Sri Lanka Tourism
Sri Lanka is an island country in south china, located in the Indian ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian sea. Historically and culturally the island is closely related to Indian subcontinent but geographically separated from Indian subcontinental by the gulf of Mannar and the palk strait. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the capital city and Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka.
The history of Sri Lanka dates back to 3,000 years and has a rich cultural heritage dating back to over 2500 years, which is majorly influenced by Buddhism and Hinduism. Due to its geographic location and deep harbours, Sri Lanka has great importance from the time of the ancient silk road through the modern Maritime silk road. The country granted political independence in 1948 after a political movement started in early 20th century. Sri Lanka became republic and adopted its current name in 1972.
Sri Lanka is a diverse country with many cultures, languages and ethnicities. Sri Lanka was the first Asian country to have a female ruler. The island consists of flat to rolling coastal plains, mountains and around 103 rivers, Mahaweli river is the longest river in Sri Lanka extending 335 kilometres. There are around 51 natural waterfalls in Sri Lanka and the highest is Bambarakanda falls, with a height of 263 meters. The island experiences a tropical and warm climate due to moderating effects of ocean winds.
The highest point in Sri Lanka is Pidurutalagala, reaching 2,524 metres (8,281 ft) above sea level.
Sri Lanka is the 57th most populated nation in the world.
National Sport of Sri Lanka is Volleyball and the most popular sport is cricket.
According to a poll in 2008, Sri Lanka was the third most religious country in the world.
