|RNature and climate:|N Originally the Ceylon Island had land connection with the Indian mainland. The remnants of this connection is a 50 km long range of coral reefs and sandbanks called the Adam's Bridge.
The greater part of Ceylon are low plains with many lagoons along the coast. In the interior the southern part is a highland plateau at an elevation between 1000 and 2000 metres, with a highest peak reaching 2524 m.a.s.l.
Ceylon has a rich and varied flora, from steppe, via monsoonforests to rainforests.
Average temperature varies between 26 and 30°C in the low plains and between 15 and 20°C in the mountains all through the year.
Percipitation between 1000 and 2000 mm.
|RPeople:|N Singhales 75%, Tamiles 17% and Moors 7%. Furthermore small minorities of Malayan and European descent.
Of the aboriginal population of Veddaks there are only some thousands individuals left.
|REconomy:|N Agriculture is the main industry occupying 46% of the labour force. Tea and natural rubber, caoutchouc, are cultivated on big, mostly government-owned plantations. These crops accounts for more than half of the export revenues. Sri Lanka is the second largest tea-producer in the world.
Agriculture does not produce food enough for the population.
Extensive fishing in the sea around the island.
Sri Lanka has since many centuries been known for the finds of precious stones such as rubies, topazes and sapphires, but of greater economic importance are the resources of graphite and limestone. Sri Lanka also have gold, iron ore and phosphate. The limestone is developed by cementfactories.
40% of the land is forested and these forests are the base for an extensive processing of paper and plywood.
Other manufacturing is mainly simple consumer articles that are produced in a workmanship way.
During recent decades tourism has been developed, but the present political tension has made most tourists chose other resorts.
Many Sri Lankans work abroad and the money they send home to their families play an important role in the economy.
|RHistory:|N The Ceylon island was known by the old Greeks under the name Taprobane, later Serendip.
During the 6th century BC Indo-Asian Singhalese from northern India invaded and subdued the aboriginal Veddaks. In the 3rd century BC these invaders converted to buddhism. Descendants of these Singhalese dominates the population on Sri Lanka today.
During the 4th century BC there was an extensive immigration of hindu Tamiles from southern India and during the second half of the 19th century the British imported many Tamile workers for all the new plantations.
The Singhalese founded a kingdom that had a time of prosperity in the 12th century AD. After that time of prosperity the kingdom was dissolved into several small and fighting realms.
Portuguese were the first Europeans ti visit Sri Lanka in modern times, when they from 1505 started an extensive Christian mission and trade with spices. In 1658 the portuguese were forced away by the Dutch who occupied parts of the island.
1796 the capital Colombo and vast parts of the island was conquered by the British that made Sri Lanka a crown colony. Also the British had difficulties to conquer the inaccessible parts of the island and not until 1815 they were able to force the last local sovereign, the king of Kandy, to surrender.
In the 1930:s the claim of independence increased and in 1948 Ceylon became an independent country within the Commonwealth of Nations.
After the elections 1956 a socialistic government was installed and in 1972 republic proclaimed. After this Singhalese was declared the only official language and Buddhism was made statereligion, causing great tension between the Singhalese and the Tamile populations. A civil war was started between the two groups costing tens of thousands lives.
The aim of the Tamile guerilla is now to form an independent Tamile country on the northern part of Ceylon and they have a strong support from neighbouring India.
The tension and fightings between the Singhalese and Tamiles have increased during the 1980:s and -90:s in spite of many attempts to find a solution.
