Sri Lanka

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0

Radios

3.525 million (1992 est.)

Telephone system

very inadequate domestic service, good international service domestic: NA international: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Telephones

175,000 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

5

Televisions

865,000 (1992 est.)

Agriculture - products

rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, meat

Budget

revenues : $3 billion expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1 billion (1997)

Currency

1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents

Debt - external

$9.6 billion (1995)

Economic aid

recipient : ODA, $602 million (1995 est.)

Economy - overview

Industry - dominated by the fast-growing apparel industry - has surpassed agriculture as the main source of export earnings. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth accelerated in 1991-95 as domestic conditions began to improve and conditions for foreign investment brightened. In 1996, however, a drought, slow economic reform, and civil war exacted a heavy economic toll. Insufficient monsoon rains caused power cuts that hurt industrial and agricultural production, and the stepped-up Tamil insurgency reduced foreign investment and tourism - two key sources of foreign exchange. Meanwhile, Colombo's counterinsurgency efforts caused defense expenditures to overshoot budget targets by 42%. In 1997, agricultural production should recover from the effects of last year's drought, but industry will still be hampered by high real interest rates, slow improvement in foreign investment inflows, and stalled progress on privatization. The government's main challenge this year will be to curb defense and social welfare spending to cut the budget deficit as a percentage of GDP in half by 1998, as stipulated in its deficit reduction program.

Electricity - capacity

1.56 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

236 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

4.33 billion kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1 - 56.921 (January 1997), 55.271 (1996), 51.252 (1995), 49.415 (1994), 48.322 (1993), 43.830 (1992)

Exports

total value: $4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: textiles and apparel, tea, petroleum products, diamonds, other gems, rubber products (1994) partners : US 34.8%, UK 8.9%, Germany 6.9%, Belgium-Luxembourg 5.9% (1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $69.7 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 23.8% industry: 24.7% services : 51.5% (1994)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $3,760 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

3.7% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value: $5 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.) commodities: textiles, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, petroleum, building materials, sugar (1994) partners: Japan 11.0%, India 8.5%, South Korea 6.8%, Hong Kong 6.6%, Taiwan 5.2%, Singapore 4.9% (1994)

Industrial production growth rate

6.2% (1996 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

15.9% (1996)

Labor force

total: 6.2 million (1994) by occupation: agriculture 42%, services 40%, industry 18% (1994)

Unemployment rate

13.1% (1994)

Area

total : 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than West Virginia

Climate

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

Coastline

1,340 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Environment - 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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geographic coordinates

7 00 N, 81 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

Irrigated land

5,500 sq km (1993 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 14% permanent crops: 15% permanent pastures : 7% forests and woodland: 32% other: 32% (1993 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

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 hazards

occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Natural resources

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

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

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

Constitution

adopted 16 August 1978

Country name

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

Data code

CE

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Geetha DE SILVA chancery : 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 through 4028

Executive branch

chief of state: 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 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 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections : president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000) election results : Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA elected president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%, other 1%

FAX

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

FAX

[94] (1) 437345, 446013

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

Government type

republic

Independence

4 February 1948 (from UK)

International organization participation

AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission; Court of Appeals

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000) election results: percent of vote by party - 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 by party - PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3, SLPF 1, UPF 1

National capital

Colombo

National holiday

Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)

Political parties and leaders

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), Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGA; 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)

Political pressure groups and leaders

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$736 million (1997)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

5.7% (1997)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 5,066,744 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males : 3,946,315 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 184,619 (1997 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 28% (male 2,698,852; female 2,581,476) 15-64 years : 66% (male 6,019,140; female 6,266,311) 65 years and over: 6% (male 565,671; female 589,728) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

18.64 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

5.9 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Infant mortality rate

16.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

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

total population: 72.42 years male: 69.75 years female: 75.23 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.2% male: 93.4% female: 87.2% (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan

Net migration rate

-1.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

18,721,178 (July 1997 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 1996, 63,068 were housed in refugee camps in south India, another 30,000-40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought political asylum in the West

Population growth rate

1.14% (1997 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.15 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

none SUDAN

Airports

13 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 98,642 km paved: 37,484 km unpaved: 61,158 km (1993 est.)

Merchant marine

total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 220,660 GRT/329,365 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 13, container 1, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 8 (1996 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987)

Ports and harbors

Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee

Railways

total: 1,484 km broad gauge: 1,459 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 25 km 0.762-m gauge (1995)

Waterways

430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft