Sri Lanka, officially the
Democratic Socialist Republic of
Sri Lanka (Sinhalese: , Tamil: known
as Ceylon before 1972) is an island
nation in South Asia, located about
31 kilometers (18½ mi) off
the southern coast of India. It
is often popularly referred to as
the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It
is home to more than 20 million
people.
A strategic naval
link between West Asia and South
East Asia, Sri Lanka has been a
centre of Buddhist religion and
culture from ancient times, though
a fifth of the population follow
other faiths - notably Hinduism,
Christianity, Islam and indigenous
religions. Sinhalese people form
a majority of the population (74%).
The second largest community, concentrated
in the north east of the island,
are the Sri Lankan Tamils.
