The landscape of Sri Lanka is one of rolling hills, with few high, mountainous peaks.

STATISTICS

Population Size/Changes: 19,905,165
Since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of 2000, approximately 65,000 were housed in 131 refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2004 est.).
Age Structure:
0-14 years: 24.8% (male 2,526,143; female 2,414,876)
15-64 years: 68.2% (male 6,589,438; female 6,976,487)
65 years and over: 7% (male 655,636; female 742,585) (2004 est.)
Population Growth Rate: 0.81% (2004 est.)
Total Fertility Rate: 1.88 children/woman (2004 est.)
Human Development Index (HDI): 0.740 (2002)
Ethnic & Religious Compositions: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Gross National Product (GDP):
Purchasing power parity: $73.7 billion (2003 est.)
Real growth rate: 5.5% (2003 est.)
Per capita (purchasing power parity): $3,700 (2003 est.)
Composition by sector: agriculture (19.9%), industry (26.3%), services (53.8%) (2003)
Agricultural and Industrial Products:
Agriculture: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef
Industries: rubber processing, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco
Life Expectancies:
Total population: 72.89 years
Male: 70.34 years
Female: 75.57 years (2004 est.)
Literacy Levels - Men vs. Women:
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 92.3%
Male: 94.8%
Female: 90% (2003 est.)
Health Issues/Challenges:
Post-tsunami restoration (The Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami resulted in extensive damage to many parts of the east and south coasts); friction/political unrest with Tamil Tigers; dengue (including the sometimes fatal hemorrhagic strain); cholera; malaria; Hepatitis. DON'T DRINK THE WATER!
External Debt: $10.52 billion (2003)
Average Household Income/Unemployment:
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.5%; highest 10%: 28%
Unemployment rate: 8.4% (2003)
Population Below Poverty Line: 22% (1997 est.)
Media Technologies:
Telephones - main lines in use: 881,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 931,600 (2002)
Telephone system: very inadequate domestic service, particularly in rural areas
Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 45, short-wave 1 (1998)
Internet hosts: 1,882 (2003)
Internet users: 200,000 (2002)