Where is Sri Lanka? Ceylon - the famous tea island of the Indian Ocean. What is Sri Lanka famous for?

Sri Lanka is a luxurious pearl in the Indian Ocean. This island-state with more than 2000 years of history is considered a treasure trove of the cultural and historical heritage of mankind. In short, Sri Lanka is tea, gems, an eventful history, amazingly picturesque views, warm ocean and friendly people.

Geographical characteristics

The island of Sri Lanka, whose outline resembles a teardrop, is located in South Asia, 800 km from the equatorial line. It is washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Manara and the Bay of Bengal, and the Palk Strait. In ancient times, Sri Lanka was connected to the mainland by the Adam's Bridge shoal, but, as legends tell, in 1481 this shoal was destroyed by an earthquake.

The area of ​​the island is 65,610 km², it stretches for 225 km in a west-east direction, and 445 km in a north-south direction.

The terrain in Sri Lanka is mostly lowland, with a mountain range in the center. The highest mountain is Pidurutalagala (2524 m), but the majestic Sri Pada, also called Adam's Peak (2243 m), is more famous. There are 2 capes on the island: from the south - Dondra, from the west - Dutch Bay.

Sri Lanka is inhabited by 21 million people. It so happens that the predominant nationalities are the Sinhalese and Tamils; burghers, Moors and Veddas (indigenous population) also live. This situation has affected the language issue of the state: the national languages ​​are Sinhala and Tamil, but English is also often spoken.

History of the island

In the written chronicle "Mahavamsa", which from the 6th century. until 1815 was led by Buddhist monks, outlined detailed history island state.

Ancient city Pollonaruwa

Initially, these lands were inhabited by the ancestors of the Veddas, who belonged to the Australoid-Negroid race. As indicated in the chronicle, in 504 BC. The island lands were conquered by the Indian prince Vijaya. His followers ruled Sri Lanka throughout the 6th–5th centuries. BC, and then many immigrants from India settled on its territory. Vijaya gave the island the same name as his clan - “Sinhaladvipa”. In the 18th century, under the British, this name was reborn as “Silon” (“Ceylon”).

From the end of the 3rd century. until the 13th century the island belonged to the Sinhala kingdoms, and by the end of the 13th century. its lands to the north and east were inhabited by large communities of Tamils. In the 15th century, the island was captured by troops from China, after which small states were formed on its territory.

In the 16th century The coastal island areas were occupied by immigrants from Portugal, who built a fortress in Colombo. The influence of the Portuguese colonialists grew and intensified, and by the end of the 16th century. they controlled the main part of the island.

In the 17th century The Portuguese were replaced by colonialists from Holland: in 1638-1639 they managed to conquer the island lands almost entirely. Until 1796, the entire territory was under their control.

In 1796, almost the entire island passed to Great Britain, and in 1798 it became its colonial territory. The kingdom of Kandy remained independent, but in 1815 it was also included in the colonial lands.

Only in 1948 did Sri Lanka emerge from British rule, but remained a Dominion in the United Kingdom of England and acquired the name “Ceylon”.

Since the island ceased to be a colony of Great Britain, it recent history can be conditionally divided into the following periods:

• 1948-1972 – Dominion of Ceylon. Autonomy in the Commonwealth of Nations under the leadership of the English ruler, nationalist reforms. The formation of preconditions for the beginning of interethnic discord, anti-Tamil pogroms, the eviction of Tamils ​​to India, the 1971 uprising.
• 1972-1978 - independent Republic. Closure of British military bases, nationalization of tea production.
• 1978-1983 – Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Increasing ethnic strife. Internal war in the state against the backdrop of the fight against the LTTE insurgents demanding autonomy and secession.
• 2009-2017 – recovery period. Implementation of the restoration program with the full support of other states. Peaceful change of power in 2015: former Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena won early presidential elections. Fruitful cooperation with international partners, economic growth.

Climatic conditions

The island is located in the tropical zone, therefore, the climate here is tropical - warm and with high humidity.

The air temperature is even, the difference between the warmest and coldest months is 2-3°C. The average annual temperature on the island ranges from +27°C to +32°C, with the exception of mountainous areas where temperatures up to +10°C can be observed at night from December to March.

In May - September, the coasts in the west and south are in the rainy season - they are brought by the monsoon from the southwest. From October to January the rains prevail on the northern coast, but there they are caused by the monsoon from the northeast. The rainy season is characterized by powerful and short showers (they last on average 10-15 minutes, and at night), as well as powerful winds that raise high ocean waves.

Thanks to weather conditions, you can relax on the beaches of Sri Lanka all year round, just in different areas:

• in winter (October - April) - in the southwest;
• in summer (March - November) - in the northeast.

As for the Indian Ocean, its waters have a temperature that ranges from +27...+29°C.

Regions and cities

The Republic of Sri Lanka consists of 9 provinces, they contain 25 districts. The official capital is considered to be Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, where the parliament and the state judicial service are located. The government administration and presidential residence are located in the nearby city of Colombo, which has been recognized as the unofficial capital.

The following cities may be of greatest interest to travelers:

Colombo. In its northern part there is the Fort tourist center - almost all hotels, shops, and restaurants are located there.

Anuradhapura is a town in the North Central Province. It is famous for its temple and monastery buildings that have survived from ancient times.

Kandy is the ancient capital of the island state, located in the Central Province. Every year in Kandy, the Esala Peraher festival takes place, when a religious relic - the tooth of Buddha - is brought out to display.

There are many on the island good resorts. But the main question for most tourists remains: “Which resort to prefer?” So:

Bentota is popular among young families, adventure seekers and outdoor enthusiasts. A variety of services that tourists can use are designed to suit any budget. Read .

Beruwela is suitable for vacationers who come to Sri Lanka primarily for the beaches. At the same time, there are hotels both for budget tourists and for luxury holidays.

Lankan family on Wadduwa beach

Wadduwa is famous for its sandy beaches, lined with coconut trees. The tourist infrastructure here is not very developed: there are several hotels, shops, restaurants and cafes, and a diving center operates. will appeal to those who like to immerse themselves in the culture of the country of travel.

Koggala is located at a relative distance from the civilized world, which makes it attractive to travelers dreaming of a relaxing holiday. All infrastructure is present, there are even tennis courts and golf courses. Read .

Mount Lavinia is a fairly large center of trade, industry and economy. It is popular due to its extensive and well-maintained beaches.

Nuwara Eliya has the reputation of being one of the few cool oases in the hot country of South Asia with Victoria Park, Lake Gregory, a golf complex, and a racetrack. But first of all, produced in the area.

Hikkaduwa is a diving mecca, famous for its coral reefs and numerous inhabitants underwater world. In addition, the tourism infrastructure is most developed here.

Tangalle is interesting for its numerous secluded bays, wide deserted beaches, and places for snorkeling. The Tangalle resort is described in more detail.

Dambulla. On this mountain (its height is 350 m) there are several cave temples, where the most extensive selection of Buddha statues is presented. Built back in the 1st century BC. - an important religious site for numerous pilgrims and interesting object for tourists.

Anuradhapura. This city on the banks of the Aruvi River was the capital in ancient times. The “Old City” is an archaeological zone, a couple of ancient temples, bell-shaped stupas (III-I centuries BC), and an archaeological museum.

Polonnaruwa. This city-museum was once the capital, and since 1982 it has been protected by UNESCO. In this city, tourists are most attracted by the Stone Temple and 4 Buddha statues, carved from a single granite block.

Fort Galle. The fortress, which is still in good condition, was built by the Dutch. They recaptured the bastion from the Portuguese in 1640, and the credit for the foundation belongs to them.

When it comes to entertainment, there is plenty to choose from on this island. The entertainment complexes operating at most resorts offer boat rides, banana boat rides, ski rides, and parasailing.

Helicopter flights to many attractions are organized from Ratmalana Airport, and hot air balloon flights are conducted in Udawalawe Park and Mount Sigiriya.

There are many golf clubs on the island with well-equipped courses.

Nightclubs and discos open after 22.00 and remain open until the morning. There are almost 2 dozen casinos in Colombo, almost all of them operate 24 hours a day. The most famous is the Colombo-3 CONTINENTAL CLUB.

Sri Lankan cuisine

The basis of Sri Lankan cuisine is a variety of fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood, and rice. They eat very little meat here, giving preference to pork and chicken, and they don’t eat beef at all, since cows are considered sacred animals.

Like most eastern countries, food in Sri Lanka is very spicy. Curry is the name here for any dish prepared with a mixture of various spices ground into powder. Excessive love local residents to spices, especially chilli, makes all the local food fiery hot.

Coconut oil, juice, milk, shavings from the pulp of this nut, and palm nectar are added to many Sri Lankan dishes.

Food on the island is cheap: typically, lunch will cost around $2-4. In the most expensive establishments aimed at tourists, you will have to pay about $10.

Sri Lanka: the most important things about the currency

The currency of Sri Lanka is Sri Lankan rupees (LKR and Rs). There are notes of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 2000 and 5000, and coins of 1, 2, 5 and 10 rupees.

You are allowed to bring any amount of currency into Sri Lanka, but amounts exceeding $15,000 must be declared. When importing more than $5,000, the currency must also be declared if you plan to take it back.

It is equally convenient to take dollars and euros to Sri Lanka - there are absolutely no problems with exchange.

Where to change currency

The exchange can be carried out at bank branches, exchange offices, hotels, jewelry retail outlets - in big cities this does not arise any difficulties. In areas where tourists rarely visit, exchanging money may be difficult and should be considered before traveling to such areas.

Although “private traders” offer to exchange at a rate that compares favorably with the bank rate, it is still better to carry out such transactions in official institutions. It should be taken into account that even at exchange offices located very close by, the exchange rate can vary greatly. Therefore, it makes sense to go through several exchangers to choose the one that offers the most favorable conditions.

You can make a reverse exchange, that is, exchange the remaining rupees in exchange for dollars at the purchase rate, before departure at the airport, but only if you have a certificate of the exchange completed (official exchange offices provide it when performing a currency transaction).

What you need to know about plastic cards

Plastic cards are quite common on the island; in big cities you can use them to pay in many hotels and shops. There are ATMs in all tourist areas, and even in most remote areas.

It should be taken into account that some banks classify Sri Lanka as a high-risk country when performing transactions with plastic cards.

If you do not inform your bank in advance that the plastic card will be used in Sri Lanka, there is a high probability that it will be blocked during the first use.

Transport on the island

If you are planning a trip to Sri Lanka on your own, without the help of a tour operator, then you need to take care of the most convenient travel option.

System railways Sri Lanka serves the main cities of the island - with the exception of cities in the north and east of the country.

The maximum fare from Colombo to any station is 300 rupees. The trains are very comfortable, and passengers can choose a carriage with any degree of comfort at their discretion.

Many routes, especially in the part where the railways pass through mountainous terrain, are very picturesque. Tourists who want to admire the local views can use special carriages with large windows.

Aircraft

Aero Lanka operates flights from Colombo to the following destinations: , Jaffna - to far north countries.

Buses

Buses on the island are inconvenient, but they are very cheap: for just a couple of dollars you can travel across the entire island. Tickets for AC class buses will cost 2 times more, but this transport is much more comfortable: air conditioning is installed and will definitely be provided seats. In large cities, there are city and private bus routes, and travel in them will cost approximately the same.

Car rental

In Sri Lanka, it is rare to rent a car, which is explained by driving on the left and poor adherence to the rules by drivers and pedestrians. Still, you can rent a car in Colombo:

• With a driver– in this case, the driver’s services are paid. Some drivers are licensed by the state to engage in this type of activity. Many of them speak several languages ​​and have a wide knowledge of the island.
• Without driver– the average cost is 2400 rupees per day, which includes a mileage of 80 kilometers. All additional kilometers will cost 8 rupees each. A driver must be at least 21 years old to rent a car.

It is convenient to travel by taxi in Colombo and the suburban area. If payment is made by meter, then for landing and the 1st kilometer of the journey you need to pay 28-30 rupees, for each subsequent kilometer - 24-26 rupees. If the taxi does not have a meter, then you need to agree on the price before the start of the trip.

