20 Interesting Facts About Sri Lanka

Facts About Sri Lanka

The culture of Sri Lanka is influenced primarily by Buddhism and Hinduism.
Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to democratically elect a woman as the head of government.
Sri Lanka used to be called Ceylon which is the transliteration of Ceilao.
Sri Lanka’s documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of prehistoric human settlements dating back at least 125,000 years.
Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea.
A sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha, brought from India in the 4th century CE, is still preserved in the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.
Sri Lanka only covers an area of 25,332 mi².
Sri Lanka has over 123 species of mammals, 227 species of birds, 178 species of reptiles, 122 species of amphibians, and many other animal species.
Sri Lanka is still a leading exporter of the world’s cinnamon.
Sri Lankans have a life expectancy of 77.9 years at birth, which is 10% higher than the world average.
Sri Lanka has been called “the pearl of the Indian ocean” because of its shape and location. It is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
Sri Lanka has a literacy rate of 92 per cent, which means they have the highest literacy rate in South Asia and one of the highest rates throughout Asia.
Volleyball is the national sport of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka was first colonized by the Portuguese in 1505, then by the Dutch in 1658, then by the British in 1796 and finally gained independence in 1948.
Sri Lankans have won two medals at Olympic Games: one silver, by Duncan White at 1948 London Olympics for men’s 400 metres hurdles; and one silver by Susanthika Jayasinghe at 2000 Sydney Olympics for women’s 200 metres.
The oldest tree planted by the human being rather than by natural seeding is in Anuradhapura, one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka. It is a sacred fig or bo-tree aged 2,300 years old and called Sri Maha Bodhiya. The tree was planted in 288 BC.
Sri Lanka has roughly 21,670,000 people and an annual population growth rate of 1.14%.
Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of tea in the world, and grow black tea, green tea and white tea.
Adam’s Peak is the most sacred mountain in Sri Lanka.
The Flag of Sri Lanka, also known as Lion Flag, is considered one of the world’s oldest, dating back to 162 BC.

Interesting Facts About Sri Lanka

20 Interesting Facts About Sri Lanka

Facts About Sri Lanka

The culture of Sri Lanka is influenced primarily by Buddhism and Hinduism.

Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to democratically elect a woman as the head of government.

Sri Lanka used to be called Ceylon which is the transliteration of Ceilao.

Sri Lanka’s documented history spans 3,000 years, with evidence of prehistoric human settlements dating back at least 125,000 years.

Sri Lanka is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea.

A sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha, brought from India in the 4th century CE, is still preserved in the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy.

Sri Lanka only covers an area of 25,332 mi².

Sri Lanka has over 123 species of mammals, 227 species of birds, 178 species of reptiles, 122 species of amphibians, and many other animal species.

Sri Lanka is still a leading exporter of the world’s cinnamon.

Sri Lankans have a life expectancy of 77.9 years at birth, which is 10% higher than the world average.

Sri Lanka has been called “the pearl of the Indian ocean” because of its shape and location. It is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

Sri Lanka has a literacy rate of 92 per cent, which means they have the highest literacy rate in South Asia and one of the highest rates throughout Asia.

Volleyball is the national sport of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka was first colonized by the Portuguese in 1505, then by the Dutch in 1658, then by the British in 1796 and finally gained independence in 1948.

Sri Lankans have won two medals at Olympic Games: one silver, by Duncan White at 1948 London Olympics for men’s 400 metres hurdles; and one silver by Susanthika Jayasinghe at 2000 Sydney Olympics for women’s 200 metres.

The oldest tree planted by the human being rather than by natural seeding is in Anuradhapura, one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka. It is a sacred fig or bo-tree aged 2,300 years old and called Sri Maha Bodhiya. The tree was planted in 288 BC.

Sri Lanka has roughly 21,670,000 people and an annual population growth rate of 1.14%.

Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of tea in the world, and grow black tea, green tea and white tea.

Adam’s Peak is the most sacred mountain in Sri Lanka.

The Flag of Sri Lanka, also known as Lion Flag, is considered one of the world’s oldest, dating back to 162 BC.