Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean just southeast of the Indian peninsula, from which it is separated by the Palk Strait. A mountainous region known as the Central Highlands rises in the south-central part of the island, surrounded by plains and a varied coastline. Differences in elevation and seasonal rainfall produce distinct wet and dry zones, shaping settlement and agriculture. The island's position along Indian Ocean routes has connected it to South Asia and to wider maritime exchange for centuries. Colombo is the country's principal urban centre and executive and judicial capital; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital.

Sri Lanka has a long record of kingdoms, irrigation works and Buddhist institutions, while Hindu traditions and contacts with neighbouring South India also shaped its history. European powers established successive footholds on the island: Portugal from the sixteenth century, the Netherlands later, and Britain, which consolidated colonial rule in the nineteenth century. The country became independent in 1948 as Ceylon. In 1972 it adopted a republican constitution and the name Sri Lanka. These periods left a complex political and social inheritance rather than a single, uniform national past.

Sri Lanka is a democratic republic. Its constitution identifies Sinhala and Tamil as official languages and English as a link language. Sinhalese and Tamil communities, as well as Muslim and other groups, form part of the country's diverse society. Buddhism and Hinduism have strongly shaped its history, and Islam is also a longstanding religious tradition. Colombo remains a major centre of commerce and administration, while the legislative capital is Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte. The country's multilingual and multi-religious character is essential to understanding both its cultural life and its modern political history.

After decades of ethnic and political tension, an armed conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) developed into a civil war, which ended in May 2009. The United Nations subsequently called for a credible accountability process concerning the war's final stages and attention to underlying political issues. In 2022, severe economic disruption brought shortages, inflation and mass protests. The World Bank describes the subsequent recovery as gradual and uneven, with debt sustainability, household welfare and inclusive growth among continuing challenges. These experiences form an important part of Sri Lanka's recent history, but do not define the country's whole society or economy.