Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Southern Asia
Tropical · Ancient · Spiced
Sri Lanka (officially Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) is a country located in Southern Asia. Its capital city is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, with other major cities including Colombo and Kandy. With a population of approximately 22.2M, the main languages spoken are Sinhala, Tamil. The country covers an area of 65,610 km². The official currency is the Sri Lankan rupee (Rs රු). Traffic drives on the left side.
Sri Lanka became the first country in the world to elect a female prime minister, in 1960.
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Sri Lanka, positioned in Southern Asia. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Colombo, Kandy — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, built on the outskirts of Colombo in a 15th-century royal capital and reinstated as legislative seat in 1982, functions as Sri Lanka's constitutional capital while Colombo remains the commercial and practical centre — an administrative distinction that confuses visitors and occasionally Sri Lankans.
With a population of approximately 22.2M, Sri Lanka is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are Sinhala, Tamil, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Sri Lanka is reached via the dialling code +94. Sri Lanka's tradition of Kandyan dance, originating in the rituals of the Natha Devale temple in Kandy and codified under the last Kandyan kings, involves elaborately costumed performers executing precise footwork for the Esala Perahera procession — a ten-day festival drawing over a million spectators.
Sri Lanka spans 65,610 km², in the Southern Asia subregion of Asia. Geographically centred around 7.0°N, 81.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Asia convention.
The official currency is the Sri Lankan rupee (Rs රු), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Sri Lanka's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+05:30, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
The emblematic dish of Sri Lanka is Rice & Curry. Food culture in Sri Lanka is deeply tied to local identity — shared meals and markets are central to daily life and social gatherings across the country.
Cricket holds a special place in the heart of Sri Lanka's national identity. Sri Lanka's 1996 Cricket World Cup victory — achieved as a team considered too small to compete, whose openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana invented the modern batting powerplay by scoring at rates previously considered reckless — permanently changed how all nations approached the start of limited-overs innings.
The highest point in Sri Lanka is Pidurutalagala, rising to 2,524 metres above sea level. Sri Lanka's central highlands, a World Heritage Site, contain the Horton Plains' dramatic World's End escarpment — a sheer 870-metre drop into the southern lowlands — and the cloud forests that produce Ceylon tea, a crop that reshaped the island's entire ecology and economy after coffee blight destroyed the previous plantation system in the 1870s.