Asian Adventures

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean is located to the south of the Indian subcontinent. It lies between 5° 55' and 9° 55' north of the equator and between the eastern longitudes 79° 42' and 81° 52'. The total land area is 65, 610 sq. km. and is astonishingly varied. A length of 445 km. and breadth of 225km. encompasses beautiful tropical beaches, verdant vegetation, ancient monuments and a thousand delights to please all tastes. The relief features of the island consist of a mountainous mass somewhat south of the centre, with height exceeding 2, 500meters, surrounded by broad plains. Palm fringed beaches surround the island and the sea temperature rarely falls below 27°C

Its people
And beautiful as is much of Ceylon, and interesting as are its historical remains, the Singhalese themselves are what makes the island…an unforgettable and cherished memory' says Raven Hart (1964)." The Sri Lankan people are one of the main attractions of Sri Lanka. This is a nation of ever smiling people and the visitors find them adorable, hospitable and always willing to help. The life of the majority of Sri Lankans is influenced by the compassionate teachings of the Buddha. Even the roots of those Sri Lankans who follow other faiths would in all probability have been nurtured by those teachings, for that it was Buddhism that was the religion of all Sri Lankans before.

Christianity and Islam were introduced to the Island in more recent times. That is what has made them a nation of tolerable and hospitable people. When you travel in the little Island you will meet friendly people; the children will wave from their doorsteps at the passing vehicle or at the visitor trekking on foot.

The population number approximately 19 million. This multi-ethnic population comprises :

Sinhalese - 72%
Tamils - 19%
Muslims - 8%
Burghers (descendants of Dutch and Portuguese) - 1%

The four major religions are:

Buddhism - followed by 69% of the population
Hinduism - followed by 15% of the population
Islam - followed by 8% of the population
Christianity - followed by 7% of the population

Languages The most commonly-spoken languages in Sri Lanka are Sinhala, Tamil and English. Climate & Seasons
In the lowlands the climate is typically tropical with an average temperature of 27°C in Colombo. In the higher elevations it can be quite cool with temperatures going down to 16°C at an altitude of nearly 2, 000 meters. Bright, sunny warm days are the rule and are common even during the height of the monsoon - climatically Sri Lanka has no off-season. The southwest monsoon brings rain mainly from May to July to the western, southern and central regions of the island, while the northeast monsoon rains occur in the northern and eastern regions in December and January