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| Holidays
in Sri Lanka - The Democratic Socialists Republic of Sri Lanka |
| Geography |
The
small tropical island of Sri Lanka is situated south of the southern
tip of the Indian sub-continent. Sri Lanka covers an area of 65,610
square kilometers, the maximum length of Sri Lanka is 435 Km and
the island's maximum breadth 225 kilometers. Sri Lanka lies 880
kilometers north of the Equator. The central mountainous region
is surrounded by wide plains that extend up to the island's 1230
kilometer coastline of Palm fringed beaches.
- Longest River in Sri Lanka
The Mahaweli 331 Km
- Highest Mountain in Sri Lanka
Pidurutalagala 2520 m
- Highest Waterfall
Bambarakanda 241 m
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| Climate |
The
climate is a perfect example of all year round summer tropical climate.
In Sri Lanka the temperature changes with the altitude; The lowland
plains average around 27 C, in the hill country it ranges from 20
- 25 C and in the mountains between 10 - 16 C. The sea temperature
around the island seldom drops below 27 C.
Sri Lanka's weather patterns have been affected like many other
places in the world. However it has definite periods of dry and
rainy seasons. In general the Island is affected by two monsoons.
The south West monsoon from May to October and the North East monsoon
from December to January. Although there is heavy rain during the
monsoon, sunny days are extremely common even during its peak. Unlike
in the past, where it could rain the entire day, rain is normally
experienced in short, sharp 15-minute bursts about 3 or 4 times
daily. |
| Population |
| The population
of Sri Lanka is almost 19 million. the major ethnic groups are Sinhalese
74%, Tamils 18% , Muslims 7% and others consisting mainly Burghers
(descendents of the Dutch and Portuguese) 1%. |
| Religion |
- Buddhists 69%
- Hindus 15%
- Christians 8%
- Islam 8%
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| Languages |
The
official languages are Sinhala, Tamil and English. Communication
in English is possible in most places of the Island. |
| Economy |
Sri
Lanka's economy has depended on agriculture and plantation crops
since its pre independence era. Rice is the staple cereal. The major
export crops continue to be Tea, Rubber and Coconut. However the
economy has diversified and the Garment sector, Fisheries, repatriated
earnings of Sri Lankans working in the Middle East and Tourism have
become major foreign exchange earners for the country.
- Capital City : Sri Jayawardenapura
- Commercial Capital : Colombo
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| Currency |
| Sri Lanka's
currency is the Rupee. The Rupee is divided into 100 cents. While
the currency notes come in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200,
500 and 1000 and 2000. The coins come in denominations of Rupees 1,
2, 5, 10 and cents 5, 10, 25, 50. |
| Credit Cards |
| Major Credit
Cards such as Visa, Mastercard, American Express are accepted. |
| International
Airport |
| Colombo
Airport, Katunayake, 35 Km (45 Minutes – 1 hour) from Colombo
City. |
| International
Airlines |
| The National
carrier is Sri Lankan Airlines. Some of the other Airlines with regular
flights to Colombo are QUATAR Airlines, Emirates, Gulf Air, Indian
Airlines, Kuwait Airways, LTU International Airways, Singapore Airlines
& ETIHARD Airlines. There are also seasonal Charter flights from
Germany, the U.K. and Switzerland. |
| Visa Entry
& Permits |
All
visitors to Sri Lanka require a valid passport & are issued
with a free 30 days visa upon arrival for some countries (includes
UK, Canada, USA, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium etc).
Nationals of other countries need a prior visa. (to see the countries
which need prior visa please visit www.immigration.gov.lk
)
All tourists should also have a valid visa for the country that
is their next destination.
- Sri lankan High Commission – UK
13,Hyde Park Gardens
London W2 2LU
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7262 1841
Fax:+44 (0) 20 7262 7970
Email : mail@slhc-london.co.uk
- Sri lankan Embassy – Berlin, Germany
Niklasstrasse 19 14163 Berlin
Tel. (030) 80909749
Fax (030) 80909757
E-Mail: info@srilanka-botschaft.de
- Sri Lankan Embassy in Paris - France
15, rue d'Astorg
75008 Paris
France
Phone: 01.42.66.35.01
Fax: 01.40.07.00.11
Email: sl.france@wanadoo.fr
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| Customs and
import |
| On arrival
visitors to Sri Lanka are officially required to declare all currency,
valuable equipments, jewellery and gems even though this is rarely
checked. |
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