Statistical information Sri Lanka 1990

Sri Lanka in the World
top of pageBackground: 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.
top of pageLocationGeographic coordinatesMap referenceAreaLand boundaries: none
Coastline: 1,340 km
Maritime claimsContiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Extended economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; monsoonal; northeast monsoon (December to March; southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
ElevationNatural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
Land use: 16% arable land; 17% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 37% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes 8% irrigated
Irrigated landMajor riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographyNote: only 29 km from India across the Palk Strait; near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
top of pagePopulation: 17,196,436 (July 1990), growth rate 1.5% (1990)
Nationality: noun--Sri Lankan(s; adjective--Sri Lankan
Ethnic groups: 74% Sinhalese; 18% Tamil; 7% Moor; 1% Burgher, Malay, and Veddha
Languages: Sinhala (official; Sinhala and Tamil listed as national languages; Sinhala spoken by about 74% of population, Tamil spoken by about 18%; English commonly used in government and spoken by about 10% of the population
Religions: 69% Buddhist, 15% Hindu, 8% Christian, 8% Muslim
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rateBirth rate: 21 births/1000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1000 population (1990)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: occasional cyclones, tornados; deforestation; soil erosion
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 31 deaths/1000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1990)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: 87%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry name: conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Government type: republic
Capital: Colombo
Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Amparai, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalla, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matale, Matara, Moneragala, Mullativu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, Vavuniya; note--the administrative structure may now include 8 provinces (Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, and Western) and 25 districts (with Kilinochchi added to the existing districts)
Dependent areasIndependence: 4 February 1948 (from UK; formerly Ceylon)
National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution: 31 August 1978
Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: universal at age 18
Executive branch: Chief of State--President Ranasinghe PREMADASA (since 2 January 1989; Head of Government--Prime Minister Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGE (since 6 March 1989)
Legislative branch: Army, Air Force, Navy, Police Force, Special Police Task Force, National Auxiliary Force
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ADB, ANRPC, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representationIn the us: Ambassador W. Susanta De ALWIS; Chancery at 2,148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 483-4,025 through 4,028; there is a Sri Lankan Consulate in New York; US--Ambassador Marion V. CREEKMORE; Embassy at 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 (mailing address is P. O. Box 106, Colombo; telephone p94o (1) 548,007
Flag description
: 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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy, employing about half of the labor force and accounting for about 25% of GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about 50% of export earnings and almost 20% of budgetary revenues. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rateReal gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: accounts for 25% of GDP and nearly half of labor force; most important staple crop is paddy rice; other field crops--sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash crops--tea, rubber, coconuts; animal products--milk, eggs, hides, meat; not self-sufficient in rice production
Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco, clothing
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1988)
Labor force:
6,600,000; 45.9% agriculture, 13.3% mining and manufacturing, 12.4% trade and transport, 28.4%
services and other (1985 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1988 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $1.5 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (1989)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Commodities: tea, textiles and garments, petroleum products, coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems and jewelry, marine products
Partners: US 26%, Egypt, Iraq, UK, FRG, Singapore, Japan
Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988)
Commodities: petroleum, machinery and equipment, textiles and textile materials, wheat, transportation equipment, electrical machinery, sugar, rice
Partners: Japan, Saudi Arabia, US 5.6%, India, Singapore, FRG, UK, Iran
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $5.6 billion (1989)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRs) per US$1--40.000 (January 1990), 36.047 (1989), 31.807 (1988), 29.445 (1987), 28.017 (1986), 27.163 (1985)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 250 kWh per capita (1989)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp: 5% of GDP, or $300 million (1989 est.)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 14 total, 13 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
HeliportsPipelines: crude and refined products, 62 km (1987)
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft
Merchant marine: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 258,923 GRT/334,702 DWT; includes 22 cargo, 8 refrigerated cargo, 4 container, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 bulk
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes internationalRefugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs