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Sri Lanka

✨ The pearl of the Indian Ocean

Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean, located just southeast of the Indian subcontinent. It covers about 65,610 square kilometres and is separated from India by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Its landscape is varied: broad coastal plains surround a mountainous central region, where elevations rise sharply. The highest point is Pidurutalagala, reaching about 2,524 metres above sea level. The central highlands influence the island’s rivers, climate and agricultural landscapes.

Sri Lanka also includes many smaller offshore islands, particularly around the northern and eastern coasts. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the official administrative capital, while Colombo is the largest city and the country’s main commercial and financial centre. The island’s location along Indian Ocean routes has also given it a significant position between South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Sri Lanka has a tropical climate, but rainfall and temperatures vary considerably according to elevation and the seasonal monsoon winds. The southwest generally receives more rain, while some northern and southeastern areas are comparatively drier. The island contains diverse ecosystems, including tropical forests, wetlands, grasslands, mangroves and coral reefs. Its natural environments support species such as Asian elephants, leopards and numerous birds and marine animals.

Agriculture remains important, with rice, tea, rubber, coconut and spices among the major products. Tourism, manufacturing, services and overseas trade also contribute substantially to the economy. Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages, while English is widely used as a link language. Sri Lanka has a long history shaped by South Asian cultures and maritime exchanges, with important Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities contributing to its cultural diversity.

💡 Did you know?

Did you know that in Sri Lanka, there is a fortress called Sigiriya, nicknamed the 'Lion Rock'? To climb to the top of this 200-meter rock, visitors pass between two enormous lion paws carved in stone! Previously, there was also a giant lion head that made it look like people were entering the beast's mouth. At the top, you find the ruins of a magnificent palace with an incredible view of the jungle.

Sri Lanka is famous for a very odd way of fishing: stilt fishing! Fishermen do not sit in a boat but on a small wooden bar attached to a pole planted in the sand, right in the middle of the ocean. They stay there, motionless, for hours above the waves so as not to scare the fish. It is a magical sight, especially at sunset, to see them perched like birds!

If you like giant animals, Sri Lanka is the ideal place! It is one of the few places in the world where you can see the largest land animal (the Asian elephant) in the morning in a national park, and the largest animal on the entire planet (the blue whale) in the afternoon in the ocean. Elephants are so important there that they are sometimes made silk clothes decorated with gold for major religious holidays!