Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%, unspecified 63.7% (2006)
Languages
Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population
Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)
Exports
textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
External Debt
$22,810,000,000 $
$38,370,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) per US dollar - 108.33 (2008), 110.78 (2007), 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004)
lati (LVL) per US dollar - 0.4701 (2008 est.), 0.5162 (2007), 0.5597 (2006), 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.600%
1.100%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
3
Location
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Area
65,610 km sq
64,589 km sq
Coastline
1,340 km
498 km
Climate
tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
