Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
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
Tongan, English
Exports
textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
External Debt
$22,820,000,000 $
$118,600,000 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)
pa'anga (TOP) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.0277 (2006), 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.900%
0.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Area
65,610 km sq
747 km sq
Coastline
1,340 km
419 km
Climate
tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)