More popular for traveling around the city is the tuk-tuk - a small scooter on three wheels with a cabin. Average fare for a trip: for 1 km - 15-20 rupees.

How to get a visa to Sri Lanka

Since 2012, the Sri Lankan government has introduced new rules for foreigners visiting the state. Foreign citizens, including citizens of CIS countries, receive a visa under the same conditions.

For a short-term (up to 30 days) stay in Sri Lanka, as well as for transit travel, you need to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) visa.

Means of communication

Almost all hotels have a telephone connection, but the cost of calls from your room will be high.

The two most popular mobile operators are Dialog and Mobitel, with Etisalat, HUTCH and Airtel having a much smaller market share. The first 3 listed operators offer “tourist communication packages”, which include different amounts of minutes for international and domestic calls, as well as limited Internet traffic. You can purchase Dialog and Mobitel SIM cards without leaving Colombo airport.

Wi-Fi is available in all large resorts. Hotel business centers sell cards of varying prices. Communication via a USB modem is also possible and is available in almost all parts of Sri Lanka.

Hello, dear readers – seekers of knowledge and truth!

Sri Lanka is an unusual country for Europeans that attracts thousands of tourists every year. It can surprise you with picturesque beaches, high hills with unforgettable views, as well as a warm climate, unique monuments, and centuries-old culture.

Sri Lanka - where is this country located and what is it like? You will learn about its geography, climate, nature, people, culture, religion. If you have been thinking about a trip to Sri Lanka, then in this article you will find brief information about the flight, the main attractions and values ​​of the country.

What country is it

Sri Lanka is a country in southern Asia, located on the island of the same name. It dates back to the 5th century BC, when the first kingdoms appeared here. Since ancient times, local residents have established trade with China, Rome, and Arab countries.

In the 16th century, the island was colonized by England, Portugal and Holland. Their interference in the life of the islanders continued until the middle of the last century. Until 1972, Sri Lanka was called Ceylon.

Now its official name is the “Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka” and is headed by a president. Today, numerous tourists flock here, making the former Ceylon a unique resort.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena

Such tourist flow not surprising, because here they are connected:

• tea plantations;
• rice fields;
• ancient traditions that date back 2.5 thousand years;
• Buddhist temples;
• rich flora and fauna;
• precious and semi-precious stones;
• herb plantations;
• mountain slopes;
• idyllic beaches;
• warm sea;
• historical monuments, of which eight are included in the list World Heritage UNESCO.

One fourth of the world's tea plantations are Ceylon.

Geography

The island is quite easy to find on the world map - it is located approximately one hundred kilometers south of India, southeast of southern region Hindustan, separated from it by the western Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and the eastern Bay of Bengal.

The shape of the island resembles a teardrop or a pearl, for which it is called “sapphire”.

In the Palk Strait area there is an isthmus that formerly connected Sri Lanka with Hindustan. However, in the 15th century, several earthquakes occurred, causing the sandbank to submerge. Now this place is called "Adam's Bridge".

Geography of Sri Lanka in numbers:

• length – 450 kilometers;
• the widest point is 230 kilometers;
• length coastline– 1.3 thousand kilometers;
• area – 66 thousand square kilometers.

The island ends in the north with Cape Pedro, in the south with Cape Dondra, and in the west with Cape Dutch Bay. Moreover, one percent of the state consists of small islands near the “sapphire”.

The main water arteries are:

• Kalu;
• Mahaweli Ganga;
• Aruvi-Aru;
• Kelani.

Kalu River

From Sanskrit “shri” is translated as “holy”, “lanka” - “earth”.

The current republic consists of nine provinces and twenty-five districts. Since 1982, the capital has become a city with the unpronounceable name of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte - now the parliament and the supreme court are located here.

However, more popular city is considered to be the former capital center, the largest city of the state - Colombo, founded in ancient times. The president's residence is also located here.

Climate

The weather pleases residents and visitors all year round - the average temperature is about 27 degrees. In the high season - from October to March, when the cold is raging in Russia, the air here warms up to 32 degrees, and sometimes even higher.

A little cooler in mountainous areas. For example, in winter at the coldest point of the island the temperature can drop to 12 degrees Celsius, but even here there is never snow.

Due to the monsoon climate, it often rains: west coast- in May-October, in the east - in December-May. However, they do not interfere with enjoying your vacation, because they are short-lived and occur mainly at night.

Relief and landscape

The landscape and relief areas of Ceylon can be divided into three groups:

• Mountains and hills

They are mainly located in the central part, where most of the tea plantations are concentrated. Mountains can reach 2-2.5 thousand meters.

The most high mountain– Pidurutalagala – exceeds the mark of 2520 meters.

• Rainforests
• Coast with lowlands and beautiful beach areas.

Nature

They amaze with their diversity. A large number of species of different representatives of the animal and plant world live here:

• birds - almost 500 (many Siberian and European migratory birds fly here);
• butterflies – 240;
• animals – 86;
• fish – 50;
• reptiles – 70;
• snakes - more than 80 (and only five of them are dangerous to humans);
• plants – 3 thousand.

The symbol of Sri Lanka is perhaps the elephant. They are found everywhere here. However, their population is declining compared to previous times. So, for example, 2 centuries ago there were about thirty thousand of them, while now there are only six thousand.

People

Today, approximately 20.5 million people live on the island, with a gradual population decline. On average, males live to 73 years, females - to 77.

There are several nationalities in the country:

• Sinhalese - 75%;
• Tamils ​​- every tenth, live mainly in the north and east;
• Moors, Arabs - a little more than 9%;
• burghers, they are also descendants of the colonialists - less than 1%;
• Veddas, whose ancestors were ancient natives - about a thousand people.

In this regard, Sinhala and Tamil are considered the official languages. You can often hear English spoken, with the help of which representatives of different ethnic groups communicate.

Sri Lanka is a developing country and most of the people are employed in agriculture. The main activity is the cultivation of tea plantations, extraction precious stones, rubber, collection of coconuts, spices, fishing, textile industry.

The residents themselves simply call their homeland Lanka.

In recent decades, the tourism sector has been developing rapidly on the island. People come here not just on vacation, but increasingly for the winter from northern countries. Some foreigners even seek to settle here for permanent residence.

Contrary to popular belief that former Ceylon is a poor country, the literacy rate here is over 90%.

Culture and religion

The cultural component of the Sri Lankans - and this is what the inhabitants of Sri Lanka are called - is inextricably linked with religion. More than 70 percent of the locals are Buddhists, another 12 percent are Hindus, 9 are Muslims, 7 are Christians.

Many holidays and memorable places are associated specifically with religious beliefs, primarily, of course, with Buddhist philosophy, which appeared on the island back in the 3rd century BC.

Theravada monks in Sri Lanka

Many places of worship go back to Buddhism, for example, the famous Sri Lankan Buddha statue. There are also many Buddhist holidays. Here are some of them:

• Poya - every full moon is celebrated, and even if it falls on a weekday, it becomes a day off, which should be devoted to meditative practices;
• Navam Perahera – celebrated in February as the first Buddhist gathering of the year; accompanied by dancing, music, ceremonial processions, the main thing takes place in the Colombian Gangaramai;
• Esala Perahera is a holiday dedicated to the first sermon of the Teacher in Sri Lanka, celebrated for two weeks; The central event is the removal of the Buddha tooth, the main relic of the island. It is kept in the Kandy Temple, the most important Sri Lankan Buddhist center.

In the 1980s, the symbol of the island became the star flower, the sacred flower of the Buddhists.

We're flying to Sri Lanka

The answer to the question of how long it takes to fly from Russia to Sri Lanka depends on the flight. Direct flights are operated only from Moscow, and not every day; travel time is 8-10 hours. Charters from other cities are possible as part of tour packages.

You can often fly to Sri Lankan shores with a transfer, for example, in Indian Delhi, Qatari Doha, Chinese Beijing or Hong Kong, Korean Seoul, as well as in Dubai, Istanbul or Abu Dhabi. The time difference with Moscow is two and a half hours.

When traveling to Lanka for up to 30 days, Russian citizens can fill out an application electronically on the embassy website and receive a visa upon arrival. This visa costs $35.

Tourists of all sizes can feel comfortable in Sri Lanka: there are both expensive hotels and budget hotels and houses - it all depends on the resort and the tourist’s wallet.

To the main resort towns relate:

• Unawatuna;
• Hikaduwa;
• Mirissa;
• Beruwela;
• Kalutara;
• Negombo;
• Bentota;
• Kosgoda;
• Colombo;
• Kalutara
• Halle;
• Hambantota;
• Induruwa;
• Tangale.

Hambantota Resort, Sri Lanka

Souvenirs

Lanka is famous for many values, but there are things that you should definitely bring from your trip:

• famous Ceylon tea;
• spices – pepper, vanilla sticks, cardamom;
• jewelry - topazes, opals, emerald, sapphire products;
• plant oil;
• cotton products
• attributes of culture and religion - masks, figurines, etc.

Conclusion

To summarize, I would like to say once again that Sri Lanka is a miracle island, a country of rice fields, tea plantations, picturesque hills, kind people and beaches that are more like Eden. It is located south of India, separated from the mainland by a strait. It is warm here all year round, and the locals, mostly Buddhists, get along well with tourists.

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Full name: Democratic Socialist Republic Sri Lanka.
Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
Area: 65,610 sq. km.
Population: 21,675,648 people.
Official languages: Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Official currency: Sri Lankan rupee.

In the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, not far from the coast of India, there is a small island shaped like a drop.

Everyone has heard about it at least once, and every day they probably enjoy its gifts - delicious black or green tea. His real name is rarely spoken, but his “nickname” Ceylon is heard by many. This is Sri Lanka!

Sri Lanka is separated from the Hindustan Peninsula by the narrow Palk Strait.

The people of Sri Lanka are called Sri Lankans.

At the beginning of the 19th century. the island was a colony (dependent territory) of Great Britain and was called Ceylon, and in 1972 it became independent and received a new name - Sri Lanka, which means “blessed land” in Sinhala.

Due to former British rule, almost everyone in Sri Lanka today speaks English language. Only he is not quite familiar. Often, a resident of the British Isles or the USA will not fully understand a Sri Lankan, although both will communicate in the same language. This is because local residents add a lot of “their” words to their speech.

The flag of Sri Lanka is one of the oldest. It features a Sinhalese lion and two multi-colored stripes. The lion is the symbol of the ancestors of modern Sri Lankans, the green and orange stripes mean the few Muslims and Hindus, and the red part of the flag symbolizes the predominant Buddhists on the island. In the corners of the flag there are 4 leaves of paipula, a tree sacred to Buddhists.

Sri Lanka is an island of precious stones. In its depths are rubies, garnets, moonstone, and amethysts. But the “king” of stones is sapphire - blue, pink, yellow, white and very rare star. A Lankan sapphire even adorns the English crown!

As in other Asian countries, motorized pedicabs are popular in Sri Lanka. Here they are called "knock-knock". This is the only safe means of transportation, since it can easily go around any obstacle. Chaos is happening on the streets of Sri Lankan cities! Locals don't follow the rules traffic. They can stop their vehicle whenever you want and wherever you want just to pass a cow or go out to say hello to an acquaintance whom you suddenly saw on the street...

This is interesting!
Taking Sri Lankan rupees abroad, even as a souvenir, is prohibited by law.

An umbrella in Sri Lanka is not a means of keeping out the rain, but the main protection from the sun. It won’t save you from the downpours that happen here, but it won’t save you from the hot sun without an umbrella. That's why umbrellas are sold even in grocery stores.

In a cafe, before putting a dish on a plate, they put a plastic bag on it. In this way, Sri Lankans maintain hygiene, and there is no need to wash dishes after eating.

One state - two capitals

The small state of Sri Lanka can boast that it has not one capital, but two! This major metropolis Colombo and a little-known town with the complex name of Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte. The first houses the residence of the President of Sri Lanka, and the second houses the country's parliament and the Supreme Court.

Colombo means “mangrove harbour” in Sinhala. The city is indeed located in an area with many mangroves. But there is another version of the name. It is believed that the Portuguese, who conquered Sri Lanka in the past, could have named the city this way in honor of the navigator Christopher Columbus.

