Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean about 28 kilometers (18 mi.) off the southeastern coast of India with a population of about 19 million. Density is highest in the southwest where Colombo, the country's main port and industrial center, is located. The net population growth is about 1.3%. Sri Lanka is ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse. Towers of downtown Colombo Colombo (derived from Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means harbour with mango trees, altered by the Portuguese to honour Christopher Columbus), population 737,396 (Colombo metropolitan area: 2,234,289) (2001), is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka. ...

People

Sinhalese make up 74% of the population and are concentrated in the densely populated southwest. Sri Lanka Tamils, citizens whose South Indian ancestors have lived on the island for centuries, total about 12% and live predominantly in the north and east. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... South India is a geographic and linguistic-cultural region of India. ...

Indian Tamils, a distinct ethnic group, represent about 5% of the population. The British brought them to Sri Lanka in the 19th century as tea and rubber plantation workers, and they remain concentrated in the "tea country" of south-central Sri Lanka. In accordance with a 1964 agreement with India, Sri Lanka granted citizenship to 230,000 "stateless" Indian Tamils in 1988. Under the pact, India granted citizenship to the remainder, some 200,000 of whom now live in India. Another 75,000 Indian Tamils, who themselves or whose parents once applied for Indian citizenship, now wish to remain in Sri Lanka. The government has stated these Tamils will not be forced to return to India, although they are not technically citizens of Sri Lanka. 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Other minorities include Muslims (both Moors and Malays), at about 7% of the population; Burghers, who are descendants of European colonists, principally from Portugal, the Netherlands and the UK; and aboriginal Veddahs. A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ... The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including the present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. Juba II king of Mauretania // Origins of the name The name derives from the old Berber tribe of the Mauri and... Malays (Dutch, Malayo, ultimately from Malay: Melayu) are a diverse group of people living in the Malay archipelago and Malay peninsula in South East Asia. ... Burgher can refer to: A definition. ... This article is about the continent. ... This article refers to a colony in politics and history. ... The Wanniyala-Aetto, or forest beings (This is the name they call themselves; the commonly known name is Veddahs in Sinhalese) are an indigenous people of Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. ...

Religion

Most Sinhalese are Buddhist; most Tamils are Hindu. The Malays and Moors are Muslim, the majority of whom practice Sunni Islam. Sizable minorities of both Sinhalese and Tamils are Christians, most of whom are Roman Catholic. The Burgher population is mostly Roman Catholic or Presbyterian. The Veddahs have Animist and Buddhist practices. The 1978 constitution, while assuring freedom of religion, grants primacy to Buddhism. Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ...   Islam? (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest religion. ... As a noun, Christian is an appellation and moniker deriving from the appellation Christ, which many people associate exclusively with Jesus of Nazareth. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Burgher can refer to: A definition. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... Wanniyala-Aetto Village (Postcard around 1910) The Wanniyala-Aetto, or forest beings (This is the name they call themselves; the commonly known name is Veddahs or Veddas in Sinhalese) are an indigenous people of Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. ... This article is in need of attention. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

Languages

Sinhala, an Indo-European language, is the native tongue of the Sinhalese. Tamils and the Moors speak Tamil, a Dravidian language. The Malays speak Sri Lankan Creole Malay. Many of the Burghers speak Sri Lankan Indo-Portuguese although its use has declined and all speak Tamil. The Veddahs speak a language closely related to Sinhala. Use of English has declined since independence, but it continues to be spoken by many in the middle and upper middle classes, particularly in Colombo. The government is seeking to reverse the decline in the use of English, mainly for economic but also for political reasons. Both Sinhala and Tamil are official languages. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Indo-European languages include some 443 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects spoken by about three billion people, including most of the major language families of Europe and western Asia, which belong to a single superfamily. ... Tamil is a classical language and one of the major languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. ... The Dravidian family of languages includes approximately 26 languages that are mainly spoken in southern India and Sri Lanka, as well as certain areas in Pakistan, Nepal, and eastern and central India. ... Burgher is the name of a Eurasian people and, less commonly, a Creole language based on Portuguese. ... A Portuguese Creole is a creole language based on the Portuguese language. ... Tamil is a classical language and one of the major languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. ... Wanniyala-Aetto Village (Postcard around 1910) The Wanniyala-Aetto, or forest beings (This is the name they call themselves; the commonly known name is Veddahs or Veddas in Sinhalese) are an indigenous people of Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. ... a resource to look at current viewpoints Categories: Indo-Aryan languages | Languages of Sri Lanka | Wikipedia cleanup | Language stubs ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Related Statistics

Demographics of Sri Lanka, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population: 19,238,575
note: 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 mid-1999, approximately 66,000 were housed in 133 refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2000 est.) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations programs seek to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living; to improve the production, processing, marketing, and distribution of food and agricultural products; to promote rural development; and, by these means, to eliminate hunger. ... Tamil girls in Tiruvannamalai. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday Anno Domini (or the Current Era), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 2,605,251; female 2,490,416)
15-64 years: 67% (male 6,285,118; female 6,606,196)
65 years and over: 7% (male 602,470; female 649,124) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 16.78 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) In Western culture, skeletons are often the symbol of death. ...

Net migration rate: -1.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) Migration occurs when living things move from one biome to another. ...

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) For early system failures, see failure rate. ...

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.83 years
male: 69.33 years
female: 74.45 years (2000 est.) Instead, life expectancy figures can be thought of as a useful statistic to summarise the current health status of a population Although it is common usage to talk about life expectancy of any living being (e. ...

Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2000 est.) Fertility is the ability of people or animals to produce healthy offspring in abundance. ...

Nationality:
noun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan Nationality is, in English usage, a legal relationship existing between a person and a state. ...

Ethnic group: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Veddah 1% This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Tamil girls in Tiruvannamalai. ... The Moors were the medieval Muslim inhabitants of al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula including the present day Spain and Portugal) and the Maghreb, whose culture is often called Moorish. Juba II king of Mauretania // Origins of the name The name derives from the old Berber tribe of the Mauri and... Burgher can refer to: A definition. ... Malays (Dutch, Malayo, ultimately from Malay: Melayu) are a diverse group of people living in the Malay archipelago and Malay peninsula in South East Asia. ... The Wanniyala-Aetto, or forest beings (This is the name they call themselves; the commonly known name is Veddahs in Sinhalese) are an indigenous people of Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. ...

Religions: Buddhism 70%, Hinduism 15%, Christianity 8%, Islam 7% (1999) A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE in India. ... Hinduism (सनातन धर्म; also known as Sanātana Dharma, and Vaidika-Dharma) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on teachings of the Veda scriptures. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ...   Islam? (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions, and the worlds second largest religion. ...

Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population a resource to look at current viewpoints Categories: Indo-Aryan languages | Languages of Sri Lanka | Wikipedia cleanup | Language stubs ... An official language is a language that is given a unique legal status in the countries, states, and other territories. ... A national language is a language (or language variant, i. ... Tamil is a classical language and one of the major languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.2%
male: 93.4%
female: 87.2% (1995 est.) Literacy is the ability to read and write. ...

See also : Sri Lanka