Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka belongs to the continent of Asia, it is classed as an island country and is positioned in the Indian Ocean in Southern Asia. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Asia is the largest continent in the world, it has 48 countries, with some countries belonging to both Asia and Europe. It spans a total area of 43,820,000 km2 and forms 29.5% of the world's landmass. Sri Lanka is an island country that spreads over a total area of approximately 65,610 km2. It is one of the smaller countries of Asia. Sri Lanka is larger than Egypt but smaller than Georgia.

The following guideline provides details on the approximate border lengths of Sri Lanka:
Coastline 1,340 km.

Sri Lanka receives a hot tropical climate with two monsoon periods. The northeast monsoon occurs from December to March, and the southwest monsoon occurs from June to October. The geography of Sri Lanka consists of mountainous regions, lowland areas and rolling plain. The lowest point of Sri Lanka is the Indian Ocean at 0m, and the highest point of elevation is Pidurutalagala at 2,524m.

The official languages of Sri Lanka are Sinhala and Tamil. Most of the population speaks Sinhala as their first language, and around 18 percent communicate in Tamil.

The main religion of Sri Lanka is Buddhist at approximately 70% of the population. Around 12% are Hindu, 9% Muslim and 6% Roman Catholic. The remaining population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources can be defined as materials and substances that occur naturally on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. The level of natural resources present in an individual country depends on varying factors which are influenced by the geography, climate and location of that country. Some countries, such as Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada, have many natural resources, where as some other countries have limited to none. Food, construction and transport are three primary examples of uses of natural resources. The following information provides examples of these uses: fish occurs naturally in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans, and can be caught for food consumption. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests for construction purposes, i.e. to build homes and furniture. Crude oils can be refined into different kinds of fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. The natural resources of Sri Lanka include limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower (water power), and arable land suitable for growing crops.

Each country across the world has its own unique culture, history and identity. Flags, emblems, symbols, colors, mottos, anthems and songs are used to symbolize the pride and individuality of a nation. These national symbols are created through the unique history of a nation and can portray both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, songs, mottos and colors reflect the past, present and future hopes of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can represent a combination of things that are important to a country such as birds, animals, plants, geographical features, tools of agriculture, crops, and tools of war. The following facts and information provide a guide to some of the most important national symbols, songs and colors of Sri Lanka: