Axion 3D Atlas/ATLAS.iso/stats/220.txt

Text File | 1998-01-23 | 13KB | 335 lines

{bitmap= 26,50,"flags\SriLank.bmp"}
{bigtext=150,120,"Sri Lanka"}



{1}Geography{4}
{4}To see a map of Sri Lanka, click {z,"77.825532,5.405001,83.907885,10.054273",here}{4}!

{2}Location:{4} Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

{2}Area:{4}
{3}total area:{4} 65,610 sq km
{3}land area:{4} 64,740 sq km
{3}comparative area:{4} slightly larger than West Virginia

{2}Land boundaries:{4} 0 km

{2}Coastline:{4} 1,340 km

{2}Maritime claims:{4}
contiguous zone: 24 nm
{3}continental shelf:{4} 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
{3}exclusive economic zone:{4} 200 nm
{3}territorial sea:{4} 12 nm

{2}International disputes:{4} none

{2}Climate:{4} tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June
to October)

{2}Terrain:{4} mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
{3}lowest point:{4} Indian Ocean 0 m
{3}highest point:{4} Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

{2}Natural resources:{4} limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay

{2}Land use:{4}
{3}arable land:{4} 16%
{3}permanent crops:{4} 17%
{3}meadows and pastures:{4} 7%
{3}forest and woodland:{4} 37%
{3}other:{4} 23%

{2}Irrigated land:{4} 5,600 sq km (1989 est.)

{2}Environment:{4}
{3}current issues:{4} 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

{2}natural hazards:{4} occasional cyclones and tornadoes

{2}international agreements:{4} 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

{2}Geographic note:{4} strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes


{1}People{4}

{2}Population:{4} 18,553,074 (July 1996 est.)
{3}note:{4} 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 1992, nearly
115,000 were housed in refugee camps in south India, another 95,000 lived outside the Indian
camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought political asylum in the West

{2}Age structure:{4}
{3}0-14 years:{4} 28% (male 2,673,943; female 2,559,569)
{3}15-64 years:{4} 66% (male 6,023,759; female 6,171,964)
{3}65 years and over:{4} 6% (male 553,940; female 569,899) (July 1996 est.)

{2}Population growth rate:{4} 1.13% (1996 est.)

{2}Birth rate:{4} 17.89 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

{2}Death rate:{4} 5.8 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

{2}Net migration rate:{4} -0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

{2}Sex ratio:{4}
{3}at birth:{4} 1.05 male(s)/female
{3}under 15 years:{4} 1.04 male(s)/female
{3}15-64 years:{4} 0.98 male(s)/female
{3}65 years and over:{4} 0.97 male(s)/female
{3}all ages:{4} 1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

{2}Infant mortality rate:{4} 20.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

{2}Life expectancy at birth:{4}
{3}total population:{4} 72.35 years
{3}male:{4} 69.77 years
{3}female:{4} 75.06 years (1996 est.)

{2}Total fertility rate:{4} 2.05 children born/woman (1996 est.)

{2}Nationality:{4}
{3}noun:{4} Sri Lankan(s)
{3}adjective:{4} Sri Lankan

{2}Ethnic divisions:{4} Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%

{2}Religions:{4} Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%

{2}Languages:{4} Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%
{3}note:{4} English is commonly used in government and is spoken by about 10% of the population

{2}Literacy:{4} age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
{3}total population:{4} 90.2%
{3}male:{4} 93.4%
{3}female:{4} 87.2%


{1}Government{4}

{2}Name of country:{4}
{3}conventional long form:{4} Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
{3}conventional short form:{4} Sri Lanka
{3}former:{4} Ceylon

{2}Type of government:{4} republic

{2}Capital:{4} Colombo

{2}Administrative divisions:{4} 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western,
Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western

{2}Independence:{4} 4 February 1948 (from UK)

{2}National holiday:{4} Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)

{2}Constitution:{4} adopted 16 August 1978

{2}Legal system:{4} a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim,
Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

{2}Suffrage:{4} 18 years of age; universal

{2}Executive branch:{4}
chief of state and head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA
(since 12 November 1994) was elected for a six-year term by popular vote; 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; election
last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000); results - Chandrika
Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National
Party) 37%, other 1%
{3}cabinet:{4} Cabinet was appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister

{2}Legislative branch:{4} unicameral
Parliament: elections last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000); results - 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 - (225 total) PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3,
SLPF 1, UPF 1

{2}Judicial branch:{4} Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission

{2}Political parties and leaders:{4} 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
{3}note:{4} 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)

{2}Other political or pressure groups:{4} 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

{2}International organization participation:{4} AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, 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