Colombo is the most Big city on the island and the largest port in Sri Lanka. It's noisy and crowded here all the time, the streets are filled with cars and tuk-tuks. Colombo is the only city in Sri Lanka where there are high-rise buildings and skyscrapers. And only here temples belonging to representatives of three religions at once coexist safely - churches (Christianity), mosques (Islam) and Buddhist temples.
Colombo is home to one of the best botanical gardens in Asia. Its highlights are the Orchid House and the Spice Garden. The world's rarest species of these plants grow in the Orchid House. And in the Spice Garden all the aromatic plants and herbs of the island of Sri Lanka are collected. The king of the garden is pepper, and the queen is cinnamon. It is thanks to the huge amount of spices that the island was interesting for many European countries. Their rulers always dreamed of capturing plantations of allspice, vanilla, cloves, and ginger, which had no equal in the world.

Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte is a town in the suburbs of Colombo. When at the beginning of the 16th century. Envoys of the Portuguese king arrived on the island, the guides managed to stretch the five-kilometer route between Colombo and Kotte into a three-day hike around the entire island! This was done to confuse uninvited guests and hide the exact location of the capital from them. The expression “to go to Kotte” for modern Sri Lankans means “to take a roundabout route.”

The city of Colombo was the capital during the domination of Ceylon by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. When the state became independent, the city of Kotte received the capital function.

Today Kotte is a beautiful, quiet town with many universities and colleges. The Sri Lankan Parliament sits here. A luxurious building was specially built for him in the center of the city lake. Various festivals and fun carnivals are often held on the streets, in which brightly and beautifully dressed elephants - the symbol and pride of Sri Lanka - always take part.

Elephant City

In the past, elephants were the main transport in Sri Lanka. They transported people and cargo in the mountains and jungles. Today this is done by tractors and trucks, but the elephant is still the main animal and symbol of the island.

The Sri Lankan elephant is different from its African brother. The inhabitants of the hot continent are larger, their ears are of a different shape and they always have powerful tusks. Among Sri Lankan elephants, tusks can be seen on about one in 20 animals.

An elephant lives as long as a person - 70-80 years. An adult animal weighs about 5 tons. He needs 250 kg of reed or coconut palm leaves and 200 liters of water per day.

For us, elephants are a symbol of wisdom and tranquility. But Sri Lankans think differently. They count giants natural disaster and fight with them. Most animals are not killed by poachers. They are shot... by farmers. Elephants wander into fields, destroy crops and even destroy houses. A herd of angry elephants can destroy an entire village! The giants are not stopped by either fences or traps, and it is useless to try to “negotiate” with them. Lankan elephants are considered more aggressive and “clueless” than their African relatives.

There are fewer and fewer elephants in Sri Lanka every year. To protect the animals from extinction, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage was built on the island. This is a huge nursery where elephants left without parents, disabled elephants and retired elephants live. By the way, the oldest animal here is more than 60 years old, and the youngest is only two months old. He is given warm milk from the nipple to make him stronger and feel good.

Elephants are the main participants in all holidays and festivals in Sri Lanka. They are dressed in special mask costumes and decorated with jewelry.

Elephants have been trained for performances for many years. When elephants grow up, they “work off” their care and maintenance by giving tourists rides on their backs. This is the most popular attraction among visitors and the main business of local residents. Before riding, the elephant is saddled. This is done only for the sake of tourists. Sri Lankans ride bareback. Maintaining balance while riding is very difficult, but an excellent view opens from the back of the animal. Traveling on horseback, you become convinced that the elephant seems clumsy only from the outside. Despite its impressive weight, it moves almost silently. Usually an elephant walks at walking speed, but if necessary, giants can reach speeds of up to 40 km/h.

An elephant that has worked up an appetite during the trip must be thanked. The best way to do this is to feed him bananas, the elephant’s favorite dessert.

The fauna of Sri Lanka is very diverse. Animals and birds on the island feel free, they are not afraid of humans and live next to him.

Based on materials

The island of Sri Lanka is rich in first-class beaches, modern hotels and a host of ancient attractions. Entertainment is entirely quiet and peaceful: picnics, fishing and diving. Capital Colombo, waterfalls and National parks- everything about Sri Lanka: tours, reviews, weather, prices.

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The style of holiday in Sri Lanka can be briefly defined as follows: away from the hustle and bustle, closer to the sea and nature. There is hardly a more “leisurely” country in the world than Sri Lanka: here no one is in a hurry, everyone enjoys life - including the service staff in hotels (however, this does not apply to the top establishments - everyone there runs around in soap, to please the guests). Most of the attractions in Sri Lanka are natural, just like most of the activities. Noisy discos and smoke swirling until the morning are not in favor here, but picnics in nature, fishing or barbecues on the beach - as much as you like. Well, diving, of course. What Sri Lanka cannot please is its proximity to our vastness: the flight here is long.

In general, it’s very easy to identify a person who will definitely like it here. Firstly, there are few blank pages left in his not the first international passport. Secondly, he is either interested in world culture and history (and ancient Sri Lanka is very rich in interesting monuments), or he is a desperate sea daredevil who wants, in addition to palm trees, sand and the sea, to have a diving center and Surfer headquarters. Thirdly, he will certainly glance sideways at your fragrant cup of tea. After all, Ceylon, also known as Sri Lanka, supplies a quarter of the world with this drink.

Regions and resorts of Sri Lanka

Money

The country's currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR), 1 rupee is divided into 100 cents. Current rate: 1 LKR = 0.34 RUB (1 USD = 181.33 LKR, 1 EUR = 201.67 LKR).

It is better to exchange currency at Colombo airport. It makes sense to keep the receipt received until the end of the trip: in this case, upon departure, you can convert back unspent local money at the airport bank at the purchase rate. In addition, currency can be changed at any hotel and bank. The latter are open from 9:00 to 15:00 from Monday to Friday. For exchange, we recommend taking US dollars with you: they are accepted in all branches, and in tourist areas you can pay with them directly at hotels and various retail outlets.

In large hotels and shops you can pay with credit cards, and there are ATMs in almost all cities of the country. However, it is better to warn your bank staff in advance about your upcoming visit to Sri Lanka: due to the critical level of financial fraud on the island, your credit card may be blocked at the first attempt to use it.

Authors: N. N. Alekseeva (Nature: physical-geographical sketch), S. G. Mereminsky (Religion), A. O. Zakharov (Historical sketch), V. D. Nesterkin (Armed Forces), V. S. Nechaev (Healthcare), V. I. Linder (Sports), S. D. Serebryany (Literature), E. M. Gorokhovik (Music), V. A. Pogadaev (Theater), V. A. Pogadaev (Cinema)Authors: N. N. Alekseeva (Nature: physical-geographical sketch), S. G. Mereminsky (Religion), A. O. Zakharov (Historical sketch), V. D. Nesterkin (Armed Forces); >>

SRI LANKA (Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka).

General information

Sh.-L. - state in South. Asia (until 1972 Ceylon). Located on the same street. island and adjacent smaller islands in the Indian region, southeast of India (separated from it by the Gulf of Mannar, Polk and Polk Straits, 55 km wide, with Adam’s Bridge - a chain of shoals and islands 48 km long). The length of the coastline is 1340 km. Pl. 65.6 thousand km 2. Us. 2,0771.0 thousand people (2014, evaluation). Official capital - Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (Kotte; since 1982; seat of parliament and the Supreme Court), actual. capital - Colombo (residence of the president and government). Official languages: Sinhala and Tamil. The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee. Adm.-terr. division: 9 provinces (table), which are divided into 25 districts.

Administrative-territorial division (2014)

Sh.-L. – member of the UN (1955); Commonwealth of Nations (1948), IMF (1950), IBRD (1950), SAARC (1985), WTO (1995); the country is a dialogue partner of the SCO (2009).

Political system

Sh.-L. - unitary state. The Constitution was adopted on August 16, 1978. The form of government is a mixed republic.

The head of state and government is the president, elected for a term of 6 years by direct universal suffrage (with the right to one re-election). The President is the supreme commander in chief.

Supreme legislator. body - unicameral parliament. 225 deputies are elected by direct universal suffrage based on a proportional system; the party that received the majority of votes in the k.-l. district, receives additional. place. The term of office of deputies is 6 years.

The Cabinet of Ministers is headed by the Prime Minister. The President appoints the leader of the parliamentary majority to this position. Ministers are appointed by the president on proposals from the prime minister. The President, after consultation with the Prime Minister. determines the number of ministers and their competence.

Leading political parties: United National party, United People Freedom Alliance, Tamil National alliance.

Nature

The shores of the island are preeminent. low-lying, often lagoonal (especially in the north and east), bordered by coral reefs, slightly indented, with separate. ingression bays; large peninsula - Jaffna.

Relief

Over 80% of the territory is occupied by low-lying plains (the widest in the north and east), above which rise separate. rocky outcrops. To the center. and south In some parts there is a stepped Central Highlands, consisting of several tiers of leveled surfaces broken by faults; Above the upper tier rise steep peaks - Mount Pidurutalagala (up to 2524 m high - the highest point of Sh.-L.), Adam's Peak, etc. The central highlands are surrounded by elevated denudation plains with protruding hills and ridges in places. Sandy beaches are widely developed along the coasts, sometimes protected by coral reefs.

Geological structure and minerals

Sh.-L. located in the southeast. parts of the Hindustan Platform, the foundation of which is composed of Precambrian gneisses, granite gneisses, scoops, amphibolites, crystalline rocks. slates, quartzites, marbles; Late Proterozoic granites (age approximately 1 billion years), dolerite and pegmatite dikes are widespread, and carbonatites are known. The foundation protrudes to the surface on b. parts of the territory of Sh.-L.; in the north it is hidden under a cover of sedimentary rocks (sandstones, siltstones, mudstones, limestones, sands, clays) of Jurassic and Neogene ages. Along the Indian coast approx. coastal-marine quaternary deposits (pebbles, gravel, sands, clays) are developed. Lateritic weathering crusts are present.

Basic minerals: graphite (Kahatagaha deposits in the North-West Province; near Kalutara, Palinda-Nuwara in the Western Province; near Kandy in the Central Province; near Kegalla, Warakapola in the Sabaragamuwa Province; near Hikkaduwa in the Southern Province, and etc.); coastal-marine ilmenite-rutile placers with zircon and monazite (Pulmoddai); precious and ornamental stones (sapphire and ruby ​​– deposit near Ratnapura, etc.; chrysoberyl, aquamarine, topaz, moonstone, etc.); phosphorites, apatite, feldspars, mica, kaolin and other clays, limestones, quartz sand.

Climate

On the territory of Sh.-L. The climate in the north and east is subequatorial monsoon, in the south and west it is equatorial monsoon. The average monthly air temperature on the plains is 26–30 °C, in the mountains 15–17 °C. The greatest amount of precipitation (up to 5000 mm per year) falls in the southwest. slopes of the Center highlands (mostly sampled during the summer monsoon). To the north-east On the slopes and adjacent plains, the annual precipitation is 1000–2000 mm (mostly during the winter monsoon), and there is a dry season for 8–9 months (spring and summer). The least amount of precipitation (less than 1000 mm per year) falls in the north-west. and southeast coasts. In spring and autumn for many. areas are characterized by heavy convective afternoon (so-called zenithal) rains. In the northeast (in the so-called dry zone), droughts periodically occur. East the coast is exposed to the tropics. cyclones.

Inland waters

The river network is dense. Short, full-flowing rivers (the largest is the Mahaveli-Ganga River) begin on the slopes of the Center. highlands and spread radially in all directions, forming waterfalls in the mountains. River waters are used for irrigation (mainly in the north and east). Many reservoirs and arts have been built. reservoirs (more than 12 thousand), thanks to which the coefficient. The lake content reached 4% (one of the highest rates in the world). Annually renewable water resources amount to 52.8 km 3 (2011), water availability is 638.8 m 3 per person/year. Annual water intake approx. 13 km 3, 88% of water is consumed in the village. x-ve, 6% - in industry, 6% - in municipal services.

