| Sri Lanka Quick Facts |
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| Country (long form) |
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka |
| Capital |
Colombo |
| Total Area |
25,332.16 sq mi
65,610.00 sq km
(slightly larger than West Virginia) |
| Population |
9,238,575 (July 2000 est.) |
| Estimated Population in 2050 |
23,085,782 |
| Languages |
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18% |
| Literacy |
90.2% total, 93.4% male, 87.2% female (1995 est.) |
| Religions |
Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999) |
| Life Expectancy |
69.33 male, 74.45 female (2000 est.) |
| Government Type |
republic |
| Currency |
1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents |
| GDP (per capita) |
$2,600 (1999 est.) |
| Labor Force (by occupation) |
services 45%, agriculture 38%, industry 17% (1998 est.) |
| Industry |
processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco |
| Agriculture |
rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef |
| Arable Land |
14% |
| Exports |
textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products, petroleum products (1998) |
| Imports |
machinery and equipment, textiles, petroleum, foodstuffs (1998) |
| Natural Resources |
limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower |
| Current Environmental Issues |
deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo |
| Telephones (main lines in use) |
494,509 (1998) |
| Telephones (mobile cellular) |
228,604 (1999) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) |
4 (1999) |
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(U.S. Government sources) |
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