinnamon and tea (which was introduced by the British in the 19th century), and moderately socialist after independence, Sri Lanka has, in the last 20 years, increasingly engaged in privatization and moved towards market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. While tea and rubber are still important in the economy, the most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, insurance, and banking. By 1996, plantation crops made up only 20 percent of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63 percent.
GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5 percent throughout the 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8 percent in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-2000 with average growth of 5.3 percent. But 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. However, the economy began to show signs of recovery after the government and the LTTE signed their 2002 ceasefire. The Colombo stock exchange reported the highest growth in Asia for 2003. Today, Sri Lanka has the highest per capita income in South Asia.
DEMOGRAPHY
Around 75% of the Sri Lankan population belongs to the Sinhalese majority, which is predominantly Buddhist and in particular of the Theravada tradition. The other major group on the island are the Tamils which constitute some 18% of the population. They are predominantly Hindu and live mostly in the north and east of the country. Both Sinhala and Tamil languages have enjoyed "official" status since the Indo-Lanka accord in 1989. English, the national language, is the mother tongue of roughly 10 percent of the population and is spoken and understood widely. All three languages are used for purposes of education and administration.
Smaller minorities include the (Tamil-speaking, mostly Sunni) Muslims (seven percent), the Burghers of mixed European descent (one percent) and the Wanniyala-Aetto or Veddahs, the few remaining descendants of earlier cultures. Buddhism (70 percent) and Hinduism (15 percent) are the dominant religions. Christians represent eight percent of the population, including seven percent Catholic and one percent Protestant.