Soils, flora and fauna

The soils are red-yellow ferrallitic, along river valleys and along the coasts - alluvial. In the “dry zone” red-brown soils predominate; on the Jaffna Peninsula – calcareous red-yellow soils, as well as poorly developed soils on loose rocks.

The flora includes 3154 species of angiosperms, 1/4 some of which– endemics; 1,385 species are threatened with extinction. Forests occupy 33% of the territory (2015). Wet tropical evergreens. forests have been preserved in the southwest. slopes and in places at the foot of the Center. highlands. The tree stand consists of dipterocarps, palms, breadfruit, etc., and is characterized by a rich undergrowth. Above 1500 m, forest areas alternate with savannah-type grassy heaths with low oaks, and at altitudes. 2000 m there is crooked forest with rhododendrons and ferns. The plains in the north and east, as well as the adjacent slopes of the highlands, are covered with deciduous forests, b. including secondary. Along the north-west and southeast the coasts are thickets of thorny bushes, and in some places near the coasts there are mangrove forests. For the arts. planted forests account for 10.4% of all forests.

The fauna is of the Indo-Malayan type, with an admixture of Madagascar species (lemurs). Mammals include the elephant, Ceylon bear, leopard, lynx, 5 species of monkeys, deer, wild boars, civets, and flying foxes. Of the 240 bird species (parrots, peacocks, flamingos, storks), 27% are endangered. There are 211 species of reptiles on the island, including crocodiles, lizards, and snakes. Insects are diverse: butterflies (245 species), ants, termites, etc. The biodiversity of coastal ecosystems is great (208 species of coral polyps, 756 species of marine mollusks). In the waters of Sh.-L. There are more than 1,300 species of marine fish.

Condition and protection of the environment

Pollution of lands, rivers and reservoirs is typical with runoff containing residual amounts of fertilizers and pesticides applied to fields, and in coastal areas - runoff from shrimp aqua farms. There is unsafe disposal of untreated industrial products. and municipal solid waste. Pollution of inland and coastal waters by sewage and agrochemicals has significantly increased the incidence of disease among rural populations. Many aquatic ecosystems have become unsuitable for some species, including freshwater fish and crabs, snails, and a number of aquatic plants. Air pollution is typical for Colombo. Thanks to various measures, including bans on logging in natural areas. forests, deforestation rates in the 2010s decreased noticeably. However, deforestation, fragmentation and forest degradation cause biological damage. diversity.

On the territory of Sh.-L. An extensive network of protected areas has been created, including many nature reserves and forest reserves, marine areas. Hikkaduwa Nature Reserve (southwest coast), national parks (Gal-Oya, Yala, Vilpattu, etc.), UNESCO biosphere reserves, wetlands of international. values ​​(Kumana and Bundala on the south-eastern coast, Lake Maduganga, etc.). Center. Highlands and Sinharaja Biosphere Reserve - objects World Heritage. Flora and fauna are protected in botanical sciences. gardens (the largest is Peradeniya near Kandy).

Population

Most of the population of S.-L. (74.9%) are Sinhalese; Tamils ​​also live (Lankan - 11.1%, Indian - 4.1%), Sri Lankan Moors(9.3%), Malays (0.2%), Sri Lankan burghers(0.2%), Veddy et al. (2012, census).

From ser. 20th century The country's population increased 2.57 times (8076.0 thousand people in 1950; 14912.9 thousand people in 1980; 20359.4 thousand people in 2012, census), the reason for the growth is natural. population growth. Max. growth rates were at stake. 1950s - 1970 (over 2.25% per year), then began to decline (to less than 1% since the mid-1990s), both due to a decrease in the birth rate, which significantly outpaced the decrease in mortality, and because migrant outflow of population (several waves since the mid-1960s). Modern values ​​of natural indicators. population movements (per 1000 inhabitants, 2016): birth rate 15.5, death rate 6.2, natural. population growth 9.3. Coef. fertility rate 2.09 children per woman (2016); infant mortality 8.6 per 1000 live births (boys - 9.5, girls - 7.6), avg. life expectancy of us. 76.8 years (men – 73.3, women – 80.4 years). In the age structure of the population, the share of children (under 15 years old) is 24.5% (2016), people of working age (15–65 years old) – 66.1%, elderly (over 65 years old) – 9.4%. Wed. age of the population is 32.5 years (2016; men – 31.2, women – 33.7 years). There are 96 men per 100 women (2016).

The balance of migration is traditionally negative (1.3 per 1000 inhabitants, 2016); Approximately people live abroad. 3 million Sri Lankans, the most numerous. communities - in the countries of the Middle East (Saudi Arabia - about 600 thousand people, the UAE and Kuwait - 300 thousand each, Qatar and Lebanon - 100 thousand each), Great Britain (500 thousand), Canada (300 thousand). ), India (200 thousand; Tamils) and France (150 thousand).

Wed. density of us. 316.6 people/km 2 (2014). The most densely populated areas are the western, southwestern, central, and extreme northern regions. and east regions of the country.

Share of mountains us. 18.4% (2015). Largest cities (thousand people, 2011): Colombo 753.0 (within the agglomeration over 5.6 million people), Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 246.0, Moratuwa 168.3, Negombo 144.6 (three the latter - as part of the Colombo agglomeration), Jaffna 88.1.

Economically active us. 9062 thousand people (2016). Structure of employees (%, 2015): in the service sector 45.9, agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing 28.4, industry and construction 25.7. Official unemployment rate 4.5% (2016), including 20.1% (2013) for youth aged 15–25 years. 8.9% of us live below the poverty line. (2010). 4.7% of us are malnourished and hungry. (2014).

Religion

More than 70% of the residents of Sh.-L. – Buddhists (generally Theravada adherents); 12.6% are Hindus; 9.7% – Muslims (mainly Sunnis); 7.4% are Christians, including St. 6% are Catholics (2011 census).

St. 6 thousand Buddhist monasteries; OK. 20 thousand monks, following the single Pali canon, are divided into 3 movements: Siam Nikaya (founded in 1753), Amarapura Nikaya (founded in 1803), Ramanna Nikaya (founded in 1865). There are a number of major Buddhist pilgrimage centers ( Anuradhapura, Dalada Maligawa Temple in Kandy, etc.). Roman Catholic The church is represented by 1 metropolitanate and 11 suffragan dioceses.

Historical sketch

Sri Lanka from ancient times to the end of the Middle Ages

The territory of the island was inhabited in the Paleolithic. The most ancient population were hunting tribes of proto-Australian origin (possibly the ancestors of the modern Veddas). In the history of Sh.-L. (Ceylon) there were several. waves of migration, ch. arr. from Hindustan. In the 6th–3rd centuries. BC e. Aryans penetrated here. According to the legend reflected in the letters. sources, in the 6th century. BC e. on Sh.-L. Prince Vijaya, the forefather of the Sinhalese, and 700 of his comrades, representatives of the Aryans, arrived. All R. 1st thousand rice began to be grown on the island; to the 4th century BC e. refers to the first mention of irrigats. structures on its territory.

The first large state union with the capital Anuradhapura arose in the 5th century and reached its peak under King Devanampiyatissa (250–210) from the Moriya dynasty. Close state and cultural contacts with India contributed to the penetration of S.-L. Buddhism. According to legend, the spread of Buddhism on the island began during the time of King Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty, whose envoy (sometimes “son” or “brother”) Mahinda converted Devanampiyatissa to Buddhism.

In the 3rd century. BC e. from South India on Sh.-L. the Tamils ​​invaded, with whom local rulers had to fight. In the 1st century n. e. The Moriya dynasty was overthrown by King Vasabha (67–111), the founder of the Lambakarna dynasty. Internecine strife led to the 5th century. to the collapse of the state, which made it easier for the Tamil conquerors to take over. parts of the island. The last king of the Lambakarna dynasty was Mahanama (406–428), after which the Tamil kings of the Pandya dynasty seized power. However, Dhatusena (455–473) soon restored the Morya dynasty to the throne. Under him, the Kalaveva reservoir was built between the Kala-Oi and Malvatu-Oi rivers. Dhatusena's son Kassapa (473–491) moved the capital from Anuradhapura to Sigiriya (in the 6th century Anuradhapura again became the capital).

Throughout the 6th–7th centuries. The struggle for power continued between representatives of the Moriya and Lambakarna dynasties. In the 8th century. a kingdom arose on the island with its capital Polonnaruwa. Its rulers fought against the rebellions of large landowners and fought with the South Indians. kingdoms of Pandya and Chola. In 993, the Chola captured the kingdom of Anuradhapura, and in 1017–18 the rest of the S.-L. The power of the Cholas over Sh.-L. persisted until 1073.

King Vijayabahu I (1073–1110) reconquered the lands from the Cholas and made Polonnaruwa the capital of a new unified kingdom. Sh.-L. reached the pinnacle of power during the reign of Parakramabahu I (1153–86). However, from the end 12th century strife began, which led to the fact that in the 13th–16th centuries. there was no single state on the island; several coexisted at the same time. kingdoms: Jaffna (1215–1620), Dambadeniya (1220–1345), Gampola (1341–1408), Kotte (1412–1597), Sitawaka (1521–94). In the 13th–15th centuries. Sh.-L. was subjected to invasions by the rulers of the South. India, Malacca Peninsula and China. From the 13th century Due to raids and strife, the resettlement of residents to the center began. and southwest areas of the island. Once fertile lands in the north by the 15th century. turned into a jungle. Dominant in Sh.-L. Buddhism interacted with Hinduism, Hindu temples were built in the north and east. In the 15th century from the Sinhala kingdom of Kotte (in the west and southwest) the kingdom of Kandy emerged (1469–1815, in the central regions).

Sri Lanka before the early 19th century

In the 16th century Europe began expansion to Sh.-L. (Ceylon). The Portuguese, led by the first Viceroy of Portugal. India Lourenço di Almeida visited the port of Galle in 1505. In 1517, the Portuguese founded a fort in Colombo. In 1518, the third viceroy Lopu Suarish d'Albergaria concluded the first trade agreement with the ruler of Kotte, Vijayabahu VII (1513–21). The Portuguese received the right to export spices and other goods from the island to Europe in exchange for assistance to Cotte in the internecine wars in S.-L. Colonial authorities in S.-L. were subordinate to the Viceroy, whose residence was in Goa. At the same time, the Christianization of the European island began. preachers. Missions often received lands of Buddhist and Hindu temples. Representatives of the Sinhala landed aristocracy converted to Catholicism and took the Portuguese at baptism. surnames. Portuguese has become widespread. language. In 1560, colonial expansion began in Jaffna, and in 1591 Portugal established a protectorate over it. In 1594, Kotte, with the help of the Portuguese, subjugated Sitawaka. In 1597, after the death of the king of Kotte - Dharmapala (1551–97), who bequeathed all his possessions to Portugal, King Philip I officially became the ruler of the b. part Sh.-L. In 1620, Jaffna was finally subjugated; the entire island, with the exception of the center, came under the control of the colonialists. parts and areas to the east. coast. Long wars with the Sinhalese state of Kandy did not bring success to the Portuguese. Basic Europeans received income from control over trade, and from 1614 - over the production of cinnamon.

In 1602 the first Goll arrived in Kandy. ship of captain Joris van Spielbergen. In 1612, Ambassador Niderl. The East India Company (EIC), Marcellus Boschoover, concluded an alliance with the king of Kandy, Senerat (1604–35), against the Portuguese, in the east. the coast of the island appeared. trading post. All R. 17th century Dutch-Portuguese The rivalry over the island intensified. In May 1638, the NOIK and the ruler of Kandy, Rajasinha II (1635–1687), entered into a new alliance against the Portuguese. In 1639, NOIK and Kandy captured the ports of Trincomalee and Batticaloa from the Portuguese, and in 1640 they stormed Negombo and Galle. In 1644, a peace agreement was signed between Portugal and the United Provinces to divide the island into Portugal. and gol. territories. In 1652 military. actions resumed. In 1656, the troops of the NOIK and Kandy took Colombo after a 7-month siege. In 1658, the NOI captured Jaffna, and the last Portuguese fell. fort on Sh.-L. - Negapatam. The Dutch established control over the coastal areas, Kandy retained its independence. Goll. The administration of the island was carried out through the governor and resident in Colombo, who reported respectively to the governor general and the Council for India in Batavia (now Jakarta), where the headquarters of the colonial possessions of the Netherlands in Asia was located. NOIK retained monopolies on cinnamon, cardamom, pepper, and areca palm fruits. New crops were introduced (coffee, sugar cane); plantation production of black pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom was encouraged. The Dutch introduced Protestantism, Netherlands. Many Catholics were transferred to the Reformed Church. temples built under the Portuguese.

