History
of Sri Lanka : - Sri Lanka's history is one, which faded years
ago. It is known mainly in two ways firstly as a Buddhist country and
secondly as demon Rawana's Lanka where Lord Ram skipped to rescue Sita. It's
actual history starts from 4th century B.C. when Sinhalese kingdom of
Anuradhapura developed as the strongest kingdom of all, but with the coming
of Mahinda, son of the great Buddhist emperor Ashoka in 3rd century B.C the
King and his followers were soon converted to Buddhism.
Government &
Politics :- The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, got
independence in Feb1948 form British rule and was an independent member of
the British Commonwealth, which adopted its first republican constitution in
1972 and its current constitution in August 1978. It is a democratic
country, which has President rule with a tenure of 6yrs and powers to
dissolve parliament and dismiss members of cabinet including Prime Minister.
Foreign
Exchange / Currency :- Sri Lankan currency is Rupee ( Rs ) divided into
100 cents.When visiting Sri Lanka break down large notes of Rs 500 or Rs
1000 in denominations of coins 5,10,25 and 50 cents, Rs 1,2,5 and 10 Notes
in 10,20,50,100 etc, as most shopkeepers does not have change with them.
Population
of Sri Lanka :- Sri Lanka has a population of over 19 million; the
present population density is one of the highest in Asia with 280 people per
sq km.
Religion
of Srilanka :- Buddhism is followed by 70% of the population, which
makes it a Buddhist country, and it holds importance both spiritually and
culturally. Sri Lanka`s literature, art and architecture are to a large
extent is based on Buddhism. About 15% of the population, mainly Tamils, is
Hindu , Muslims and Christians account for about 7.5% each.
Language
:- Sinhala and Tamil are both national and official languages but
English is the tourism language and easy to get with. Overall it's better to
know a few words of Sinhala or Tamil to greet people in their own language.
Visa
:- The countries including Australians, New Zealanders, British, French,
German and Americans, get's the visa on arrival which is valid for 30 days.
In your respective home countries you can apply the visa only for 30 days
which can be extended by the Department of Immigration, Sri Lanka.
Time
:- Sri Lanka is 6 hrs ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, 6 hrs behind
Australians EST and 11 hrs ahead of American EST.
Climate
:- The seasons in Sri Lanka are distinctively dry and wet seasons. The
rainy season is from May to August and the dry season is from December to
March. The north east monsoon blows from October to January. The dry season
in the north-east is from May to September.
Cities
of Srilanka :- Although Sri Lanka is a beautiful Island Country and lots
to see like Colombo, The West Coast-Puttalm, Negombo, Kalutra & Wadduwa,
Beruwels & Morgelle, Bentota etc, The SouthCost-Galle, Unawatuna,
Weligama, Matara, Hambantota, Kirinda, Kataragam, The Hill Country-Kandy,
Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Badulla, Wellawata etc.
Restrictions
:- The photos of dams, airports, roadblocks or indeed anything
associated with the military are restricted. Waving a camera around Colombo
Fort, because the area near the port is also restricted. The restrictions
apply to both video and photography.
