Statistical information Sri Lanka 1992Sri%20Lanka

Map of Sri Lanka | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Sri Lanka - Introduction 1992
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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.


Sri Lanka - Geography 1992
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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 65,610 km²
Land: 64,740 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 1,340 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: none

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

Elevation

Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
Land use

Land use: arable land: 16%; permanent crops: 17%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 37%; other 23%; includes irrigated 8%

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


Sri Lanka - People 1992
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Population: 17,631,528 (July 1992), growth rate 1.2% (1992; note - about 120,000 people fled to India in 1991 because of fighting between government forces and Tamil insurgents; about 200,000 Tamils will be repatriated in 1992

Nationality: noun - Sri Lankan(s; adjective - Sri Lankan

Ethnic groups:
Sinhalese 74%; Tamil 18%; Moor 7%; Burgher, Malay, and
Veddha 1%


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

Demographic profile
Age structure

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 20 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: -2 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: occasional cyclones, tornados; deforestation; soil erosion
Current issues note:
only 29 km from India across the Palk Strait; near major Indian
Ocean sea lanes


Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 21 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 86% (male 91%, female 81%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


Sri Lanka - Government 1992
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Country name
Conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Government type: republic

Capital: Colombo

Administrative divisions:
the administrative structure now includes 9 provinces - Central, Eastern, North, North Central, North Western,
Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, and Western and 24 districts - Amparai,
Anuradhapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota,
Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalla, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matale, Matara,
Moneragala, Mullaittivu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Ratnapura,
Trincomalee, Vavuniya; note - in the future there may be only 8 provinces (combining the two provinces of North and Eastern into one province of North
Eastern) and 25 districts (adding Kilinochchi to the existing districts)


Dependent areas

Independence: 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, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction


International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18
President: last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held NA December 1994); results - Ranasinghe PREMADASA (UNP) 50%, Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE (SLFP) 45%, other 5%
Parliament: last held 15 February 1989 (next to be held by NA February 1995); results - UNP 51%, SLFP 32%, SLMC 4%, TULF 3%, USA 3%, EROS 3%, MEP 1%, other 3%; seats - (225 total) UNP 125, SLFP 67, other 33

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

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

Diplomatic representation: 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, Jr.; Embassy at 210 Galle Road,
Colombo 3 (mailing address is P. O. Box 106, Colombo); telephone 94 (1) 44,180,107, FAX 94 (1) 43-73-45


Diplomatic representation

Flag descriptionflag of Sri%20Lanka: 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 symbols

National anthem

National heritage


Sri Lanka - Economy 1992
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Economy overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy, employing half of the labor force and accounting for one quarter of GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about one-third of export earnings. 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 as domestic conditions began to improve.
GDP: exchange rate conversion - $7.2 billion, per capita $410; real growth rate 5.0% (1991 est.)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 26% 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:
growth rate 8% (1991 est.); accounts for 20% of
GDP


Labor force: 6,600,000; agriculture 45.9%, mining and manufacturing 13.3%, trade and transport 12.4%, services and other 28.4% (1985 est.)
Organized labor: about 30% of labor force, over 50% of which are employed on tea, rubber, and coconut estates
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 14% (1991 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $2.0 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $500 million (1992)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
Commodoties: textiles and garment, teas, petroleum products, coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems and jewelry, marine products
Partners: US 25%, FRG, Japan, UK, Belgium, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China

Imports: $3.0 billion (c.i.f., 1991)
Commodoties: food and beverages, textiles and textile materials, petroleum, machinery and equipment
Partners: Japan, Iran, US 7.7%, India, Taiwan, Singapore, FRG, UK

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1 - 43.112 (March 1992), 41.372 (1991), 40.063 (1990), 36.047 (1989), 31.807 (1988), 29.445 (1987)


Sri Lanka - Energy 1992
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Electricity
Production: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


Sri Lanka - Communication 1992
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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


Sri Lanka - Military 1992
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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $432 million, 6% of GDP (1991)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


Sri Lanka - Transportation 1992
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:
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


Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987)

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft

Merchant marine:
30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 310,173
GRT/489,378 DWT; includes 13 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 5 container, 3 petroleum tanker, 3 bulk

Civil air: 8 major transport (including 1 leased)

Ports and terminals


Sri Lanka - Transnational issues 1992
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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs


Numa


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