From ser. 18th century Anglo-Gall began. fight for possession of the island. After the siege of Madras, Franz. East India Company in 1758–59 Brit. The East India Company (BOIC) became interested in Sh.-L. In 1762, 1782 and 1795, Kandy sent BOIC embassies to propose an alliance against the PBIC. In 1795–96, when the Netherlands was captured by revolutionary troops. France and the colonies lost contact with the metropolis, the BOIC established control over the coastal areas of the island. The captured areas were included in the Madras Presidency. In 1798 the British held an adm. reform. Citizen and military The administration was headed by a governor responsible to the Colonial Office in London. Control over tax collection and trade monopolies remained in the hands of BOIC officials.

Sri Lanka under British rule

In 1800 Sh.-L. removed from the Madras Presidency and declared independent. royal colony of Great Britain, which secured Treaty of Amiens 1802. In 1815 Great Britain annexed the territory of Kandy. After the anti-British rebellion of 1817–18, Kandy was divided into 11 districts and brought under British control. officials. A unified administrative tax system has been introduced throughout the island. In 1833, the trade monopolies of the BOIC were transferred to the colonial authorities. In 1848, anti-colonial uprisings broke out again in the Kandy, Matale, and Kurunegala regions, suppressed by force of arms. Since the 1830s On the lands seized from the peasants, a plantation economy began to be created; coffee, cinnamon, pepper, sugar cane, and cotton were cultivated. Since the 1880s, after the spread of a disease that destroyed coffee plantations, tea and rubber plantations appeared. K con. 19th century they became ch. export crops of Sh.-L., copra and other coconut palm products occupied an important place in the export. A working class was emerging, the bulk of which were plantation workers (mostly immigrants from India). Sharecropping became the predominant form of peasant land use.

In 1865 on Sh.-L. the first national arose. social-political org-tion - Ceylon League. In the beginning. 20th century bourgeois politicians appeared. organizations that demanded the implementation of the constitution. reforms. In 1919, P. Arunachalam, P. Ramanathan, D. B. Jayatilaka, D. S. Senanayake and F. R. Senanayake founded the first major political organization. party - Ceylon National Congress (CNC), which advocated granting an elective majority to the Ceylonese in the Legislature. council, implementation of the principle of territorial representation, formation of a responsible government. In 1922 the Ceylon Workers' Union was created. In 1931 on Sh.-L. a constitution was introduced that provided for the creation of an elected parliament - the State. advice. In the elections of 1931 and 1936, the majority of seats in the State. members of the Central Committee, representatives of the big Sinhala bourgeoisie, received the council. In the beginning. 1930s The anti-colonial movement “Suriya mal” (suriya mal – flowers that were sold by participants in the movement to create a fund to help workers) unfolded in the country.

During World War II, the food issue was especially acute, since Japan, having occupied Burma, stopped the tradition. export of rice to Sh.-L. At the same time, the supply of products from the plantation sector of Sh.-L. continued to bring great profits to Britain. firms and large Ceylon planters. In 1942, the Central Committee demanded the elimination of the colonial regime after the end of the war. The growth of anti-imperialist movement was forced by Brit. The government appointed a commission to draft a new constitution for Ceylon. Under the pressure of the national liberation. struggle of the peoples of the island and neighboring Asian countries, Great Britain granted Ceylon independence on February 4, 1948 as a dominion.

Sri Lanka after independence

The bourgeoisie gained power in the country. United National Party(UNP), headed by D. S. Senanayake. Under the terms of the Anglo-Ceylon Defense Treaty (1947), the British remained on the island. troops and the military remained. bases. British monopolies continued to occupy leading positions in the export of plantation crops and controlled the country's economy. The course of the Senanayake government was not aimed at decisively eliminating the colonial legacy. The policy of the UNP was opposed by a group of the Tamil bourgeoisie, which created the Federal Party (FP) in 1949. In 1951 a group of activists (under the leadership of Solomon Bandaranaike) left the UNP and formed the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Its program included demands for the elimination of the colonial legacy and the implementation of progressive socio-economic reforms. transformations. Opposition forces to the government rallied around the LPSL program and created the United People. Front (ONF), which defeated the UNP in the 1956 parliamentary elections.

The government of Solomon Bandaranaike set a course for strengthening the country's independence and tore apart the defense. alliance with Great Britain, announced a policy of neutrality and non-alignment with blocs. In 1957 the British were liquidated. sea ​​and air bases in Sh.-L. Sinhala replaced English as the only official language. language. The government actively supported Buddhist and Sinhalese cultural events. The economy was on a course towards nationalization.

The policies of the ONF government affected the interests of various people. population groups. New status of the Sinhala language. caused opposition from the Tamils. Under hand FP they started the fight to provide Tamil language. state status language. This exacerbated communal strife and provoked mass unrest in 1958. Friction arose in trade unions and conflicts in Buddhist circles. In this situation, political instability and social tension in September. 1959 Bandaranaike was killed. The UNP won the parliamentary elections in March 1960, but the government it created soon received a vote of no confidence. In new elections in July 1960, victory went to the SLPP, the reorganized widow of Solomon Bandaranaike, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, who took the post of prime minister. In foreign policy, a course of “positive neutralism” was taken. The use of Sinhala has increased. as official in the state. institutions and courts. Economical the program provided for accelerating the pace of industrial development and restructuring the villages. x-va, expansion of state. sectors. The SLPP government nationalized the property of three foreigners. oil companies (1963). In 1964, in order to strengthen the social base, the PSSL agreed to a coalition with the Socialist. by the Lankan party. The formation of the coalition aroused opposition from the right wing of the SLPP.

In the parliamentary elections of 1965, a relative majority of seats went to the UNP, and the government was headed by D. Sh. Senanayake. In economic In policy, the government has taken a course towards encouraging the private sector and attracting foreigners. capital. The cooperation of the UNP and the PF led to a number of concessions to Tamil demands. For the first time since 1956, Tamils, in Tamil, were included in the government. was assigned an official status. However, the gradual growth of Sinhala-Tamil disagreements led to the FP leaving the government in 1968. At the same time, the PSSL and a group of Marxist parties (including the Lanka Socialist Party) formed the opposition. United Front (UF), while the government's conciliatory policy towards the Tamils ​​was used to foment discontent, and the provision of benefits to the fatherland. and foreign capital has been heavily criticized. In the parliamentary elections in May 1970, the PF won, receiving approx. 49% of the vote and 115 seats out of 151. The government was again headed by Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The state was strengthened. control over important economic spheres, primarily trade and industry. Attempts to build a socialist societies came across means. economical difficulties caused by balance of payments deficits, increasing foreign debt, the need to finance an expensive social security program and subsidize the sale of grain to the public.

In 1971, Sirimavo Bandaranaike introduced a state of emergency in the country (it lasted until 1977). Following this, anti-government riots broke out. riots by Sinhalese students and unemployed youth in many parts of the country, which were suppressed by force of arms. Land reform began in 1972, and tea plantations owned by foreigners were nationalized in 1975. companies. A series of reforms aimed at active government intervention in the economy led to economic collapse and rising unemployment. According to the constitution adopted in 1972, Ceylon was proclaimed a free, sovereign and independent Republic of Latvia. Pressure from the right wing of the SLPP complicated relations within the ruling coalition. Exacerbation of disagreements between Socialist. The Lanka Party and other coalition parties around the UF platform led to their withdrawal from the government. Having lost support b. including deputies in parliament, Bandaranaike was forced to call general elections for July 1977.

In 1977 Communist. party, Socialist party of Lanka and Nar. democratic party (founded in 1977) formed the United Left Front. In the same year, Tamil nationalists. parties created the Tamil United Liberation Front. In the parliamentary elections in July 1977, the UNP won, its leader, J.R. Jayawardene, became the head of government, and in 1978 he assumed the office of president (according to the amendment to the constitution adopted back in October 1977, the president became the head of executive power). According to the new Constitution, which came into force in 1978, the country received an official name Democratic Socialist Republic of S.-L. The national currency was devalued. currency, a policy was pursued to strengthen the private sector of the economy and attract foreigners. capital, state capital increased significantly. expenses for the implementation of farm development projects. Thanks to high world tea prices in 1977 and 1978, Sh.-L. quickly achieved economic growth and reduction of unemployment. In 1982, President Jayawardene was re-elected for another term; as a result of a referendum, the powers of parliament were extended until 1989.

From the beginning 1980s internal politics situation in Sh.-L. was largely determined by the permanent military-political. confrontation over internal interethnic relations. A complex interweaving of contradictions between two leading ethnic groups. groups - Sinhalese and Tamils ​​- led to the emergence of a separatist movement for the creation of an independent Tamil state. His ch. extremist military-political became the ideologist and inspirer. Sri Lankan Tamil organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE). In 1983, the conflict between the government and the LTTE entered the stage of open warfare. struggle. To achieve your political goals. goals, the LTTE used methods of terror, mainly. bomb. Not only dozens of politicians became victims of the Tigers’ terrorist attacks. figures of S.-L., including the president of the country R. Premadasa (in 1993), but also the former. Prime Minister India R. Gandhi (1991).

In 1994, the Nar coalition. the alliance led by the SLPP won the parliamentary elections, its candidate Ch. Kumaratunga was elected president (before her, after the death of Premadasa, this post was held by Dingiri Banda Wijetunge). In con. 1995 Govt. troops took control of the city of Jaffna, ch. bastion of separatists. Subsequently, LTTE militants switched to guerrilla tactics, concentrating in hard-to-reach eastern regions. areas. In 1999–2000, the LTTE attacked the Govt. troops suffered a series of defeats on the Jaffna Peninsula. On Dec. 2001 time was announced on both sides. suspension of hostilities. In Feb. 2002 Ceasefire Agreement signed. During the period of negotiations with the LTTE in 2002, the government lifted the ban on the activities of this organization in S.-L. In April 2003 The LTTE announced the suspension of its participation in the negotiations. Kumaratunga temporarily suspended the Sri Lankan parliament and took control of three ministerial posts (defense, internal affairs and information). In 2004, she created the Union for the Freedom of the United People (United People's Freedom Alliance) on the basis of the LPSL, a communist. Nar. Liberation Front (founded in 1965) and a number of other parties. After the terrible tsunami that hit Sh.-L. On December 26, 2004, a split began in the coalition: due to disagreements on the issue of control over the distribution of international. to help victims in 2005, the People's Front left the Union. liberation. On Nov. In 2005, upon expiration of her term of office, Kumaratunga resigned as president. From November 19, 2005 to January 9, 2015, President Sh.-L. was M. Rajapakse, one of the leaders of the SLPP. In April 2006 Armament began again. fight against the LTTE. In 2009, the army of Sh.-L. completed the defeat of the LTTE, taking control of all areas remaining under LTTE rule in the North. provinces (Kilinochchi, Elephant Trail and Mullaitivu). Citizen the war of 1983–2009 claimed from 80 to 100 thousand lives. In 2009 Shanghai Cooperation Organization decided to provide Sh.-L. dialogue partner status.

On January 9, 2015, M. Sirisena was elected president, who, despite his many years of membership in the PSSL (1967–2014) and work in the Rajapaksa government (2005–14), sharply criticized nepotism and embezzlement in the former government. head of state. In foreign policy, Sirisena advocated equal partnerships with all Asian countries, including China, India, Pakistan and Japan, supporting an “Asian-centric multi-vector foreign policy.” Parliamentary elections took place on August 17, 2015. The victory (about 45% of the vote and 106 seats in parliament) was won by the created United National coalition. Front for Good Governance, including the UNP, United Left Front, Tamil Progressive Union, Ceylon Muslim Union and a number of other parties. OK. The Union for the Freedom of the United People, led by the PSSL, received 42% of the votes and 95 seats.

