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Sri Lanka

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent.

Known in ancient times as Lanka, Lankadweepa (meaning "Resplendent Land" in Sanskrit), Taprobane and Serendib (derived from the Sanskrit name Sinhala-dweepa) and Selan, the island became known as Ceylon in colonial times, a name still used on occasion. Its unique shape and proximity to the Indian mainland have led some to unofficially label the island as India's Teardrop.

Life on the island has been marred by nearly two decades of ethnic conflict, mainly between the national government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insurgency; in early 2002 there was agreement on a ceasefire.

Sri Lanka geography

The island of Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, 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 connection 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. It is entirely possible that the Sinhalease people are related to the king Ravana of the Hindu mythology Ramayana.

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 the Pidurutalagala, the highest point at 2,524 m.

The Sri Lankan climate is tropical and characterised 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.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sri Lanka".