Sri Lanka or laṅka or Ceylon officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of Arabian Sea. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with India and Maldives. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Columbo is its largest city and financial center.
Sri Lanka’s documented history goes back 3,000 years, with evidence of prehistoric human settlements that dates to at least 125,000 years ago. It is said to be the kingdom of Raavanl, the mythical demon who kidnapped Sita, forcing Ram to go on an epic trek through the jungles of Southern India, crossing the sea with Ram Setu and defeating him with help of the mythical monkey god Hanuman and others. Sri Lanka has a rich cultural heritage. Sri Lanka’s geographic location and deep harbors have made it a great strategic important junction from the earliest days of the ancient Silk Road trade route.
The country generates most employment through agriculture, fishing and tourism. In trade in luxury goods, rubber, tea, coffee, precious and semi-precious gemstone, and spices have attracted traders of many nations since centuries, which wanted to control the island’s maritime regions and its lucrative external trade. Be it the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British, who colonized it from 1815 to 1948. The Kingdom of Kandy, the last independent monarchy of Sri Lanka. was the most important rule in medieval times on the island. After independence in 1948, Ceylon became a dominion, which was succeeded by a republic named Sri Lanka in 1972.
The country was ravaged by a 26-year civil war, between Sri Lanka Armed Forces and LTTE; which began in 1983 and ended decisively in 2009 with the defeat of LTTE. The spread of Buddhism on the island began in 245 BCE, with the arrival of bhikkhuni Sanghamitta arrived with the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree, which is considered to be a sapling from the historical Bodhi Tree under which Gautama Buddha became enlightened. Succeeding kingdoms of Sri Lanka have maintained many Buddhist schools and monasteries and supported the propagation of Buddhism into other countries in Southeast Asia. The Fourth Buddhist Council of Theravada Buddhism was held at the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya in Sri Lanka under the patronage of Valagamba of Anuradhapura in 25 BCE.
Sri Lanka reached its zenith during the reign of Parākramabāhu the Great. Cricket is played like a religion here. The beginning of the modern period of Sri Lanka is marked by the Colebrooke-Cameron reforms of 1833. Today, Sri Lanka is a multinational state, home to diverse cultures, languages. Sri Lanka is the highest-ranked South Asian nation and has the second-highest per capita income in South Asia after India. A pearl-shaped country Sri Lanka was among the first 18 global biodiversity hotspots due to high levels of species endemism. Known for its stunning;locales, waterfall, and wildlife, Sri Lanka’s protected areas are administrated by two government bodies;
The Department of Forest Conservation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Department of Wildlife Conservation administrates 61 wildlife sanctuaries, 22 national parks, four nature reserves, three strict nature reserves, and one jungle corridor; Department of Forest Conservation oversees 65 conservation forests and one national heritage wilderness area. 26.5% of the country’s land area is legally protected. The culture of Sri Lanka is influenced primarily by Buddhism and Hinduism and is home to two main traditional cultures: the Sinhalese (centered in Kandy and Anuradhapura) and the Tamil (centered in Jaffna).
Well connected by air, sea with all major cities around the world the country is a major tourist hub with tourism spreading especially in the south. There are numerous hotels, resorts, that provide luxury, mid-range and budget accommodation. The country is known for its food and restaurants serve a delicious variety of food at reasonable prices. The island nation is surrounded by stunning beaches, coconut and palm trees, and besides Columbo, the cities of Kandy, Galle, Anuradhapura, Jaffna; other cities like Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Dambula, Weligama, and Hikkaduwa are steadily emerging as tourist hubs on the island that are well connected by air, road, and rail.
More than 85 percent of the population is literate, giving Sir Lanka one of the highest literacy rates among developing countries. A major destination for adrenaline junkies there is numerous options available on the island including surfing, diving, scubadiving, trekking, Hiking, rock climbing, hot air ballooning ad White water rafting. Sri Lanka is a must-visit destination for tourists who enjoy sun sand and the sea.