Diplomatic relations with the USSR were established in 1957. In 1963 and 1974 the Soviet Union. The Union was visited by the Prime Minister. Sh.-L. Sirimavo Bandaranaike. The first visit to Russia by Sri Lankan President M. Rajapaksa in the history of bilateral relations took place on February 6–9, 2010. Trade turnover at the end of 2014 amounted to $545.2 million (Russian imports - $405.7 million, exports - $139.5 million). Russia continues to be the world's largest consumer of Ceylon tea.

Farm

Sh.-L. – Asian. country avg. economic level development. GDP volume (at purchasing power parity, 2015) is 237.8 billion dollars, per capita approx. 10.7 thousand dollars. Human development index 0.757 (2015; 73rd place among 188 countries; 1st place in South Asia).

Economical reforms began in 1977 with the goal of creating a social market export-oriented economy; included measures to weaken state control, privatization and liberalization of foreign trade. GDP growth 1991–2000 avg. per year was 5.2%. In the 2000s. privatization was suspended, and a number of new state governments were formed for the purpose of demonopolization. companies in leading sectors of the economy, the production of internal goods has noticeably intensified. market. To attract foreigners investments, 14 industrial parks and export production facilities were created. zones Economy rates growth is 5.0% (2016), inflation – 4.3%; government deficit budget - 5.5% of GDP, current account balance of payments - $1.23 billion; state debt - 77.1% of GDP, external debt - $47.65 billion. An important source of income is remittances from the Sri Lankan community abroad ($550–700 million per year). GDP structure (%, 2016): service sector 60.6, industry and construction 30.9, agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing 8.5.

Industry

Industrial structure production by industry (% of added value, 2013): food and flavoring 47.0, light 22.9, oil refining and chemical 16.3, mechanical engineering and metalworking 8.5, mining and processing of non-metallic materials. miner raw materials 3.9, other industries 1.4. Ch. prom. center - Colombo (with suburbs).

Fuel and energy complex

Sh.-L. does not have its own mineral reserves fuel. Basic type of energy carriers – oil refining products (boiler and motor fuel, petroleum gas). Crude oil imports approx. 1.75 million tons (2013; main sample from the UAE and Malaysia); production of petroleum products approx. 1.64 million tons, their export is 134 thousand tons, import is approx. 2.83 million tons (growing much faster than crude oil imports), consumption approx. 4.33 million tons. In the city of Sapugaskanda (Western Province) there is the only oil refinery in the country (capacity 2.55 million tons of crude oil per year; currently being expanded). Ch. company - state Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. Import of hard coal 1.23 million tons (2013); from Indonesia; for the needs of the electric power industry.

Electricity production approx. 12.4 billion kWh (2014), ch. arr. under state control Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). Structure of production by type of power plants (%, 2014): thermal power plants 60.8 (based on hydrocarbons 34.8, coal 26.0), hydroelectric power stations 36.7, installations of alternative energy sources 2.5. Installed capacity of power plants is 3932 MW (2014). The largest thermal power plants: coal-fired "Lakvijaya" (Puttalam, North-West Province; capacity 900 MW; division of CEB) and diesel "Kelanitissa" (north-eastern suburb of Colombo Wellampitiya; 550 MW; jointly owned by CEB and " AES Kelanitissa"), hydroelectric power stations: "Victoria" (210 MW) and "Kotmale" (201 MW; both on the Mahaweli River, Central Province; jointly owned by the Mahaweli Authority and CEB). Structure of alternative energy capacities (%, 2013): mini-hydroelectric power plants 77.8, wind power plants 19.9, biomass power plants 2.2, solar power plants 0.1. The Mannar wind farm is under construction (2016–18; in the Northern Province; capacity 100 MW; under the control of CEB).

Metallurgy

Rolled steel production: 76 thousand tons (2013). Several are valid. metallurgical factories (use scrap metal); the largest are in Oruuol (capacity 250 thousand tons; owner - Ceylon Steel Corporation) and Kanuvana-Kurunduwatta (219 thousand tons; Melwire Rolling; both - Western Province). Non-ferrous metallurgy is represented by the production of titanium (44.4 thousand tons, 2013) and zirconium (38 thousand tons) concentrates, secondary lead (in the export-industrial zone "Marigama", Western Province; under the control of the Indian company " Gravita India"; 3.8 thousand tons, 2013) and rolled aluminum (in Sapugaskanda and Kanuvana-Kurunduwatta). Extraction of precious and semi-precious stones approx. 4100 thousand carat (2013): sapphires, rubies (both near Ratnapura, Sabaragamuwa province), chrysoberyl (cat's eye), etc.

Mechanical engineering and metalworking

One of the leading industries is shipbuilding; specializes in the production of auxiliary materials. vessels for offshore oil and natural gas production, sea. wind power and high-speed patrol boats; also produces tankers, bulk carriers (Ceylon Shipping Corporation) and sailboats (American North Sails Group). Marine repair ships (up to 125 thousand tons of deadweight) at the shipyards of the Colombo Dockyard and Colombo Engineering Services companies; Ch. center - Colombo. Production of passenger cars, trucks and special vehicles. cars, buses at company factories: national. "Micro Cars" (in Kelaniya) and ind. "Ashok Leyland" (in Migasmulla, both - Western Province) and "Tata Motors", trucks and motorcycles - ind. "Mahindra & Mahindra" (both in Colombo), auto rickshaws and motorcycles - ind. Bajaj Auto (in Colombo and Hambantota, Southern Province) and TVS Motor Company (Wattala, Western Province). Manufacture of tractors, decomposition. agricultural equipment, forklifts, etc. at the Samarakoon Tractor Industries company in Minuwangoda (West Province). Also produces energy, electrical, medical. and baking equipment, equipment for grain and tea processing.

Chemical industry

Evaporation of rock salt from the sea. water (13 thousand tons, 2013; operated by Raigam Wayamba Salterns) - near Puttalam and Jaffna. Phosphorite production 53 thousand tons (2013; under the control of the state company "Lanka Phosphate") - in the Eppavala region (North Central Province); There is also the production of phosphate fertilizers and livestock feeds (satisfying internal demand by 60%). Release of chlorine, hydrochloric acid, caustic. soda, zinc chloride and bleaches (based on rock salt; in Parantana, Northern Prov.), lubricating oils, greases, brake fluids, polyethylene terephthalate and polyester (based on petroleum products; in Sapugaskand), polyethylene film and plastic products ( in Malabo, Western Province), paints, glues, agrochemicals, veterinary and pharmaceuticals. drugs, personal hygiene products, etc. (in Colombo), detergents (British-Dutch company Unilever plant; in Horana, Western Province). Production of soap, etc. from coconut oil, ethanol from sugar cane. Processing of natural rubber (approx. 70% of the harvest): production of wear-resistant tires and misc. rubber-technical products (household use and sporting goods) in a number of Western centers. Prov.

Forestry industry

Industrial timber harvesting 611 thousand m 3 (2015), production of lumber 61 thousand m 3, wood boards 150 thousand m 3, plywood 6 thousand m 3, veneer 5 thousand m 3; cellulose 18.5 thousand tons, paper and cardboard 24.5 thousand tons, charcoal (including coconut shells) 1.7 thousand tons. Also production of furniture and furniture fittings. Small and medium ones predominate. enterprises; basic some are located in the suburbs of Colombo. Leading pulp and paper manufacturer - National Paper Company; under her control is a factory in Batticaloa (Eastern Province).

Construction materials industry

Production (thousand tons, 2013): kaolin 10.0, graphite 4.2, mica 2.2; cement production 3.0 million tons. Graphite mining is carried out by the following companies: “Sakura Graphite” (in the North-West Province), “Kahatagaha Graphite Lanka” (in the West. Province) and Germany. "Graphit Kropfmühl" (in Central Province). Cement plants of the companies "Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka)" (created with the participation of Japanese capital), "Lanka Cement" and the Swiss. Holcim operates in Puttalam, Trincomalee, Galle and Kankesanthurai (Northern Province). Also producing ceramics. tiles, sanitary ware and porcelain tableware (85% of products are exported).

Light industry

Developed since the 1980s. as an alternative to ind. light industry; busy ok. 15% of the workforce (85% women). They work approx. 900 enterprises producing clothing (including knitwear) of the world's leading brands; b. h is located in Colombo and its suburbs; export of products to Europe. countries and the USA. Production of home textiles and leather shoes. Processing of coconut fiber.

Food industry

Ch. export-oriented industry - tea industry [loaf varieties of black tea are especially famous; leading companies - "Origilal Ceylon Tea Company" and "Ceylon Tea Services" (trademark "Dilmah"); also packaging of tea grew. company "May"]; its export earnings St. $1.5 billion (2013). Production of wheat flour (over 1.3 million tons per year) and mixed feed at the enterprise of the Singaporean company “Prima” in Trincomalee. Production (thousand tons, 2014): sugar 52.2, grows. oils 47.3 (coconut - 95.8%), margarine 7.5; beer 125 (Lion Brewery and Asia Pacific Brewery Lanka companies); strong alcoholic (Arrack brand; made from the juice of coconut palm flowers) and non-alcoholic (including at the factories of the American companies Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo) drinks, tobacco products (Ceylon Tobacco Company).

Agriculture and fishing

Pl. agricultural land 2,740 thousand hectares (2014), of which arable land accounts for 47.4%, perennial plantings - 36.5%, pastures - 16.1%. The area of ​​irrigated land is 600.7 thousand hectares (2011), 92.7% is occupied by rice crops in the dry season.

Leading industry farms - crop production. Plantations are traditionally of great importance. farms. The production of tea, coffee, coconuts, natural rubber and spices is oriented for export; the rest is agricultural. crops are consumed primarily. within the country. Gross collection ch. plantation crops (thousand tons, 2014): tea 338.0 (4th place in the world after China, India and Kenya), coffee 6.1; coconuts 2395.3, copra 152.4; natural rubber 113.1; black pepper 27.8, cinnamon 16.8, ginger 15.5, cloves 5.6. Tea and coffee plantations are common in the center. mountainous areas (including tea - in the provinces of Central, Uva, Sabaragamuwa and South, at an altitude of over 2100 m), coconut palms - in the west. areas and in the east. coast, rubber plant-hevea - in the southeast. Production of other agricultural products crops (thousand tons, 2014): rice 338.1, corn 241.1; sugar cane 960.4; cassava 301.5, potatoes 82.4, sweet potatoes 50.3; onions 190.2, zucchini and pumpkin 136.5, eggplant 128.3, cabbage 106.9, tomatoes 86.5, green beans 81.7, lettuce and herbs 65.3, chili peppers 62.5, carrots 54.7 , cucumbers 40.4; bananas 642.1, mangoes 76.5, pineapples 46.3; peanuts 25.4, sesame 14.1, cashews 6.4; tobacco 3.3. Cereals are grown in the south and along the east. coast, sugar cane – preem. in the east, tobacco in the north. Near Dankotuwa (North-West Province) there is a nursery for growing flower seedlings (built with the assistance of Dutch companies).

Livestock farming provides internal needs. Livestock (thousand heads, 2014): cattle 1425.5 (including buffaloes 320.7), goats 299.1, pigs 105.2; chickens 16.6 million. Production (thousand tons, 2014): poultry meat 143.9, beef and buffalo 24.8, pork 1.7, goat meat 1.1; milk 248.6 (cow's milk – approx. 4/5 ); eggs 1.7 billion pcs. Food imports are steadily declining (13.1% of import value in 2015 versus 50.5% in 1975); They import grain (wheat and rice), sugar, and plants. oil, animal fats, etc.

Fishing and seafood production 535 thousand tons (2014); The industry employs 272.1 thousand people. Ch. fishing ports are Dikkovita (north of Colombo) and Cod Bay (in Trincomalee). Aquaculture is developing (together with fishing in inland waters, 75.8 thousand tons, 2014). Fish exports: $266.5 million (2014), imports: $144.5 million.

