Population: 19,408,635 (July 2001 est.)

Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%

Background: Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1802. As Ceylon it became independent in 1948; its name was changed in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil...

Currency: Sri Lanka Rupee (LKR, LKR (114.30 = US$1))

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.