Sri Lanka — island nation in South Asia

Primeval

In prehistoric times, the Indian subcontinent was much larger in area than it is today; at that time Sri Lanka was connected to India. The land masses were probably separated between 6000 and 3500 BC. The "Adam's Bridge" (a group of islands between Talaimannar and Rameswaram in India) is the last visible trace of this connection.

Geographical position

Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean, southeast of the Indian subcontinent, between 6° and 10° north latitude and between 79° and 82° east longitude. It measures about 445 kilometres in north-south and 225 kilometres in east-west. It is separated from India (state of Tamil Nadu) by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. The coral rock islands of the Adam's Bridge provide a loose link between northwestern Sri Lanka and mainland India. According to reports from the British colonial period, this natural causeway was almost complete, but was destroyed by a strong storm in 1480. The Palk Strait is so narrow that one can see the coast of Sri Lanka from Rameswaram. The southern tip of the island is Dondra Head.

Sri Lanka can be divided into three different landscapes: central highlands with the famous tea growing areas and mountains up to 2500 m high, lowland plains which were made fertile centuries ago by artificial irrigation and the coastal area with fishing and palm beaches.

The central highlands in south-central Sri Lanka are the heart of the country. In the core of the highlands lies a high plateau 65 kilometers long in a north-south direction. The highest elevation of the country is the Pidurutalagala with 2524 m above sea level. Two mountain ranges extend from the southern end of the plateau, one 50 kilometres to the east to Namunakula (2036 m) and one 50 kilometres to the west to Sri Pada (2243 m). Sri Pada is the most important mountain for various religions. To the west and east, the center of the highlands is bordered by two plateaus; to the north and south are other mountains, each separated from the center by valleys. The 240 meter high Bambarakanda waterfalls are the highest waterfalls in Sri Lanka.

Most of the island consists of large tropical plains, 30 to 200 meters above sea level. In the southwest, mountain ridges and valleys slowly merge into the central highlands. In the southeast, laterite-covered plains and hills are found. The transition from the plains to the central highlands is abrupt, making the mountains look like a wall. The plain to the north and east is flat and dissected by narrow granite ridges towards the highlands.

The island is enclosed by a coastal belt 30 meters above sea level. The coasts of Sri Lanka consist mostly of sandy beaches.

Geology

More than 85 percent of Sri Lanka's surface lies on a Precambrian layer, some of which is over two billion years old. The metamorphic rock surface was formed by the transformation of very old sediments. Plate tectonics theory suggests that these rock massifs, which form most of the Indian subcontinent, belonged to Gondwana. 200 million years ago, the Indian subcontinent separated from Gondwana and headed towards the Asian plate. After India collided with the Asian plate 45 million years ago, Sri Lanka separated from the Indian mainland by earthquakes or volcanic events.

Sri Lanka is rich in mineral resources. Thus, in addition to iron ore, tin ore, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, arsenic, tungsten, tellurium and some gold are found. Gemstones extracted are rubies, sapphires, topazes and spinels.

Climate

Sri Lanka's climate is tropical with varying rainfall patterns due to the monsoons. Due to its location between latitudes 5 and 10 degrees north, the country has a warm climate with mild sea breezes and high humidity. Average temperatures range from 16 degrees Celsius in Nuwara Eliya in the central highlands (where there can even be snow and frost in winter) to 32 degrees Celsius in Trincomalee on the northeast coast of the country. The average annual temperature for the whole country is between 28 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius. The coldest month is January and May is the warmest.

While the southwest of the country (see climate diagram Colombo) is always humid with two clear rainfall maxima in May and October, the southwest monsoon on the northeast and east coast brings only little rainfall, as this area is located in the lee of the central mountains. There, most rainfall occurs during the northeast monsoon in November and December (see Trincomalee climate chart). The rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal and is determined by four seasons. In the first season from mid-May to October, southwest winds bring moisture from the Indian Ocean. When these winds hit the central highlands, heavy rain showers occur on the mountains and in the southwest of the country. The east and northeast of the island receive little rain during this time. In the second season, from October to November, periodic gusts of wind and sometimes cyclones occur, bringing cloudy weather to the island. In the third season, from December to March, the northeast monsoon brings moisture from the Bay of Bengal to the north and northeast of the country. The last season, from March to mid-May, brings little rainfall.

flora and fauna

Sri Lanka is one of the biodiversity hotspots in Asia with a large number of endemic plant and animal species.

According to the precipitation conditions, the vegetation changes from west to east: In the area of highest precipitation, tropical rainforest and mountain forest predominate, while in the north and east xerophytic bush vegetation is found. In addition to plants native exclusively to Sri Lanka, there are also Near Indian, Southeast Asian and Malayan species.

Anuradhapura is home to the Bodhi tree, the oldest historically known tree in the world. It is a Ficus religiosa, a direct offshoot of the original Bodhi tree in Bodh-Gaya in India, under which Buddha is said to have been enlightened. One direct offshoot of the tree in Anuradhapura stands in each Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka.

Important cultivated plants are coconut, rice, sugar cane, tea bushes, indigo, tobacco, coffee and Chinese bark as well as a variety of spice plants (chili, cinnamon, turmeric).

On Sri Lanka there are monitor lizards, crocodiles and also giant snakes such as the bright tiger python, which occurs in a subspecies. Furthermore, one finds various monkeys (hat monkeys, Hanuman langurs and white-bearded langurs) as well as sambars, axi deer and wild boars. Sri Lanka still has large wild populations of the highly endangered Asian elephant. The island is also home to the Sri Lanka leopard. This subspecies is threatened with extinction with less than 400 to 600 animals. A large population of feral dogs is conspicuous. Geckos are omnipresent. Sri Lanka's diverse and colorful bird life features white and other herons, huge flocks of cormorants that extract rich fish prey from the many reservoirs, parrots and crows.

Sri Lanka is administratively divided into nine provinces and 25 districts. Each province is administered by a directly elected provincial council:

From 1987 to 2007, the Northern and Eastern Provinces were united to form the Northeastern Province. However, the unification was declared invalid by the Supreme Court in 2006, so that the province was separated into the original provinces again as of 2007.