Did You Know?

Weekend Smile

Smiley Face

You know you are a Sri Lankan when .,.,.,

• You use banana leaves instead of plates to eat rice and curry
• Your idea of bathing suit is a conspicuous see-through sarong around your chest
• You learned how to spell your last name by singing it to the tune of the ABC song
• You eat string hoppers, coconut milk and three-course curry meal for breakfast
• When arrack is better than any French champagne

Facts and Figures

President: Mahinda Rajapaksa (2005)

Prime Minister: Ratnasiri Wickremanayaka (2005)

Land area: 24,996 sq mi (64,740 sq km); total area: 25,332 sq mi (65,610 sq km)

Population (2009 est.): 21,324,791 (growth rate: 1.0%); birth rate: 16.2/1000; infant mortality rate: 18.5/1000; life expectancy: 75.1

Largest city (2003 est.) -Colombo

Legislative and judicial capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

Other large cities: Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia; Moratuwa, Kandy

Monetary unit: Sri Lanka Rupee

Languges: Sinhala 74% (official and national), Tamil 18% (national), other 8%; English is commonly used in government and spoken competently by about 10%

Ethnicity/Race:Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors(muslims) 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001)

Religions: Buddhist 70%, Islam 8%, Hindu 7%, Christian 6% (2001)

Literacy rate: 92% (2003 est.)

International disputes: none.

Member of Commonwealth of Nations

Education

Education is highly regarded in Sri Lanka. Parents sacrifice all their lives to provide their children with an education that will enhance their position in society. Teachers and college graduates are highly respected. Because education is free and compulsory in both primary and secondary schools, 90% of students complete secondary school resulting in a corresponding adult literacy rate, among the highest in Asia*.

*UNICEF Sri Lanka Statistics

You are one click away to learn more about the education system in Sri Lanka
Ministry of Education
Education System in Sri Lanka
Country Studies
Education Statistics

You Know You Are A Sri Lankan When .,.,.

Smiley Face

• Your parents mark any special occasion by boiling milk until it spills all over your stove.
• You get in to baila music.
• You refer to friends by calling them "Machan" instead of "Dude".
• Catching malaria is like catching a cold.
• You know Buddhist chants, Hindu chants and the Islamic call for prayer by heart.
• You use Siddahlepe, Gripe Water and Panadol to solve your medical problems.
• When "Aney" or "Aiyoo" or "Allaaahhh" is a standard word in everyday conversation.
• You are ALWAYS taking off and putting on your shoes wherever you go.

Until I post more smileys next week have a safe holiday weekend!

The National Anthem of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka - Names

In ancient times, Sri Lanka was known by a variety of names: ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane and Arabs referred to it as Serendib (the origin of the word "serendipity"). Ceilão was the name given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese when they arrived in 1505, which was transliterated into English as Ceylon. In 1972, the official name of the country was changed to "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka" (in Sinhala: śrī laṃkā, in Tamil இலங்கை ilaṅkai, iˈlaŋɡai). In 1978 it was changed to "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka". The current name is derived from the Sanskrit word lanka, meaning "island", which was also the name of the island as described in the ancient Indian epics Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The word "Sri" is a Sanskrit title meaning sacred.