Sri Lanka

Background: Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1802. As Ceylon it became independent in 1948; its name was changed in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted in violence in the mid-1980s. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic war that continues to fester.
Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India. Area: Total: 65,610 sq km, water: 870 sq km, land: 64,740 sq km. Area - comparative: Slightly larger than West Virginia. Coastline: 1,340 km.
Climate and Terrain: Climate: Tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October). Terrain: Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior. Natural resources: Limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower
People: Population: 19,576,783. Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%. Religions: Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7%. 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.
Government: Government type: Republic. Capital: Colombo; note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital. Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK).
Economy 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. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% throughout the 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-2000 with average growth of 5.3%. 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. GDP - composition by sector: Agriculture: 21%, industry: 27%, services: 52%.
Statistics: Telephones - main lines in use: 494,509. Telephones - mobile cellular: 228,604. Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1. Radios: 3.85 million. Television broadcast stations: 21. Televisions: 1.53 million. Internet users: 121,500. Railways: Total: 1,463 km. Highways: Total: 11,285 km, paved: 10,721 km, unpaved: 564 km. Airports: 15, with paved runways: 14, with unpaved runways: 1.