Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean
Tuesday, 17 March 2015 - 02:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Asia / Asien Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna © Thivagaranp/cc-by-sa-3.0
🔊 Listen to this Post
Sri Lanka, officially the
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka , is an island country in the northern
Indian Ocean off the southern coast of the
Indian subcontinent in South Asia; known until 1972 as Ceylon, Sri Lanka has maritime borders with
India to the northwest and the
Maldives to the southwest. Sri Lanka has a documented history that spans over 3000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient
Silk Road through to World War II. Sri Lanka is a diverse country, home to many religions, ethnicities and languages. It is the land of the Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Moors, Indian Tamils, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda. Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings were composed on the island. The country’s recent history has been marred by a thirty-year civil war which decisively but controversially ended in a military victory in 2009.
Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state governed by a presidential system. The capital, Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte , is a suburb of the largest city, Colombo . Sri Lanka is known as “the Pearl of the Indian Ocean” because of its natural beauty. Sri Lanka has also been called “Pearl of Indian Ocean” because of its shape and location, and “the nation of smiling people”. The island contains tropical forests and diverse landscapes with high biodiversity. In 1977 the Free market economy was introduced to the country, incorporating privatisation, deregulation and the promotion of private enterprise.
Kandy Temple of the Tooth © flickr.com - McKay Savage/cc-by-2.0
While the production and export of tea, rubber, coffee, sugar, gemstones, coconuts, the native cinnamon, and other commodities remain important, industrialisation has increased the importance of food processing, textiles, telecommunications and finance. The country’s main economic sectors are tourism, tea export, clothing, rice production and other agricultural products. In addition to these economic sectors, overseas employment, especially in the Middle East, contributes substantially in foreign exchange.Sri Lanka also has three deep-water ports, at
Colombo ,
Galle , and
Trincomalee , in addition to the newest port being built at
Hambantota . The port at Trincomalee is the fifth largest natural harbour in the world.
Read more on
Government of the Republic of Sri Lanka ,
Sri Lanka Tourism ,
lonelyplanet.de – Sri Lanka ,
List of ports in Sri Lanka ,
Wikitravel Sri Lanka and
Wikipedia Sri Lanka . Learn more about the
use of photos . To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (
Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State -
Weather report by weather.com -
Global Passport Power Rank -
Travel Risk Map -
Democracy Index -
GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank -
Global Competitiveness Report -
Corruption Perceptions Index -
Press Freedom Index -
World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index -
UN Human Development Index -
Global Peace Index -
Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index ). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at
comment@wingsch.net . Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.
VIDEO
Recommended posts:
[caption id="attachment_153665" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © mirabellayachts.com[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]At an estimated cost of over US$ 50million, she is the largest single-masted yacht ever built and became a reality in May 2004. Mirabella V was launched in November of 2003 and her mast was stepped six weeks later. She proceeded to the Mediterranean in June and completed five weeks charter in her first season. Mirabella V is one of a fleet of super-yachts owned by former Chairman and CEO of the Avis car rental compan...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_223388" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Randy's Donuts © Accord14/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Greater Los Angeles. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 109,673. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, near Los Angeles International Airport.
Inglewood consists of ten neighborhoods which are indicated by symbols on street signs. The ...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_221800" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Covid-19 © Colin D. Funk, Craig Laferriere, and Ali Ardakani/cc-by-4.0[/caption]"If someone thinks that the corona vaccinations could alter his or her genes, then he/she/it should take advantage of this unique opportunity, because it will not repeat itself that quickly. This is their big chance, as things are looking pretty unpleasant for them so far."
- Twitter
At the same time, of course, one must also resolutely oppose the common conspiracy myth that unvaccinated people would allegedly be discriminated: This is not true...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_221486" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Batavia replica © Ökologix[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vessels belonging to the Austrian, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, or Swedish companies. Some of the East Indiamen chartered by the British East India Company were ...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_192100" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Chinatown © Laitr Keiows/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Kobe is the sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture. It is located on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, on the north shore of Osaka Bay and about 30 km (19 mi) west of Osaka. With a population around 1.5 million, the city is part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto.
The earliest written records regarding the region come fr...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_153277" align="aligncenter" width="590"] View of Guardiagrele © Zitumassin[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Guardiagrele is a town and comune in the province of Chieti, part of the Abruzzo region of central Italy. It is in the foothills of the Maiella mountain at an elevation of around 576 metres (1,890 ft). Its population numbers about 10,000. Known throughout Abruzzo for its wrought-iron craft, copper craft and gold-work, Guardiagrele was the home of the great goldsmith and sculptor Nicola da Guardiagrele, wh...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_164157" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Manama © Wadiia/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain is a small Arab monarchy in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain consists of a group of islands between the Qatar peninsula and the north eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. It is an island country situated near the western shores of the Persian Gulf in the Middle East. It is a small archipelago centered on Bahrain Island, its largest land mass. It is just 23 km (14 mi) east off Saud...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_149000" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Canterbury Cathedral © Hans Musil[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Canterbury is an English city which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour. Many historical structures remain in the city, including a city wall founded in Roman times and rebuilt in the 14th century, the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey and a Norman castle, and perhaps the oldest school in England, The King's School. Modern additions...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_191723" align="aligncenter" width="590"] in Split © Ivan T./cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Seabourn Odyssey is a cruise ship for Seabourn Cruise Line. The ship's keel was laid in early July 2007, and when it was commissioned in 2009, it was the first new ship for Seabourn in over a decade. The ship includes 11 decks with two swimming pools, six outdoor whirlpools, water sports from the marina and a private diamond showroom. About 90% of the ship's suites have private verandas.
Some of...
[ read more ]
[caption id="attachment_235660" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Guliolopez/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Spike Island (Irish: Inis Píc) is an island of 103 acres (42 ha) in Cork Harbour, Ireland. Originally the site of a monastic settlement, the island is dominated by an 18th-century bastion fort now named Fort Mitchel.
The island's strategic location within the harbour meant it was used at times for defence and as a prison. Since the early 21st century the island has been developed as a heritage tourist at...
[ read more ]