Sri Lanka Travel Guide

Country Facts

Location

South Asia.

Language

Sinhala, Tamil and English.

Area

65,525 sq km (25,299 sq miles).

Time Zone

GMT + 5.5.

Electricity

230 volts AC, 50Hz. Round three-pin plugs are usual, with bayonet lamp fittings.

Population

20.9 million (CIA estimate 2007).

Population Density

319 per sq km.

Capital City

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (official). Population: 115,826 (census 2001). Colombo (commercial). Population: 2.4 million (official estimate 2006). Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is only 10km (6 miles) from Colombo.

Government

Democratic Socialist Republic since 1978. Gained independence from the UK in 1948.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake.

Head of State

President Mahinda Rajapakse since November 2005.

Religion

Buddhist majority (70%), with Hindu, Christian and Muslim minorities.

Recent History

A long-awaited deal between Sri Lanka’s government and the rebel Tamil Tigers was finally concluded in early 2002, and initially it held. However, many issues remained to be resolved. All this was not helped by a serious feud between President Karamatunga and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, which led in November 2003 to suspension of parliament and the dismissal of three ministers. Wickremesinghe was ousted at the assembly elections, with Mahinda Rajapakse becoming prime minister.

However, the political turbulence catalysed a resurgence in Tamil Tiger activity in 2004. In February 2006, the government and rebels reaffirmed their respect for the 2002 ceasefire. However, within months the fighting had intensified. Peace talks in October 2006 came to nothing.

Rajapakse won narrowly in 2005 presidential elections which saw an almost total boycott in the Tamil areas. In January 2007 the government achieved a long-awaited parliamentary majority when 25 opposition MPs defected to the president’s party.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: +94. Phone cards are available at post offices and shops.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with some international mobile phone companies. Coverage in the south and west is good; in the north and east it is average.

Internet

There are Internet cafés in most towns and resorts.

Media

The diverse press is divided along linguistic and ethnic lines. Many broadcasters and publications are state-owned. The Daily News is a state-run English-language daily newspaper, while the Daily Mirror is a private English-language daily newspaper. There are various state and privately-run television and radio stations available.

Post

Overseas mail usually takes 10 to 14 days.Mon-fri, 0830-1700, and Sat, 0830-1300.

Press

•Daily News is a state-run English-language daily.
• Daily Mirror is a private English-language daily.
• The Island is a private English-language daily.
• Lankadeepa is a private Sinhala daily.
• Uthayan Private Tamil-language daily.

Radio

•Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) is a state-owned network that operates services in Sinhala, Tamil and English.
• Privately owned English radio stations include TNL Rocks, Sun FM and Yes FM.

Public Holidays

Below are listed the Public Holidays for the January 2010-December 2011 period.
2010
1 Dec *Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day
25 Dec Christmas Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
1 Jan *Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day
1 Jan *Tamil Thai Pongal Day
1 Feb *Navam Full Moon Poya Day
4 Feb National Day
23 Feb Maha Sivarathri Day
1 Mar *Medin Full Moon Poya Day
9 Mar Milad un-Nabi (Birth of the Prophet)
1 Apr *Bak Full Moon Poya Day
1 Apr *Sinhala and Tamil New Year
13 Apr - 14 Apr *Sinhala and Tamil New Year
22 Apr Good Friday
1 May May Day
10 May - 11 May Vesak (Buddha Day)
1 Jun *Poson Full Moon Poya Day
1 Jul *Esala Full Moon Poya Day
1 Aug *Nikini Full Moon Poya Day
30 Aug - 31 Aug Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
1 Sep *Binara Full Moon Poya Day
1 Oct *Vap Full Moon Poya Day
26 Oct Deepavali
1 Nov *Il Full Moon Poya Day
6 Nov Eid al-Adha (Hadji Festival Day)
1 Dec *Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day
25 Dec Christmas Day

2012
1 Jan *Tamil Thai Pongal Day
1 Jan *Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day
1 Jan New Year’s Day
1 Feb *Nikini Full Moon Poya Day
1 Feb *Navam Full Moon Poya Day
4 Feb Milad un-Nabi (Birth of the Prophet)
4 Feb National Day
1 Mar *Medin Full Moon Poya Day
31 Mar *Bak Full Moon Poya Day
6 Apr Good Friday
28 Apr Vesak (Buddha Day)
1 May May Day
31 May *Poson Full Moon Poya Day
30 Jun *Escala Full Moon Poya Day
19 Aug Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
31 Aug *Binara Full Moon Poya Day
30 Sep *Vap Full Moon Poya Day
25 Oct Eid al-Adha (Hadji Festival Day)
1 Nov *Il Full Moon Poya Day
13 Nov Deepavali
1 Dec *Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day
25 Dec Christmas Day
* Date to be confirmed.
All full moon poya days to be confirmed for 2010.
(a) Poya holidays are observed on the day of each full moon. In general, Hindu and Buddhist festivals are declared according to local astronomical observations and it is often only possible to forecast the approximate time of their occurrence. (b) Some public holidays are followed by an additional holiday for banks only. (c) Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted; however, since Sri Lanka is not a predominantly Muslim country restrictions (which travelers may experience elsewhere) are unlikely to cause problems.

Contact Information

High Commission of Sri Lanka in the UK

13 Hyde Park Gardens, London W2 2LU, UK
Tel: (020) 7262 1841.
Website: www.slhclondon.org
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1700; 0930-1300 (visa section).

Sri Lanka Tourist Board in the UK

1 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4WD, UK
Tel: 0845 880 6333.
Website: www.srilankatourism.org.uk

Embassy of Sri Lanka in the USA

2148 Wyoming Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 483 4025-28.
Website: www.slembassyusa.org