{2}Diplomatic representation in US:{4}
{3}chief of mission:{4} Ambassador Jayantha Cudah Bandara DHANAPALA
{3}chancery:{4} 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
{3}telephone:{4} [1] [phone] through 4028
{3}FAX:{4} [1] [phone]
consulate(s): New York

{2}US diplomatic representation:{4}
{3}chief of mission:{4} Ambassador A. Peter BURLEIGH
{3}embassy:{4} 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
{3}mailing address:{4} P. O. Box 106, Colombo
{3}telephone:{4} [94] (1) 448007
{3}FAX:{4} [94] (1) 437345

{2}Flag:{4} 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


{1}Economy{4}

{2}Economic overview:{4} 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 1991-94 as domestic
conditions began to improve and conditions for foreign investment brightened. In 1995, however,
the government's emphasis on populist measures and its preoccupation with the stepped-up Tamil
insurgency have clouded Sri Lanka's economic prospects and discouraged foreign investors. A
further problem for 1996 is the need to curb government overspending.

{2}GDP:{4} purchasing power parity - $65.6 billion (1995 est.)

{2}GDP real growth rate:{4} 5% (1995 est.)

{2}GDP per capita:{4} $3,600 (1995 est.)

{2}GDP composition by sector:{4}
{3}agriculture:{4} 24%
{3}industry:{4} 24%
{3}services:{4} 52% (1994 est.)

{2}Inflation rate (consumer prices):{4} 8.4% (1994 est.)

{2}Labor force:{4} 6.1 million
{3}by occupation:{4} agriculture 45%, services 37%, industry 18% (1993 est.)

{2}Unemployment rate:{4} 13% (1994 est.)

{2}Budget:{4}
{3}revenues:{4} $2.7 billion
{3}expenditures:{4} $3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $851 million (1995)

{2}Industries:{4} processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing,
cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco

{2}Industrial production growth rate:{4} 9% (1994 est.)

{2}Electricity:{4}
{3}capacity:{4} 1,410,000 kW
{3}production:{4} 3.2 billion kWh
{3}consumption per capita:{4} 168 kWh (1993)

{2}Agriculture:{4} rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk,
eggs, hides, meat

{2}Exports:{4} $3.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
{3}commodities:{4} garments and textiles, teas, diamonds, other gems, petroleum products, rubber
products, other agricultural products, marine products, graphite
{3}partners:{4} US 34.7%, UK, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, France (1994)

{2}Imports:{4} $4.8 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
{3}commodities:{4} textiles and textile materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, food,
petroleum, building materials
{3}partners:{4} Japan, India, UK, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China (1994)

{2}External debt:{4} $8.8 billion (1994 est.)

{2}Economic aid:{4}
{3}recipient:{4} ODA, $423 million (1993)

{2}Currency:{4} 1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents

{2}Exchange rates:{4} Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1 - 54.158 (January 1996), 51.252 (1995),
49.415 (1994), 48.322 (1993), 43.830 (1992), 41.372 (1991)

{2}Fiscal year:{4} calendar year


{1}Transportation{4}

{2}Railways:{4}
{3}total:{4} 1,484 km
{3}broad gauge:{4} 1,459 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 25 km .762-m gauge (1995)

{2}Highways:{4}
{3}total:{4} 94,651 km
{3}paved:{4} 25,749 km
{3}unpaved:{4} 68,902 km (1990)

{2}Waterways:{4} 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft

{2}Pipelines:{4} crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987)

{2}Ports:{4} Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee

{2}Merchant marine:{4}
{3}total:{4} 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 220,508 GRT/329,410 DWT
{3}ships by type:{4} bulk 2, cargo 13, container 1, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 8 (1995 est.)

{2}Airports:{4}
{3}total:{4} 13
{3}with paved runways over 3,047 m:{4} 1
{3}with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m:{4} 6
{3}with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m:{4} 6 (1995 est.)


{1}Communications{4}

{2}Telephones:{4} 175,000 (1991 est.)

{2}Telephone system:{4} very inadequate domestic service, good international service
{3}domestic:{4} NA
{3}international:{4} submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean)

{2}Radio broadcast stations:{4} AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0

{2}Radios:{4} 3.525 million (1992 est.)

{2}Television broadcast stations:{4} 5

{2}Televisions:{4} 865,000 (1992 est.)


{1}Defense{4}

{2}Branches:{4} Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force

{2}Manpower availability:{4}
{3}males age 15-49:{4} 5,085,306
{3}males fit for military service:{4} 3,960,070
{3}males reach military age (18) annually:{4} 180,825 (1996 est.)

{2}Defense expenditures:{4} exchange rate conversion - $640 million, 4.4% of GDP (1996)