About Sri Lanka

Read this book to learn about Sri Lanka...

Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean. 

It is in the tropical climate zone because it is near the Equator.  This means that it is a warm country.

There are two rainy seasons in Sri Lanka called monsoons.  The North-east Monsoon is from December to March and the South-west is from June to September. 

Sri Lanka is sometimes called the Teardrop of India, or the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. 

Landscape

Sri Lanka has mountains in the central area, and is famous for it beaches.  Many people travel to Sri Lanka for holidays, so lots of Sri Lankans have jobs in the tourism industry. About 30% (roughly one third) of the land is forest.

Approximately 22 million people live in Sri Lanka which is about the size of the eastern and south-eastern regions of the UK.  The big cities are very busy, while there are also many small towns and villages.  There are two national languages: Sinhala and Tamil.

Colombo

Sri Jayawardenaura Kotte

The capital city is called Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte but most people think Colombo is the capital.  This is because Colombo is a very big, bustling city which is close to the capital.

There are many big banks, shops and businesses in Colombo.  It is a major port, where goods are shipped all over the world.  Sri Lanka's main exports are textiles, clothing, tea and gems.

Shopping

In the big towns and cities there are many large, well-known shops, but in the smaller towns there are lots of small , family-run shops and businesses.

You can buy locally grown fruit and vegetables,

and fresh fish. The towns are busy all day!

People  mostly travel by rail on the trains, or by road in cars, on motorbikes, or by bus.  You can also travel by tuk-tuk which is a half-closed in three-wheeler! 

Tea

Sri Lanka is famous for its tea. It is known as Ceylon tea: Sri Lanka used to be called Ceylon a long time ago, when tea was first grown by British landowners. 

Tea is grown in plantations in the high mountains in central Sri Lanka.  Young leaves are picked by hand, then dried and cut before being checked, tasted, packed and sold all over the world. 

Whole families often work in the plantations.  Working conditions are not always good, but they are improving.

Gems

Sri Lanka is also famous for gems. Many gem-fields are in the southern area of Sri Lanka.  People find the gems underground in mines.  They are cut and polished before being sold. 

Sri Lanka is particularly known for rubies and sapphires.

Plants and Animals