Services sector

Operators of the monetary system: Center. Bank of Sh.-L. (1949; operations since 1950; current name since 1985) and the Colombo Stock Exchange. There are 23 commercial enterprises. (the role of foreign banks is great; leading national - state Bank of Ceylon; non-state Commercial Bank of Ceylon, National Development Bank, Nations Trust Bank, Pan Asia Banking Corporation and Union Bank of Colombo), 9 specialized (all national; assistance, savings . and investment) banks and approx. 30 insurance companies (including foreign). Ch. financial center - Colombo.

The sectors of outsourcing and IT services, as well as software development, are rapidly developing (total turnover of $730 million, 2013). Several are valid. IT parks - in Dematagoda (a suburb of Colombo), Hambantota, etc. The number of landline telephone subscribers is 2.6 million (2015), mobile telephone subscribers are approx. 24.4 million, Internet users St. 6.6 million Leading telecommunications companies companies: Sri Lanka Telecom, Lanka Bell, Dialog, Etisalat, Hutch and Airtel (the last four are controlled by foreign companies).

Tourism is actively developing. business. Total number of foreigners tourists 2.05 million (2016; 336.8 thousand in 2011), most come from India, China, Great Britain, Germany and France; number of internal tourists 6 million (2014). Basic types of tourism: cultural and educational, recreational, environmental. and sporty.

Transport

Basic mode of transport – automobile. The total length (thousand km, 2014) of highways is 114.1, including improved roads of approx. 12.5. Ch. road junction - Colombo. The fleet of road vehicles is 6.3 million units (2015), of which 3.36 million are motorcycles, 672.5 thousand cars. The length of railways is 1,567 km (2015; track width is 1,676 mm); Suburban railway is widespread. message. Length of internal waterways 160 km (2012; in the north-west of the country); pipelines (oil product pipelines) 62 km.

Mor. transport serves foreign trade. Mor. the fleet consists of 21 vessels (2010) with a total displacement of 192.2 thousand tons. br.-t, another 8 go under foreign. flags. The largest pestilence. ports: Colombo (over 5 million TEU containers in 2015, the country’s main container port), Hambantota (named after Magampura Mahindra Rajapaksa; 20 million TEU containers in the future), Trincomalee, Galle and Kankesanthurai (Jaffna outport).

Number of air passengers 4.3 million (2015). The largest airports are Bandaranaike (over 8.5 million passengers, 2015) and Ratmalana (the first in the country; international business aviation flights, etc.) in Colombo and Mattala Rajapaksa in Hambantota. Leading airlines are SriLankan Airlines, Millennium Airlines (charter flights; helicopters and seaplanes).

Foreign economic relations

The volume of foreign trade turnover is 29.4 billion dollars (2015), including exports 10.4 billion dollars, imports 19.0 billion dollars. Commodity structure of exports (% of value, 2015): clothing 43.5 , tea, coffee and spices 16.0 (the main directions of tea supplies are the UAE, Russia, Turkey and Iran), natural rubber and products made from it 7.6, machinery and equipment 4.0, precious and semi-precious stones 2.3, fruits and nuts 2.0. Basic buyers of goods from S.-L. (% of value, 2015): Asian. countries 30.6, Northern countries. America 29.6, Europe. countries 29.1. The most important commodity import items (% of value, 2015): machinery and equipment 25.9, miner. fuel 14.0, plastics 3.9, knitted fabric 3.6, rolled steel 3.1, cotton 3.0, etc. Ch. suppliers of goods in S.-L. (% of value, 2015): Asian. countries 80.2, european countries 9.5, Northern countries. America 4.1.

Armed forces

Armed forces (AF) number 183 thousand people. (2016) and consist of the Army (Ground Forces), the Air Force and the Navy. Paramilitary formation of 30.4 thousand people. Organized reserve of the Armed Forces 5.5 thousand people. Military annual budget $1.97 billion (2016). Supreme Commander. The head of state is the head of state - the president, also known as the min. defense Directly troop control is entrusted to the General Staff.

NE (140 thousand people) is the basis of the Armed Forces. Includes 7 district headquarters and 22 division headquarters, organizationally consolidated into departments. brigades and regiments. The Army is armed with 62 main battle tanks, 15 infantry fighting vehicles, 62 infantry fighting vehicles, St. 210 armored personnel carriers, 96 towed field artillery guns, 28 MLRS of 107 and 122 mm calibers, 784 mortars, 40 recoilless rifles, etc.

The Air Force (28 thousand people) includes a fighter, 3 fighter-attack, 2 transport air squadrons, a training wing, a combat squadron, 3 squadrons of transport helicopters, 2 squadrons of unmanned aircraft, and a security regiment. The Air Force has 30 combat, 21 transport, 14 training aircraft; 11 combat, 18 reconnaissance, 16 transport helicopters; 27 anti-aircraft guns.

The Navy (15 thousand people) has 3 patrol ships, boats, 3 troop transports, 3 transport vessels.

Weapons and military foreign technology production. Manning of regular aircraft on a voluntary (contract) basis. Training of privates and non-commissioned officers - in units and training centers, officers - in the national. military educational institutions and abroad. Mobilization resources 5.4 million people, including those fit for military service. service 4.2 million people.

Healthcare

In Sh.-L. per 100 thousand inhabitants there are 68 doctors (2010), 190 persons. Wed honey. staff and midwives, 10 dentists (2007); 36 hospital beds for 10 thousand inhabitants. (2012). Total expenditure on health care is 3.5% of GDP (2014) [budget financing - 56.1% (2014), private sector - 45.9% (2015)]. Legal regulation of the health care system is carried out by: laws on food control (1980), on health services (1987), on the protection of the rights of people with disabilities (2003), on Wed. honey. personnel (2005), about tobacco and alcohol (2006), about private medical services. institutions (2006), on the treatment and rehabilitation of persons with drug addiction. addiction (2007). The health care system is state-owned. Honey. European help type provided by the state. institutions, free of charge (private medical services are paid). Traditionally widespread. adv. medicine (Ayurveda). The medical system is functioning. insurance. In the state honey. institutions, the level of services is quite high. In rural areas, ambulance and emergency medical services. no help, qualified honey. Insufficient assistance is provided. Medicines are usually dispensed in pharmacies without a prescription. Purchasing medications in small local pharmacies is not recommended (about 60% of them are counterfeit). There is a wide network of Ayurvedic medicine. pharmacies Basic infectious diseases: Japanese encephalitis, malaria, hepatitis B, diphtheria, dengue fever, rabies (2015). Basic Cause of death: ischemic. heart disease, stroke, trauma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cirrhosis of the liver, etc. Resorts and recreation centers: Anuradhapura, Weligama, Galle, Dambulla, Mount Lavinia, Negombo, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Trincomalee, etc.

Sport

National The Olympic Committee was founded and recognized by the IOC in 1937. Athletes Sh.-L. (1948–72 Ceylon) have participated in the Olympic Games since 1948 (did not participate in 1976); two silver medals were won (as of January 1, 2017) - D. White in the 400 m hurdles (London, 1948); S. Jayasinghe in the 200 m race (Sydney, 2000), she is also a 6-time winner of the Asian Championships in the 100 m and 200 m races, silver (1997) and bronze (2007) medalist at the world championships. The most popular sports: cricket, rugby, aquatics, badminton, athletics, football, basketball, tennis, baseball, etc. In 1996, Sh.-L. was (together with India and Pakistan) the organizer of the Cricket World Cup - the competition took place in the arenas of Colombo (named after R. Premadasa, 1986, about 40 thousand seats; Sinhala, 1952, 10 thousand seats) and Kandy (Asgiriya , 1915; 10.3 thousand places). The winner of the 1996 tournament was the national team of Sh.-L.; in 2007 she lost to the Australian national team in the final; in 2011 – lost to the Indian team. The team's assets include Sh.-L. cricket also won 5 Asian Cups (1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014). Among the outstanding cricketers is M. Muralitharan (b. 1972). At the Asian Games (1951–2014) 11 gold, 11 silver, 24 bronze medals were won, at the South Asian Games (since 1984) - 210, 351, 553 (held in Colombo in 1991 and 2006). In the Commonwealth Games (1938–50, 1958–70, 1978–82, since 1990) – 4, 7, 2.

Education. Scientific and cultural institutions

The management of educational institutions is carried out by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Advanced Training prof. and technical Education, Ministry of Children's Affairs, Women's Empowerment and Provincial Education Councils. Basic regulatory documents - acts: on higher and professional education (1990, amendments 1999), compulsory. education (1997), about 9-year elementary school (1999). The education system includes: 1–2 years of preschool education (mostly private), 13 years of general education (including compulsory for children aged 5 to 14 years): 5 years of primary education, 4 years of incomplete education secondary, 4-year full secondary, vocational-technical. and higher education. Preschool education covers 95% of children (2013), primary education – 97.2% (2014), secondary education – 85.4% (2011). The literacy rate of the population over 15 years of age is 92.6% (2015) (data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics). There are 15 state institutions in the higher education system. univ. Ch. scientific institutions, universities, libraries and museums are located in Colombo (including the National Academy of Sciences, National Museum, National Council of Scientific Research, University).

Mass media

Daily newspapers are published (all in Colombo) in Sinhala: “Dinamina” (“Daily News”, since 1909, circulation approx. 254 thousand copies), “Janata” (“People”, since 1953, approx. 15 thousand copies), “Dinakaran” (“Sun”, since 1977, about 12 thousand copies), in English. language – “Daily News” (since 1918, approx. 65 thousand copies), “Sunday Observer” [since 1834 (current name since 1928), approx. 10 thousand copies], in Tamil. – “Tinakaran” (“Lamp”, since 1932, about 14 thousand copies), “Virakesari” (“News”, since 1930, about 48 thousand copies). Issued weekly (all in Colombo): in Sinhala. – gas. “Sirayata” (“Motherland”, 10 thousand copies), w. “Sarasavia” (“Higher Knowledge”, since 1963, approx. 56 thousand copies), in English. language – gas. “Nation” (since 2006, about 15 thousand copies). Radio broadcasting has been carried out since 1923; in 1967 the state was founded. Broadcasting. corporation Sh.-L. Television broadcasting since 1979. Since 1978, the National has been operating in Colombo. information Lankapuwat Agency.

Literature

At the origins of literature Sh.-L. - written recording of the Buddhist canon in language. fell in the 1st century. BC e. (cm. Pali literature). Poetry was created in Sanskrit for a long time (see. Sanskrit literature). In the 8th–9th centuries. n. e. originated Sinhala literature, also received the development of literature in Tamil. (cm. Tamil literature). In the 20th century pl. writers from Sh.-L., at home and in the diaspora, write in English. language

Architecture and fine arts

Artist culture of Sh.-L. dates back to the Paleolithic (utensils, tools) and Neolithic (dolmens, altars, rock paintings). The period of the rise of the Sinhala culture of the ancient period (3rd century BC - 8th century AD) is associated with Anuradhapura, the era of the heyday of culture in the early Middle Ages (8th–13th centuries) – from Polonnaruwa. The cities were divided by walls into the Inner (Royal) City with a palace and the main religious buildings and the Outer City with residential buildings, monasteries, gardens, parks and bazaars. Sinhalese architecture is characterized by stability of types dating back to Indo-Buddhist models, simplicity and clarity of composition, and noble restraint of decoration. Buddhist monasteries (viharas), similar to Indian ones, surpassed them in scale and variety of types of buildings: stupa (dagoba, or dagaba), the house of the Bodhi tree (bodhighara), the house of remains (dhatughara) and its varieties (the so-called round temple and house relics), image house (patimaghara), meeting house (uposathagahara; for initiation into monks and confession), dharma house (dhammasala), monks' cells, refectories, libraries, etc. Dagaba consisted of a 3-tier stylobate, a main volume and a square plan of the superstructure with a conical spire. The image house (Lankatilaka in Polonnaruwa, 12th century) had a composition of 3 rooms: a vestibule (mantapam), a columned porch (antarala) and a square multi-columned sanctuary hall (garbha-griha). T.n. the round temple (Wata-da-ge in Medirigiriya, 7th century; in Polonnaruwa, 11th century) consisted of a dagaba with 4 Buddha statues around, 2 concentric walls and 3 rings of columns from trees. dome ceiling.

