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Communications

Broadcast media (Radio) [time series]

broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

114,000 telephones (1982); very inadequate domestic service, good international service local: NA intercity: NA international: submarine cables extend to Indonesia and Djibouti; 2 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth stations

Broadcast media (Television) [time series]

broadcast stations: 5 televisions: NA

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

exchange rate conversion - $412 million, 3.6% of GDP (1994) SUDAN

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 4,990,661; males fit for military service 3,888,372; males reach military age (18) annually 178,926 (1995 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for one-fourth of GDP; field crops - rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash crops - tea, rubber, coconuts; animal products - milk, eggs, hides, meat; not self-sufficient in rice production

Budget [time series]

revenues: $2.3 billion expenditures: $3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.5 billion (1993)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents

Economic aid [time series]

recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $5.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $169 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $369 million

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 1,410,000 kW production: 3.2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 168 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates [time series]

Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1 - 50.115 (January 1995), 49.415 (1994), 48.322 (1993), 43.830 (1992), 41.372 (1991), 40.063 (1990)

Exports [time series]

$2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: garments and textiles, teas, diamonds, other gems, petroleum products, rubber products, other agricultural products, marine products, graphite partners: US 35.2%, Germany, UK, Belgium-Luxembourg, Japan, Netherlands, France (1993)

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$7.2 billion (1993 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Imports [time series]

$4 billion (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: textiles and textile materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, petroleum, building materials partners: Japan, India, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China (1993)

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 9% (1993 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP

Industries [time series]

processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

12% (1994 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - purchasing power parity - $57.6 billion (1994 est.)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$3,190 (1994 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

5% (1994 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Industry - dominated by the fast-growing apparel industry - has surpassed agriculture as the main source of export earnings and accounts for over 16% of GDP. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth, which has been depressed by ethnic unrest, accelerated in 1991-94 as domestic conditions began to improve and conditions for foreign investment brightened. Currently, however, the new government's emphasis on populist measures has clouded Sri Lanka's economic prospects.

Unemployment rate [time series]

13.6% (1993 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total area: 65,610 sq km land area: 64,740 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia

Climate [time series]

tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)

Coastline [time series]

1,340 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Marine Life Conservation

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

none

Irrigated land [time series]

5,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

0 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 16% permanent crops: 17% meadows and pastures: 7% forest and woodland: 37% other: 23%

Location [time series]

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Map references [time series]

Asia

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources [time series]

limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay

Note [time series]

strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

Terrain [time series]

mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western

Capital [time series]

Colombo

Constitution [time series]

adopted 16 August 1978

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Jayantha DHANAPALA chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 through 4028

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state and head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the Prime Minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist; election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000); results - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%, other 1% cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[1] (202) 232-7181 consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

[94] (1) 437345

Flag [time series]

yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels

Independence [time series]

4 February 1948 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Legal system [time series]

a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka former: Ceylon

National holiday [time series]

Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil separatist groups; other radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups; Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions

Legislative branch (Parliament) [time series]

elections last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000); results - PA 49.0%, UNP 44.0%, SLMC 1.8%, TULF 1.7%, SLPF 1.1%, EPDP 0.3%, UPF 0.3%, PLOTE 0.1%, other 1.7%; seats - (225 total) PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3, SLPF 1, UPF 1

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), C. G. Kumar PONNAMBALAM; Ceylon Workers Congress (CLDC), S. THONDAMAN; Communist Party, K. P. SILVA; Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N. SHANMUGATHASAN; Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF), leader NA; Democratic United National Front (DUNF), G. M. PREMACHANDRA; Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas DEVANANDA; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRL), Suresh PREMACHANDRAN; Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS), Shankar RAJI; Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite (LSSP, or Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Colin R. DE SILVA; Liberal Party (LP), Chanaka AMARATUNGA; New Socialist Party (NSSP, or Nava Sama Samaja Party), Vasudeva NANAYAKKARA; People's Alliance (PA), Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Dharmalingam SIDARTHAN; People's United Front (MEP, or Mahajana Eksath Peramuna), Dinesh GUNAWARDENE; Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), M. H. M. ASHRAFF; Sri Lanka People's Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka Mahajana Party), Ossie ABEYGUNASEKERA; Sri Lanka Progressive Front (SLPF), leader NA; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), leader NA; Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), M. SIVASITHAMBARAM; United National Party (UNP), Ranil WICKREMANSINGHE; Upcountry People's Front (UPF), leader NA; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either parliament or provincial councils note: the United Socialist Alliance (USA), which was formed in 1987 and included the NSSP, LSSP, SLMP, CP/M, and CP/B, was defunct as of 1993, following the formation of the People's Alliance Party (PA)

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Teresita C. SCHAFFER embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo telephone: [94] (1) 448007

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 29% (female 2,597,969; male 2,713,696) 15-64 years: 65% (female 6,042,228; male 5,902,343) 65 years and over: 6% (female 547,715; male 538,709) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

18.13 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate [time series]

5.78 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

21.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force [time series]

6.6 million by occupation: agriculture 45.9%, mining and manufacturing 13.3%, trade and transport 12.4%, services and other 28.4% (1985 est.)

Languages [time series]

Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken by about 10% of the population

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 72.14 years male: 69.58 years female: 74.82 years (1995 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 88% male: 93% female: 84%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan

Net migration rate [time series]

-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population [time series]

18,342,660 (July 1995 est.) note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of late 1992, nearly 115,000 were housed in refugee camps in south India, another 95,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought political asylum in the West

Population growth rate [time series]

1.15% (1995 est.)

Religions [time series]

Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.08 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

total: 14 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 7 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 75,263 km paved: mostly bituminous treated 27,637 km unpaved: crushed stone, gravel 32,887 km; improved, unimproved earth 14,739 km

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 289,115 GRT/453,609 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 12, container 1, oil tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 8

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987)

Ports [time series]

Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

total: 1,948 km broad gauge: 1,948 km 1.868-m gauge (102 km double track) (1990)