¢º Name: Sri Lanka Democratic Socialist Republic
¢º Independence Day: 4 February, 1948 (Independent from England)
¢º Area: 65,610§´(about 1/3 of the Korean peninsula, north-south length 435§°,
            east-west width 225§°)
¢º Climate: high temperature and humid, tropical temperature
                (the average temperature in Colombo is 27¡É)
¢º Population: 18,100,000('96), density 292/§´, Colombo 620,000, Capital city region c.2,800,000
¢º Race: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Malay and Burger
¢º Religion: Buddhism 69%, Hinduism 11%, Islam 7.6%, Christianity 7.5%
¢º Language: Sinhalese, Tamil, English
¢º Capital: Colombo
¢º Government form: President-centered with parliamentary cabinet
¢º Parliamentary: Single house (225members, 6-year term)