After the conquest of the island by the Tamils ​​(from South India), Hindu temples were also erected, including in the Dravidian style (Shiva temples in Polonnaruwa, 11th century; Nallur-Kandaswami kovil near Jaffna, 15th century, restored in 1734 and 1807) . The layout of the royal palaces consisted of a center. room surrounded by numerous rooms (palace of Parakramabahu I in Polonnaruwa, 12th century). Examples of defense have been preserved. architecture (in Sigiriya, on a rock, etc.). At 16 – start. 19th centuries traditional architecture continued to develop in Kandy.

Depict. claim related to ind. artist schools (Andhra, Guptas, Pallavas), is represented by stone monumental Buddhist sculpture, characterized by restraint of image and laconicism of form: giant (6–16 m) statues of Buddha in Avukana (6–8 centuries), in Saseruwa, in the Galvihara complex in Polonnaruwa ( all 12th century), high relief image of Buddha in the monastery in Buduruwegal (9th–10th centuries). At the entrance to the temple, steles were often erected depicting the “guardians of the gates” (nagarajas in a halo of cobra hoods). The reliefs on the steles of the vakhalkad altars are close to Ind. plastics. schools of Bharhut, Sanchi, etc. Numerous have survived. metallic figurines of deities, as well as secular sculpture (high relief “Lovers” at the Isurumuniya monastery in Anuradhapura, 5th–7th centuries; statues of secular historical figures). Monumental painting received great development: images of 17 half-naked women in the role of heavenly apsara maidens throwing flowers in Sigiriya (2nd half of the 5th century), Buddha and Hindu deities worshiping him in the Hindagala cave near Kandy (5th–7th centuries. ). During the Polonnaruwa period, the role of the contour line in painting decreased (frescoes in the relic chamber near Alutnuwara, 11th century; in Puligoda-Galga near the ancient city of Dimbulagala, 12th century). 18th century paintings in the temples of Kandy, in the cave sanctuaries of Dambulla (included in the list World Heritage) are distinguished by their dry interpretation of forms.

From the 16th century Sinhala traditional culture was in decline, Europe was spreading. influence: the port cities of Negombo, Colombo, Galle (the city center is included in the World Heritage List), etc. were built with forts, churches, etc. During the English period. colonial rule in architecture dominated by English forms. classicism (from the beginning of the 19th century), new types of buildings were erected (station stations, administrative buildings; St. Mary's Church in Negombo, 1874–1922; National Museum, 1877, architect J.J. Smider; old parliament building , 1920–30, architect A. Woodson; Municipal Council building, 1924–28, architect S. Edwards; all in Colombo). With independence (1948) in construction, along with the achievements of world architecture, including under the influence of the ideas of the historian A. Kumaraswamy, the experience of national architecture is also used. architecture: buildings by architects E. Boyd, M. de Silva, J. Bawa (Parliament building in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, 1982; Ruhuna National University in Matara, 1980–88), W. Plesner (Chapel of the Good Shepherd in Bandarawele, 1963). Among the buildings in the spirit regionalism: Int. Memorial Congress Center Solomon Bandaranaike (1971–73), British High Commission complex (2008, Scottish Arch. R. Murphy; both in Colombo).

Easel art developed predominantly. in the spirit of English academicism. The first artist The association was the “Ceylon Art Society” (since 1891; painters A. K. G. S. Amarasekara, T. Rajapakshe, J. D. A. Perera, D. Painter, sculptor T. Ranasinghe, etc.). In the 1st half. 20th century canvases on Buddhist themes were created by M. Sarlis. S. Mendis sought to revive the traditions of painting of Ajanta and Sigiriya (paintings in the Raja Mahavihara temple in Kelaniya). Under the influence of the Bengal Renaissance, an artistic movement emerged in 1943. association “Group 43”, whose members (X. Pieris, J. Keith, J. Deraniyagala and others) combined people. and mythological plots with modern techniques. European lawsuit The increased desire to create a national artist style led to the organization of the National Society in 1950. art-va (founder – sculptor and monk Vipulasara Thero); its members (B. L. A. Mendis, K. S. Vijaya, G. V. D. Heyanthuduva and others) depicted the lush nature of the island, scenes of labor, using the traditions of the Middle Ages. murals. Among the artists is the 2nd half. 20th century: R. Deraniyagala, R. Fernando, S. Jayawardene, H. Karunaratne, S. Kirinde, I. Peries. Ancient types of art are preserved. crafts: weaving, wood carving (architectural details, masks) and ivory (figurines, caskets), metal processing (notching, embossing) and precious stones, making lacquerware, ceramics.

Music

Music culture of Sh.-L. formed as a result of interaction specific. local elements and South Indian, Arabic, European, East African. traditions and influences. To the center. and south In the regions of the country, the musical and dance traditions of the Sinhalese predominate, of which the dynamic Kandyan (mainly male) dances accompanied by membranophones and idiophones (central mountainous regions) and Ruhunu dances in masks (southwest coast) are particularly distinctive. All in. areas have strong Tamil traditions. Archaic language is locally preserved. oral culture of the Veddas. In traditional music tools included: approx. 30 different membranophones (vertical bera drum with varieties, hourglass-shaped drum, etc.) and idiophones; wind instrument with double reed Khoraneva, shell-trumpet Hagedia. Instrumental ensembles accompany dance and theater performances, numerous. Buddhist, Hindu and other holidays, including celebrations. processions with dancing and music (esala perahera in Kandy, etc.). In Colombo and other coastal cities under Portuguese, Dutch. and English influenced by local types and genres of academics. and pop music.

Theater

In Sh.-L. Sinhala culture is dominant. The origins of theater are in folklore. games, rituals, songs, dances that accompanied celebrations (including religious ones); The chronicle poem “Mahavansa” (5th–6th centuries, the alleged author is the monk Mahanama from Anuradhapura) describes performance areas for dancers and musicians (“mandara”). With its appearance in the 3rd–8th centuries. large Sinhalese kingdoms, ideological. the basis of which was Buddhism, mystery drama arose in monasteries (see Mystery). The Tamils ​​brought the classic to the island. Skt. drama (see Sanskrit lite ratio). There were differences. forms of people theaters, of which the mask theater has survived (kolam; based on dance and pantomime, genetically related to the magical cults of Bali and Tovil; is of a comedic nature, which means the role in it belongs to the leading comedian - kavataya; common in the areas of Ambalangoda and Bentara), theater pantomimes (sokari; named after the heroine, whose life is the theme of the performances; actors play with and without masks), music. drama (Nadagam, widespread mainly in Kandy, resembles a local version of an opera with many dances, the actors play in brightly colored masks; this means that part of the content of the play is explained by the presenter; historical themes predominate). The multi-genre rukada puppet theater (“miniature figures” controlled from above using threads) is very popular. Modern theater type arose during the colonial period. In con. 19th century plays appeared (a clear division into acts, a curtain was introduced, female actresses began to participate). New plays (the so-called nritya), while maintaining a musical and dance basis, included dialogue: “Romlin” (1866), “Rolina” (1879) by C. Don Bastian, an adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” by W. Shakespeare (1884). The works of J. de Silva “Sri Sangobo” (1903), “Vihara Maha Deva” (1916) were staged by prof. by the Arya Subodha Natya Sabha and Vijaya Ranga Sabha troupes in Colombo. One of the most popular theaters is the first stationary “Clock Tower Theater”, founded by entrepreneur H. Seneviratne (1911, Colombo); since the 1930s There was a cinema in the building; since 1978 the National Center International Theater Institute In the 1920s–1930s. plays with social themes appeared (“Iranama”, “Hadisi Viniskaya” by B. A. V. Jayamanne). In 1944, a school and dance troupe (since 1955 Chitrasena's Ceylon Ballet), led by Chitrasena, the first prof., were created in the capital. dancer and choreographer Sh.-L.: elements of tradition are closely connected in his works. dance and folk music with modernity - ballets of their own. the compositions “Karadiya” (“Sea Water”) and “Nala Damayanti” (based on "Mahabharatas"); Among other productions are “Hiroshima” and “Rice Fields” by V. Kumar, “Bitter Rice” by P. Kumar. The center of theatrical activity is Colombo: the Center for the Arts. Lionel Wendt (1953), state. National ensemble dance Sh.-L. (1973), theaters “Janakaraliya” (2003), Arts Center “TrikonE” (2005), “Nelum Pokuna” (2011; named after the construction of a 12th century pond in the shape of a lotus flower, also known as the National Theater of Performing Arts) . In the 1970s “street theaters” gained popularity (including the groups of G. Hattotuwegama, P. Niriella, H. A. Perera). In 1981, actress and playwright S. Subasinghe created the first theater for children and youth in Kotte (main musical theater, since 2015 bears her name).

Movie

In Sh.-L. There are Sinhala- and Tamil-language cinematography (both developed under the significant influence of Indian cinema). First screening of films by br. L. and O. Lumiere took place in Colombo in 1901. In 1925 the first feature film was filmed. “Royal Adventure” by A. G. Nuraboi (presented in India and Singapore; due to the loss of negatives, it was not shown at home). In the 1920s–30s. The Americans were in the lead. films with the participation of C. Chaplin, G. Garbo, R. Valentino and others, from the end. 1930s - early 1940s – ind. paintings. The formation of cinema in Sh.-L. contributed to ind. producer S. M. Nayagam (Tamil-speaking; film "Kumaraguru", 1946, etc.; in 1952 founded the film studio "Sri Murugan Navakala"). Date of birth of the national cinema is considered to be 1947 (at the studio “Chitra Kala Movietone”, specially created for the filming of Sinhala films in Madurai, the film “Broken Promise” by J. Singh based on the play by B. A. V. Jayamanne was released). At the same time, the film “Asokamala” by S. Kumar was created, based on tradition. folklore story about love. In 1951 in Colombo dir. S. Vimalavira organized the studio “Nava Jeevana” (in 1953 he released the studio “Pittisara Kella”). In 1956, at the Ceylon film studio (Colombo), documentary director L. J. Peries staged an original pseudo-documentary. “Line of Fate” about village life; continued his author's search in the films “Changes in the Village” (1963), “Golden Shawl” (1967), “Hero Puran Appu” (1979), etc. Among other things. works of this period are “The Seven Seas” by S. Gunasinghe (1967) and “The Desert” (1971) by D. B. Nihalsinghe. In 1972 the State was organized. film corporation, the volume of film production increased (including the release of several films in Tamil, chiefly directed by B. Mahendra). In the 1970s Sri Lankan cinema, along with entertainment, also developed relevant socio-political ones. and morals. themes (using the genre of musical melodrama); Peries' films: “Treasure” (1972; in 1997 recognized in S.-L. as the best film of the fiftieth anniversary, Ave. McF in Venice), “Un Certain Regard” (1972), “Mangrove Island” (1976). From the beginning 1970s D. Pathiraja began working - “One League of Skies” (1974), “How to Be an Adult” (1977), “The Wasps Are Here” (1978), “On the Move” (1980), “The Old Soldier” (1981). From the end 1970s S. Peries announced herself: “Geghenu Lamai” (1978), “Beyond the River” (1980). In the 1990s. “Independent cinema” took off, the leading representative of the trend was P. Vithanage (“Fire on Ice,” 1991; “The Dark Side of the Soul,” 1996; “The Death of the Full Moon Day” and “The Walls Within,” both 1997). The most popular actress of this period is N. Fernando. Early 21st century marked by film achievements: “The Abandoned Land” (2005, International Film Festival in Cannes) and “Between Two Worlds” (2009) by V. Jayasundara; “This is My Moon” (2000), “To Fly with One Wing” (2002), “Fire Letter” (2005; banned by censorship for screening in the country), “Let Her Cry” (2016) by A. Handagama, “Generations” by Mahendra (2013).