The Lifeboat4 Network
…in association with Passage of Bahar
Home     The Network     Hall of Fame     Friends in Places     Goodies     Passage of Bahar     Disclaimer     Contact Us      
...bahrain
...cambodia
...croatia
...faroe islands
...france
...germany
...iceland
...india
...madagascar
...malawi
...malaysia
...mauritius
...namibia
...reunion
...seychelles
...singapore
...south africa
...sri lanka
...thailand
...uae
...united kingdom
...united states
 
 
 

Background

 

The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006, but neither side has formally withdrawn from the cease-fire.

 

The People

 

Population

20,926,315

Age structure

0-14 years: 24.3% (male 2,596,295/female 2,495,949)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 6,947,310/female 7,259,271)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 765,507/female 861,983) (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 74.8 years
male: 72.81 years
female: 76.88 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate

0.982% (2007 est.)
Ethnic groupsSinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
ReligionsBuddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Population below poverty line22% (2002 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS        3,500 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deathsless than 200 (2003 est.)
Mobile phones in use

4.284 million (2006)

 

Data (Background & The People) provided by The World Factbook