Sri Lankan flag
Sri Lanka, a teardrop-shaped island in South Asia, lies on the Indian Plate, which was once part of the Indo-Australian Plate. Located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, it sits between latitudes 5° and 10° N and longitudes 79° and 82° E. The island is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait. According to Hindu mythology, a land bridge once connected Sri Lanka to the mainland, but today only a chain of limestone shoals remains. Some historical accounts suggest it was walkable until 1480 CE when cyclones deepened the channel, leaving parts as shallow as one meter, which still complicates navigation.
Sri Lanka’s terrain consists mainly of flat and rolling coastal plains, with mountains rising in the south-central region. The island’s highest peak, Pidurutalagala, reaches 2,524 meters (8,281 feet). The country is rich in water resources, hosting 103 rivers, the longest being the Mahaweli River, which stretches 335 kilometers (208 miles). These rivers form 51 waterfalls over 10 meters (33 feet), with Bambara Kanda Falls standing as the highest at 263 meters (863 feet). The island’s coastline spans 1,585 kilometers (985 miles), and Sri Lanka claims an exclusive economic zone extending 200 nautical miles—approximately 6.7 times its land area. Its coastal ecosystems, including coral reefs and estuarine seagrass beds, are highly productive.
Sri Lanka also has 45 estuaries and 40 lagoons, with its 7,000-hectare mangrove ecosystem playing a crucial role in mitigating the impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The island is rich in minerals such as ilmenite, feldspar, graphite, silica, kaolin, mica, and thorium. Additionally, petroleum and gas reserves have been discovered in the Gulf of Mannar, with extraction efforts currently underway
Sri Lanka has a tropical and warm climate, moderated by ocean winds. Temperatures vary depending on altitude, with the Central Highlands experiencing lows of 17 °C (62.6 °F), where frost can occur during winter, while lower-altitude regions can reach up to 33 °C (91.4 °F). The average annual temperature ranges from 28 °C (82.4 °F) to nearly 31 °C (87.8 °F), with day and night temperature differences of 14 °C (25 °F) to 18 °C (32 °F).
Monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal shape the island’s rainfall distribution. The "wet zone" and some windward slopes of the central highlands receive up to 2,500 mm (98.4 in) of rain annually, while leeward slopes in the east and northeast remain much drier. The "dry zone," covering the east, southeast, and northern areas, gets between 1,200 and 1,900 mm (47 to 75 in) of rain each year.
The arid northwest and southeast coasts experience the lowest rainfall, ranging from 800 to 1,200 mm (31 to 47 in) annually. Occasional squalls and tropical cyclones can bring heavy rains and overcast conditions to the southwest, northeast, and eastern regions. Humidity is generally higher in the southwest and mountainous areas, fluctuating with seasonal rainfall patterns. Recent increases in rainfall intensity have led to frequent flooding, causing damage to infrastructure, utilities, and urban economies. Sri Lanka is a democratic republic and unitary state governed under a semi-presidential system, making it the oldest democracy in Asia. Most constitutional provisions can be amended with a two-thirds majority in Parliament, but fundamental aspects—such as national symbols, religion, term limits, and Sri Lanka’s unitary status—also require approval through a nationwide referendum. The constitution officially declares Sri Lanka a socialist state.
The government is structured into three branches:
Executive: The President serves as head of state, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and chief executive, elected for a five-year term. The president leads the cabinet, appointing ministers from Parliament. Legal immunity protects the president from lawsuits during their tenure. Since the 19th amendment in 2015, the presidency is limited to two terms.
Legislative: The Parliament consists of 225 members—196 elected from 22 multi-seat constituencies and 29 through proportional representation. Members serve five-year terms and hold the authority to pass laws. The president can summon, suspend, or dissolve Parliament after four and a half years. The prime minister, who heads the ruling party, plays a significant role in domestic affairs.
Judicial: Sri Lanka’s judiciary includes the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, High Courts, and subordinate courts, influenced by various legal traditions. Criminal law primarily follows British law, while civil law is based on Roman Dutch principles. Some legal matters, such as marriage and inheritance, follow communal laws, including Sinhala customary law (Kandyan law), Thavamani, and Sharia law. The president appoints judges to higher courts, while a judicial service commission oversees lower court appointments and dismissals.