Sri
Lanka, officially the Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka also known as Ceylon before 1972 is an
island nation in South Asia, located about 31 kilometers (18½ mi) off
the southern coast of India. Popularly referred to as the Pearl of the Indian
Ocean, it is home to around twenty million people.
Due to its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic
naval link between West Asia and South East Asia, and has been a center of
Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times.
Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee,
rubber and coconuts, it boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy.
The natural beauty of Sri Lanka's tropical forests, beaches and landscape as
well as its rich cultural heritage make it a world famous tourist destination.
Sri
Lanka in Brief
