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Experience Southern Province History Geography Arts & Culture People & Lifestyle Fairs & Festivals Cuisine Languages Communication By District/DS/GD All the assistance you need to plan your trip to our beautiful country.Specialy, to the Southern Province Here's a preview of the incredible diversity you can expect.   Holiday Ideas Adventure Sports Cool Retreats Desert Eco-Tourism Beach Sports Heritage Beaches of Southern Province Pilgrimages & Spirituality Royal Retreats Wellness Wildlife Bustling cities, rare wildlife, pristine beaches, tranquil backwaters, heritage and more. TOURISM IN SRI LANKA Sri Lanka has a diversity of tourist attractions and resources within its relatively compact area. The attractions and resources can be categorised by those which are major factors in attracting international tourists to the country, most importantly beaches together with the tropical climate and the major historic and cultural attractions, and other attractions and resources which enhance the experience of tourists in the country. SOUTHERN PROVINCE All along the South coast from Benthota to Hambanthota, lovers of water sports enjoy themselves immensely, para-sailing, wind surfing, water-skiing and scuba-diving deep among the beautiful coral reefs of Hikkaduwa where exotic species of crnamental fish abound. in the heartland of the deep south lies the Yala national Park and it's free roaming herds of wild animals - eleplants,deer,loopards,bear etc. - a cherished national heritage and the bird sanctuary at Bundala - a must on visiters itineraries because of it's grate tourist attraction. In Galle , itself, there are popular beachfront areas like the famous Closenberg Fort - a much patronized beach resort during the colonial era. Distinctive Developed Attractions Developed attractions within the country are diverse and include ancient irrigation networks of tanks (reservoirs) and canals, which demonstrate advanced hydraulic engineering; tea estates, which were introduced from the end of the 19th century, and tea factories where processing can be viewed; gem mines, predominantly located in the Ratnapura area; indigenous medicine, based on the Ayurvedic medical system of mainly herbal remedies; turtle hatcheries, established to protect endangered species; botanical gardens, located at Kandy (Peradeniya), Hakgala and Gampaha; elephant orphanage, located at Pinnewala; zoological gardens, located at Dehiwela, railway network, which is historic with routes, particularly in the Hill Country, offering spectacular views; convention facilities in Colombo; sports facilities, included golf courses at Colombo and Nuwara Eliya and a major sports complex in Colombo. Other interesting activities included coconut and rubber estates, spices gardens, toddy tapping and arrack distilleries. Geography Of Sri Lanka Location Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India Geographic coordinates 7 00 N, 81 00 E Map references asia Area total: 65,610 sq km water: 870 sq km land: 64,740 sq km Area comparative slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries 0 km Coastline 1,340 km Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm Climate tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) Terrain mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior Elevation extremes lowest point: indian ocean 0 m highest point: pidurutalagala 2,524 m Natural resources limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower Land use arable land: 13.86% permanent crops: 15.7% other: 70.44% (2001) Irrigated land 6,510 sq km (1998 est.) Natural hazards occasional cyclones and tornadoes Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo Environment - international agreements party to: biodiversity, climate change, climate change-kyoto protocol, desertification, endangered species, environmental modification, hazardous wastes, law of the sea, ozone layer protection, ship pollution, wetlands signed, but not ratified: marine life conservation People Of Sri Lanka Population 19,905,165 note: 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 yearend 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.) Median age total: 29.1 years male: 28 years female: 30.1 years (2004 est.) Population growth rate 0.81% (2004 est.) Birth rate 15.88 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) Death rate 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) Net migration rate -1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.) Infant mortality rate total: 14.78 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 16.01 deaths/1,000 live births Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.89 years male: 70.34 years female: 75.57 years (2004 est.) Total fertility rate 1.88 children born/woman (2004 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 4,800 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths 250 (2001 est.) Nationality noun: sri lankan(s) adjective: sri lankan Languages Sinhala 74%, Tamil 18%, (official and national languages)other 8% note: english is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population Literacy conventional long form: democratic socialist republic of sri lanka conventional short form: sri lanka former: serendib, ceylon

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