Amazing Facts » Facts And Trivia About Countries – Sree Lanka

Amazing Facts about Sree Lanka

Sri Lanka is a beautiful island country with a rich cultural heritage. From the tourist’s point of view, it has picturesque landscapes, unspoiled beaches and you can head to the mountains from the beaches within a span of three to four hours. What more does the tourist want?

Mentioned below are a few amazing facts about this beautiful island country.

• Until 1972, Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon.
• The current official name of Sri Lanka is Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka's capital is Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte, and not Colombo.
• The two principal languages of the country are Sinhala and Tamil.
• The early capital of ancient Sri Lanka was Anuradhapura.
• This is the period when Sinhalese started following Buddhism.
• The capital was soon shifted to Polonnaruwa, when South Indian kings invaded the island.
• After another 150 years, the island was split into five smaller Kingdoms.
• The capital moved to Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte which is just a few miles from Colombo.
• After four centuries, the Portuguese took over and moved the capital to Kandy.
• It was during this phase a certain percentage of Sinhalese were converted to Christianity.
• The Lankan’s made a treaty with the Dutch to get rid of the Portuguese.
• By the early seventeenth century, the country was in the hands of Dutch except for Kandy.
• About 150 years later, the British took over the island and finally conquered Kandy in 1815.
• The British imported Tamil labor to work in tea, coffee, and coconut plantations from India.
• Sri Lanka gained full independence from the British in 1948.
• The Tamils were deprived of citizenship after the new Sinhalese government was formed.
• This led to tensions between the two groups – Sinhalese and Tamils.
• Between the period of 1983 and 2009 was the Sri Lankan Civil War.
• The name of Sri Lanka was Ceylon until 1972.
• The country is also referred to as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean.
• As the shape of Sri Lanka is like a pear, hence the name Pearl of Indian Ocean.
• It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean on the West and Bay of Bengal on the East.
• The geographical area of the country is 65,610 square kilometers.
• The island nation has over 13,500 kilometers of coastline.
• Sri Lanka was one of the worst hit countries during the tsunami of 2004.
• The country is also referred to as the Nation of Smiling People.
• The two primary ethnic groups are Sinhalese and Tamils, the other being Moors.
• The world Sinhala actually means the Blood of a Lion.
• Sri Lanka flag contains a golden lion, surrounded by four golden leaves at four corners.
• Do not refer to a Sri Lankan by their ethnicity.
• The population of Sri Lanka as of 2015 is just over 21 million.
• Close to 70% of Sri Lankans are Buddhists.
• There are 12% Hindus, Nine Percent Muslim, and Seven Percent Christians.
• Sinhalese have very long names. The average number of words in a person’s name is five.
• The word Sri Lanka literally means “Resplendent Island” in Sanskrit.
• The currency of Sri Lanka is Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR).
• It is the second richest nation in South Asia, in terms of GDP per capita.
• Sri Lanka has a literacy rate of 92 percent, the highest literacy rate in the whole of South Asia.
• Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of tea in the world.
• The famous Lipton tea was sourced from Sri Lanka by its founder.
• There are many waterfalls in Sri Lanka, and is the country’s main hydroelectric source.
• With regard to food, being a coastal area, rice and curry are the staple diet.
• The food is often eaten from a banana leaf and it is traditionally eaten with the hands.
• Another popular dish for breakfast is string hoppers, which are basically rice noodles.
• Every meal is accompanied with a hot dish made from coconut and chilies, known as sambol.
• The country’s folk music is called Baila and people love it.
• The Tooth Relic of Buddha is now located in a temple in Kandy.
• Sri Lanka's national sport is cricket.
• Sri Lanka won the cricket world cup in 1996 when they beat Australia in the finals.
• Sri Lanka has only one international airport in Colombo.
• In pre-historic time, people used to live in present caves of Dambulla.
• Sri Lanka has won two medals in the Olympics, both of them being silver medals.
• It is estimated that 20,000 elephants survive in Sri Lanka.
• The women eat their food after the men and kids finish their meals.
• Casinos are very popular in Colombo.
• During a festival in Katharagama, the men pierce their tongues and body with needles.
• People also walk on red-hot charcoals in religious fervor.
• There are blue whale watching tours organized by Sri Lankan navy from Galle.
• The Chinese Government is financing the seaport in Hambantota.
• The Poya day, full moon day is a public holiday in Sri Lanka.

If you know any more amazing facts on Sri Lanka, that needs mentioned, please e-mail to us. Have a nice day.