PEOPLE
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) is an island in the Indian Ocean about 28 kilometers (18 mi.) off the southeastern coast of India with a population of about 20 million. Density is highest in the southwest where Colombo, the country's main port and industrial center, is located. The net population growth is about 1.1%. Sri Lanka is ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse.
Sinhalese
make up 74% of the population and are concentrated in the densely
populated southwest. Ceylon Tamils, citizens whose South Indian
ancestors have lived on the island for centuries, total about
12% and live predominantly in the north and east.
Indian Tamils, a distinct ethnic group, represent about 5% of the population. The British brought them to Sri Lanka in the 19th century as tea and rubber plantation workers, and they remain concentrated in the "tea country" of south-central Sri Lanka. In accordance with a 1964 agreement with India, Sri Lanka granted citizenship to 230,000 "stateless" Indian Tamils in 1988. Under the pact, India granted citizenship to the remainder, some 200,000 of whom now live in India. Another 75,000 Indian Tamils, who themselves or whose parents once applied for Indian citizenship, chose to remain in Sri Lanka and have since been granted Sri Lankan citizenship.
Other
minorities include Muslims (both Moors and Malays), at about 7%
of the population; Burghers, who are descendants of European colonists,
principally from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (U.K.);
and aboriginal Veddahs. Most Sinhalese are Buddhist; most Tamils
are Hindu. The majority of Sri Lanka's Muslims practice Sunni
Islam. Sizable minorities of both Sinhalese and Tamils are Christians,
most of whom are Roman Catholic. The 1978 constitution, while
assuring freedom of religion, grants primacy to Buddhism.
Sinhala,
an Indo-European language, is the native tongue of the Sinhalese.
Tamils and most Muslims speak Tamil, part of the South Indian
Dravidian linguistic group. Use of English has declined since
independence, but it continues to be spoken by many in the middle
and upper middle classes, particularly in Colombo. The government
is seeking to reverse the decline in the use of English, mainly
for economic but also for political reasons. Both Sinhala and
Tamil are official languages.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Sri Lankan(s).
Population: 20.1 million.
Annual growth rate: 1.1%.
Ethnic groups (2002): Sinhalese (74%), Tamils (18%), Muslims (7%), others (1%).
Religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity.
Languages: Sinhala and Tamil (official), English.
Education: Years compulsory--to age 14. Primary school attendance--96.5%. Literacy--91%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--14/1,000. Life expectancy--72 yrs. (male); 77 yrs. (female).
Work force: 7.04 million (excluding Northern and Eastern provinces).
